Starting to rethink my Associate Degree choice...

Hello all, I'm currently enrolled at a Community College for a Network Admin Associate's degree. I'm about to enter my last Cisco Academy class where my teacher has connections to all kinds of companies and constantly gets his students interviews. KLA Labs has actually just started a scholarship fund for this program and Secure 24 is inviting us to their data center and help desk where they will do mock interviews with us all.

So these two companies come in every year and talk to the class. Secure 24's manager went through the Academy at the same college, no degree, and is now the manager. The other guy who came in has...I think he said 30? certs, no education, and makes a ton of money. Both of them, along with my teacher, kind of devalued getting a degree in this field unless you want to go into management. This is something I found out right before this semester started. However, I'm kind of torn on what to do. After December I have one semester left before I would get my degree. I'm in a really crappy living situation and if my teacher can get me interviews then I want to start working right away. So...I have no idea what to do here.

Should I try to get a full time job and drop this degree? Should I work and take 2 classes next semester then follow up next year? The classes I'm in now are; Cisco Academy (about to start the last one), Windows Server, and I'm starting a WLAN class in a few weeks. My next semester would consist of Advanced Unix, VoiP, Virtualization, and some Net Admin class that you can't take until you finish all 4 Cisco classes. Are any these classes worth it? I know Unix is important for scripting...the WLAN, VoiP, and Virtual class though....

Could use some advice =/

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Comments

kohr-ah

Get the degree.

If you can get work while you do the degree at the same time that is always super helpful but degrees are becoming a necessity.

Can you do well without one? Yes but I can tell you that it will be much easier to get through with one than without.

joelsfood

Get the degree. Lots of jobs don't require one, but the ones that do, do. Better to have it than not, particularly if you're oinly one semester away

markulous

joelsfood wrote: »

Get the degree. Lots of jobs don't require one, but the ones that do, do. Better to have it than not, particularly if you're oinly one semester away

This x2.

But don't take someone's word for it. Run a job search for jobs you want and see what they require. I saw lots of jobs in my area require them and it's part of the reason I got hired here at vmware.

v1ral

You have one semester left after the current semester? This is a no-brainer stay and get the degree!

A degree is the "easy-mode" button in finding an IT job. It's also a good way to distinguish yourself among the other applicants for most HR dept..

Alexsmith

Get the degree, I lost out on a good job a year ago paying well into the 100's over not having that Bachelors....HR filter came in AFTER the interview process.

networker050184

As you see it's certainly possible to succeed without a degree, but dropping out is very, very rarely good advice. The more you can put on your resume the better, especially in the beginning. It's going to be hard to crack the field with just Cisco academy on your resume.

xxhieixx

Thanks everyone. I feel a lot better about getting my degree now, I was kind of bummed out thinking I wasted a lot of time and money.
I know (or have heard of) so many students going through the Cisco Academy that just had their CCNA and easily got hired into places because of my teacher (and now make a ton of money) so I was feeling discouraged. I also don't know if I have enough motivation to go and get a million certs on my own (hence why I went to school and didn't just learn Cisco/Networking on my own). I've learned a lot of good things, scripting being one of them so I'll go ahead and continue with my degree. Who knows maybe I'll decide to go down the management path...I highly doubt it but anythings possible.

Thanks again for all the feedback, I appreciate it!

shortstop20

Get the degree, for every guy that got by without it there's 10 that wish they had it.

Dakinggamer87

Definitely finish the degree!!