What Doors Could...

Sylice

An A.A.S Degree (Networking Technology Degree Courses by Semester – Welcome to Wayne Community College | Goldsboro, NC)

Along with Network+ and a CEH certification open up for me in the I.T field?

I do plan on going for the Bachelors degree and obtaining higher level certs as well. I'm just wondering what avenues of I.T I could hopefully gain a career in with this foundation.

I'm interested in the Networking and also the Security aspect of I.T, what certifications and or entry level jobs would open up doors for me to hopefully become a Network Engineer or Information Security Analyst?

OctalDump

I think the AAS is the 'sensible' path, since it allows you to get the basic qualifications to find a job in IT - likely helpdesk or some other entry level job - where you can then slowly build up your skills and knowledge, gain further certifications, and then look at finishing a 4 year program (like through WGU) whilst still working (and hopefully progressing). Your work gets you better prepared for study and certification, and your study makes you a better worker.

Network+ won't get you far in the networking world. You would probably want to complete at least CCNA R+S (the AAS looks like it might include this) to have a hope of getting an entry level network job - but that depends also on the market. It's a good idea to check that out now (and keep watching while you are studying) to make sure you are aligning your skills to what is in demand.

CEH won't get you far in the security world. If you are really interested in Penetration Testing (ethical hacking), then check out the eLearnSecurity Penetration Testing Student course. It's got a good reputation as an entry level course for Pen Testing. Otherwise, for Info Sec, the obvious starting point is Security+. To do security well, you also need a broad understanding of IT, which means learning lots of areas. That generally takes some time to develop.