College advice for IT Degree?

mbt87

I already have an Associates In Arts Degree (in "General Studies, basically designed to cover your Gen Eds at university) then went to university for about a year or so but stopped going mainly because of the increasing tuition and not wanting to continue to take out loans.

Fast Forward a few years and i'm considering going back to school at the same community college I got my AA from, but going for one of their AAS in IT program and then maybe down the road if I could find a company that did tuition reimbursement pursuing a bachelors, but I did some googling and a lot of people say that earning a second associates degree would be a waste of money/time.

I guess i'm just looking for some input/thoughts/advice on this kind of thing

Thanks!

TranceSoulBrother

(Not preaching to the choir...)
Do not get a second AAS. Get yourself an affordable, regionally accredited BACHELOR's degree and you will be ahead of the curve. If it's online, can teach you stuff and allow you to progress professionally, that's better.
Look at WGU, Patten, Park...
An AAS is a waste of time and money from what you mentioned.

Remedymp

The alternative route would be to apply for a Bachelors certificate in Information Systems and then when you find a company with an FTE opportunity, and take advantage of the educational assistance for the full bachelors, that way you can switch your credits to the institution that they're aligned with. Plus, you're still continuing education without sinking yourself into the hole financially.

mbt87

I did a little research and found out that my current job offers some kind of discount to a "for profit" school called American Public University and that they are regionally accredited, but i've always been warned to stay away from the for profit online universities. Has anyone ever heard of them?

CCNTrainee

APU is the same campus as American Military University. I've known a handful of servicemembers that have went with them using their TA benefits. They are ok, nothing speculator but you can do your entire your degree online with them like any other for-profit school. If your company pays for it, why not take advantage of it. To answer your question they are accredited.

mbt87

Well they reimburse you as long as you pass the class I believe, I may see about taking 1 class and seeing how it is...I haven't really done an online class before except in Community College the first go round and don't want to get in over my head.

Thanks for the quick response!

Trucido

Unless your goal is to be a Manager in IT, you don't need a degree. You need EXP and Certifications.
Which is a lot less money and time.

If you ARE hoping to be a Manager/Leadership, then by all means, get a bachelors in Computer Science.
Hopefully you find a degree that also gets you some certs along the way.
Best of luck.

NOC-Ninja

I agree with Trucido.
Let me tell you the most cost effective way.
Get IT certifications on what topic you want, networking, system, security and etc.
Lets say you want to go for network engineering. Go get CCNA and CCNP. Get a job with benefits such as school tuition. This will make your college tuition almost free depending on your tuition cost.

mzx380

A Bachelors is a worthwhile pursuit to help you if IT is your lifelong career. Your degree will help you pass HR filters to get into organizations that will allow for maximum growth. When time allows down the road, a graduate degree will help you in your pursuit of a managerial position if that is what your intention is.

yoba222

I've got two associates, a bachelors, and a masters. I don't even put the associates on my resume anymore.

Associates is mostly a waste of money for the ROI it provides. Sure you'll learn stuff, but it will cost several thousand and be of minimal value as an HR filter checkbox. A bachelors can be worth it though, especially if you get your job to pay part of the bill. The exact title isn't that important as long as the title vaguely includes something to do with computers/information technology.

See for yourself. Visit an online job board and type in IT or a similar broad search term. Open 20 or so job ads that you might see yourself doing in 2-5 years. Count how many ask for a bachelors and how many don't (and notice how few mention associates). I find that of the hundreds of job opportunities, having a bachelors opens dozens of additional doors with HR monkeys.

The learning journey from the bachelors can be valuable if you make it valuable. I wouldn't go tens of thousands in debt for one though.

cptpizza

I partially agree that certifications often trump the degree in IT. However, I am not of the mindset that you should skip the degree altogether. I would like to echo that a regionally accredited plan like what is offered at WGU is worthwhile. I recently enrolled myself and after many years in the field, decided to finish my bachelors.

The degree programs for IT at WGU check both boxes. Not only do you get your degree, but they include industry standard certifications such as A+, Network +, Security+, MCSA, CCNA and others. This allows you to satisfy requirements of hiring managers that believe the certification is more relevant than the education while at the same time be able to pursue opportunities where hiring managers and HR departments have a more traditional view on educational requirements.

There are a number of posts that talk about WGU specifically, so I won't go into too much detail as to why I chose it. However, I do recommend it if a degree is something you want. While I have personally been able to advance relatively far without it, it has been something I wanted for my own personal growth for many years. I don't regret pursuing it at all.

CCNTrainee

mbt87 wrote: »

Well they reimburse you as long as you pass the class I believe, I may see about taking 1 class and seeing how it is...I haven't really done an online class before except in Community College the first go round and don't want to get in over my head.

Thanks for the quick response!

If that is their policy and they only remebruse, I would rather just stick with looking for a community college with a program that you can get a bunch of certs. You probably be saving more than half the price of a for-profit school, just food for thought.

powerfool

Wow! "...don't need a degree." That is like saying you don't need money to live. Sure, it is technically true... you can get by in IT without a degree... and you can get by in the world without money (ask homeless people and the Alaskan Bush People). However, that is pretty bad advice to give out. If you are serious about your career, you won't leave any stone unturned on your way through personal development... which includes getting BA or BS, certifications, and experience.

When bad economic times come, and they always eventually do, you want to not have an advantage? I wouldn't recommend it.

Also, yes, a second associates degree, not really worth it unless the particular program contains certifications that you would like to get (or can receive credit if you already have them), or it aligns with a bachelors program in regards to transfer credit. You wouldn't have to redo classes you have already passed... and there are plenty of courses you can take at a community college to count towards further credit in a bachelors degree after having completed your associates degree. Basically, look at it this way... schools usually require you to do at least 25% of the credit hours towards a degree from that school as part of the program in undergrad studies... so, to get an additional associates, you will be looking at 15 credits hours, at least, and later for a bachelors degree, at least 30 credit hours. I was just helping someone review the fastest way to get an associated in an IT program and by testing out of some courses and self-studying for the certifications include, it could be accomplished in one semester with 17 credit hours (which is a bit of a load for one semester, but doable given the right circumstances); however, there are additional courses not required for the associates degree that are offered by the community college that would cover general ed courses for many bachelors degrees, like economics courses, further math and english courses, etc.

The best thing to do would be to sit down and map out what degree you think you would want, which could also mean reviewing schools that are feasible for you based on cost, location, etc. So, online degrees and local schools. Then, make a plan. Many school (somewhere north of 2000 in the US), accept credit by examination (CLEP, DSST, etc) and then transfer credit. Also, consider the tax benefits that you can use while covering your own tuition. Not only can use get the federal tax credits, but you could alternatively use a 529 account and "rinse" money through it. Many states offer a state tax credit on funds deposited, but there are generally no rules that require you to keep the money in the account for very long... so, deposit the money, and then quickly withdraw to cover tuition expenses. This couple with a couple of community college courses would get you back on track towards some progress towards a degree without spending too much money. At least start taking some steps in the right direction; it is better than standing still waiting until you get put in 100% effort (which you may never get to).