Why does it seem like a lot of IT professionals don't have a CS degree

Is it due to the difficulty of the degree? My gut tells me most IT professional can't handle the rigors of a CS degree. But I'm not exactly sure......

A lot of people are career changers so that makes sense, but another subset of IT professionals are young and don't learn the core principals that the CS degree offers.

A lot of the core hard skills are being ignored in regards to learning a cert product, not how the product actually works.

Basic stuff like principals of programming languages, data structures, database and info system, Logic, modeling, network systems, operating systems.

It would seem to me if you are young and want to become a IT professional you could go for this core degree. Even at a state university, not Stanford or MIT. I realize those are very difficult programs to get into.

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Comments

EANx

I always felt that a CS degree was for people who wanted to be programmers and hardware engineers. When I looked at a CS degree, there were few courses that made any sense for someone who wanted to stay in infrastructure. As I progressed in my career without a degree, I never regretted it. Once I made the move to management, I decided I wanted the Bachelor's but outside of adding Java, the CS degree hadn't changed. It still made no sense. My personal opinion is that a CS degree makes some sense to someone who wants to be a programmer or work as a DBA. But that someone who wants to work in networking will be better off spending their time and effort elsewhere.

kohr-ah

I couldn't afford the 4 years of insane debt the colleges cost now and days is why I never went into it. I knew I had to get some kind of degree to help my career some so I got a 2 year degree in CIT (Computer Internetworking Technologies) instead. I still learned math. I actually took math all the up to Calc 3. Programming, General Eds, logic, etc.

I was a lot like other people where IT wasn't my hardcore passion but I am glad now I am in it. I just look at how many kids graduate college now and cant even get a job with crippling debt that when they enter IT get paid an okay wage but cant even basically afford rent because their student loan payments.

I'd like to go back one day and finish my 4 year degree but if I can on the business's dime.

ITHokie

beads wrote: »

IT people can never prove or disprove a mathematical assumption to save their lives.

I see you're back at the condescension...

beads wrote: »

I don't write well but I can put together a mathematical proof that can determine the likelihood of an event occurring versus the control costs that will be alarmingly accurate over time.

... and the hilarity. You misunderstand what a mathematical proof is. Proof and "alarmingly accurate" are not compatible. Proof means that you could logically deduce the future (event frequency) from a set of axioms. A mathematical proof for the likelihood of an event occurring would revolutionize actuarial science and make you a billionaire (and a prophet).

Entire industries have legions of actuaries using every analytical approach imaginable to predict event frequency. Often they are on point, sometimes they aren't, such as when hurricane frequency, intensity and damage a few years back knocked property insurance companies out of business. No one, not even you, has the ability to generate a mathematical proof for the likelihood of future events.

On the other hand, if your projections are alarmingly accurate, I would look at a career change. The financial sector will pay a lot more for that skill.

volfkhat

Maybe this should be a thread of its own (or maybe its been discussed a hundred times already)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMr2BxA_HVU

Obviously, a lot depends on your major...
(but still sobering)

thanks to jockvsjock for sharing