IT Degree and Career Questions

Hi, longtime lurker first time poster.

I currently work as a BA doing requirements writing and testing for an internal software project at a Fortune 500 company. I have a Bachelor's in Mathematics, and am looking to move away from my BA position in the next 2-3 years. It's good experience, just not my long term thing.

I have been looking heavily at WGU's Bachelor's in IT and then Master's in IT Management. I have programming knowledge and background from several courses in college. I am unsure if I'd want to go towards networking, security, or a different concentration. I am worried about three main things with which maybe some people with experience can assist me.

My current company does have some IT positions open, though many are management level I wouldn't qualify for. When I look in my market (large southern U.S. city), I don't see a lot of postings by companies but rather a whole lot of postings by recruiters and "IT firms". Are these firms like recruiting firms that simply exist as resume collectors or are there usually actual positions attached to them?

If my long term goals were to work in a technical capacity for 5-10 years and then move into an IT manager/management position, would this path through WGU with the Bachelor's and Master's set me up for that?

What is ageism like in IT, particularly higher up in the management chain? I don't want to get booted from a management spot at age 50 because I'm either too expensive or because of ageism.

Thanks so much for reading and any advice you can provide.

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Comments

Polynomial

Do NOT get another Bachelor's. I too have a BS in Math and went for a MS in IT Management. Don't need another Bachelor's.

While I feel slightly ridiculous even typing this out transitioning to management is actually a best practice of avoiding the "ageism" thing in tech these days.

mb2707

Really? Did you go to WGU or somewhere else for the Master's? My enrollment counselor told me because I didn't have any of the coursework, certs, or the bachelor's that I wouldn't qualify for the MS in IT Management yet.

stryder144

Have you considered the MBA in IT Management instead? It doesn't have a requirement for certs, just three years experience. Is there something in the MS program that appeals to you more than the MBA?

scaredoftests

Hmm..there is ageism to a degree, however, there are some places that don't mind hiring an old fart like me. LOL...Especially, if they have a bad experience with a younger person. and sometimes it is 'visa-versa'...

jrcarr2

1. While I'm sure many resumes go to a black hole with those recruiters, there are generally jobs attached to them. The big issue that I've always tried to avoid is most of that work is contract work. My current employer uses them occasionally to fill entry level positions. Often these have a possibility of being hired on full time. That being said, not all contract work will be hired on full time.

2. I can't speak to WGU, and I'm not aware of anyone I work with that has a degree from WGU (though people have talked about it.) I personally don't see a problem with a second bachelor's if it is beneficial. I just applied for one myself at UMass as my degree is in Political Science. This particular program offers a 30 credit second bachelor's degree that will give me skills that I want. I think a Bachelor's in Mathematics is a pretty strong foundation. I don't see any reason that you shouldn't be able to get some certifications and move into an IT career. If you find a Masters program that is compelling I'd go for it and skip the Bachelor's.

3. Agesim. Hmm, well I am in management at a NOC for a cellular carrier so my experiences may be different from traditional IT. More specifically I work on the carrier network side rather than our internal IT departments. What I see with ageism has a lot to do with technician's unwillingness to grow or move on. In my workplace we monitor many different types of network equipment and there has been a long standing resistance from more tenured employees to learn other technologies. The tenured employees that have learned the other technologies (i.e. Lucent, Nortel, Cisco) are much more successful then an employee that seems "fixed." My field is changing drastically as well so I think anyone who can't keep up with the change will struggle, new or old employees.

I don't think ageism in management isn't necessarily a problem. But the manager not looking to the future of their field is the manager that will have to find a new job. Just like any position, gaining the experience and learning what a team is doing now is important, but how will that team or field be positioned in the future?

Polynomial

stryder144 wrote: »

Have you considered the MBA in IT Management instead? It doesn't have a requirement for certs, just three years experience. Is there something in the MS program that appeals to you more than the MBA?

I like this advice a lot. I can't imagine any employer (or myself even, if I was you) really caring about the difference.

$bvb379

mb2707 wrote: »

Really? Did you go to WGU or somewhere else for the Master's? My enrollment counselor told me because I didn't have any of the coursework, certs, or the bachelor's that I wouldn't qualify for the MS in IT Management yet.

That is really odd. From my understanding you can get your masters in whatever you want. Yes, there are some prerequisites but it is usually based on the GMAT or whatever your state uses to test your knowledge for grad school. I have a business degree and want to go for MSIT. As long as I qualify for the program I can start the course work, if there are some classes I need to take that were not covered in my undergrad, they let you go through modules for those classes and you have to pass them in your first semester or before you start the actual program.

mb2707

$bvb379 wrote: »

That is really odd. From my understanding you can get your masters in whatever you want. Yes, there are some prerequisites but it is usually based on the GMAT or whatever your state uses to test your knowledge for grad school. I have a business degree and want to go for MSIT. As long as I qualify for the program I can start the course work, if there are some classes I need to take that were not covered in my undergrad, they let you go through modules for those classes and you have to pass them in your first semester or before you start the actual program.

WGU isn't a typical school, though. You don't need a GMAT or GRE or specific pre-req classes like a traditional program. You also can't/don't have to make up pre-requisite courses before starting the program. I think your confusion is coming from a more traditional university.