IT Career Without College?

So I'm 27 years old looking to get into another field, unfortunately I never went to college for Computer Science etc. Do I have a chance of getting an IT position without a bachelors? The field I am focusing on getting into is digital forensics. So I'm not sure where to go, not sure whether or not to abandon the idea or keep trying.

Any advice would help.

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networker050184

Sure you have a chance. The more things going for you the better obviously, but it's not a show stopper.

What field are you coming from? Any kind of technology experience is obviously good to have. Depending what you do now you might have to put up with a pay cut to get into the field at the entry level....

mzx380

There are a lot of employers who want you to have a degree, not necessarily a degree in CS so if you have that at least its a start.

When you don't have the formal education or job history to apply for a position, your resume's strength has to be in IT certifications so attain those that will help you in your job search, in this case, would be CCE, CGFA, etc.

your long term strategy should be that you go back to grad school for something technical to progress, but that is after you've had a few years in the field that you want.

Danielh22185

It's very doable and I know a lot of people with little or no college experience doing well in the IT industry. I too don't have a bachelors degree and feel I am doing pretty decently well for my age / experience. I still have a lot of growing room in front of me too that not having a bachelor's degree won't keep me from achieving.

I would focus on getting certified in what you are interested in and go from there. Like mentioned expect to have to start over and possibly take a pay cut but the sky is the limit with IT. The only time I would think you might find yourself hitting a wall is if you decide to get into management down the line after doing the tech thing for a while. Even still I know some managers making a good dollar without a bachelor's degree, it will just depend on the company.

volfkhat

JSN wrote: »

So I'm 27 years old looking to get into another field, unfortunately I never went to college for Computer Science etc. Do I have a chance of getting an IT position without a bachelors? The field I am focusing on getting into is digital forensics. So I'm not sure where to go, not sure whether or not to abandon the idea or keep trying.

Any advice would help.

'
go on indeed, monster, dice, etc;
see what the job-requirements are for digital forensics. go from there.

Alternatively, you could also consider working towards an Associates from your local community college (part-time).

xxxkaliboyxxx

One of the smartest people I know doesn't have a bachelors and is in the digital forensics field. With that said he comes from a law enforcement background and has his certs. I believe digital forensics, most come from law enforcement agencies.

Now about the degree, take me for example, I do not have a degree and I'm in management. I'm 100 percent sure I get paid a good chunk less than my peers because of it, but either way I was able to get promoted and attain a raise. I have 8 years of IT experience.

paul78

This is a topic that comes up often and many member already know that I've shared that I don't have a degree. While that hasn't stopped me, I will always recommend that if possible - get that degree. And frankly - it could be any related degree. Depending on where you live and the job market - a degree is a generally just a checkbox to pass a filter.

@OP - if you already have a degree - what's it in? You may find that it may be sufficient. Generally speaking, in IT - hiring managers care more about competency, experience, and knowledge. And if starting out - you may find a boot-camp more helpful than getting a second degree.

hurricane1091

I believe getting college degrees helped me attain better jobs at a faster rate. I did not intend to get my BS, but was having tough luck finding a new job and went back to school. Many places now require it, and it is what it is. Not saying it is necessary, but it makes things easier.

DatabaseHead

Personally, I think the probability is much different between IT domains. Stating IT is a little too vague, different domains have different industry hurdles.

Development != Systems
Network != Management

Each one has it's own requirements

I do believe that some of these domains you can move up extremely high / far without a degree. Others you don't have a chance......

That's the way I view it. Just like some of these domains are acceptable with just a associates degree while others it will require a bachelors MOST of the time.

And for goodness sakes, don't get a degree to just get a degree. Too much time, effort, money required to just get it to check a box. If you are going to do it, go all in, if not save your money.

jcundiff

Been in the IT field for 19 years, (last 6 in InfoSec), started as a help desk agent and now a Senior Threat Intelligence Analyst (Sr InfoSec Analyst) making 6 figures without a degree ( now working on it as of mid 2016. Of course I have an alphabet soup of certifications. You can do well in IT/InfoSec (Forensics would typically fall under InfoSec). I always felt that I had to do more than my degree holding peers to look as good... that work ethic is what has made most of my reviews over the years higher than "Fully Met", which opened up more opportunities to move up and develop new skills. I fully believe the quote in my signature and try to live up to it everyday. Do you need a degree to succeed? Absolutely not, however, once you get to a certain level, you really need to be able to check the box off

I have CISSP and CRISC, now working on BSITSEC at WGU and plan on doing the MSCIA next then back to CISM, if I get back into to management by that time

bigdogz

You are 29 now. Just go back and get 'r done. I say this because as time goes on you will see how others in your field have progressed with a degree. In most cases, those with the degree get better pay and move up in the company or progress to better positions in IT / Infosec outside of their organization.

Best Regards

kohr-ah

This comes up a lot.

I like most people here do not have a degree but I am going back to school starting February 1st to get one.

Why? I always looked at it like this. If it comes down to a person with similar experience to me applying for the same job and he has a degree and I don't who do I think will get the job?
Most likely not me. I never realized this til going to higher level roles where the positions get more competitive.

It wont hurt you and will only help you. I'd say if you can do it even part time or evenings at a CC and get an associates will give you a leg up.

iBrokeIT

No, but you will be completing for jobs with people who do have a college degree and/or experience so that puts you at a disadvantage.

Few things to think about: What do you have to offer that your competition doesn't? Have you looked at the job descriptions for digital forensics? What are your plans to acquire at least some of those skills before you apply for the job?

NOC-Ninja

You will be surprise how many people that are in IT who does not have any degree or certs.
So it is possible to get a job without a degree. Get the IT certs you want to specialize and network to people that works in the IT field.

DatabaseHead

Agree with NOC-Ninja

That's one reason I really like certifications, you can target one professional cert for the fraction of cost and time and effort (for the most part) and land a good job.

Most of the domains possess this opportunity. Security = CISSP, Networking = Cisco, Juniper etc, Project Management = PMP or Scrum, Business Analysis = RUP or PMI, Systems = Redhat or MS

You get the picture. In business you don't have that opportunity for the most part. Sure there are HR, supply chain, finance certs, but the degree means everything in those fields for the most part. IT you have the luxury of skipping the degree and just banging out the professional certification.

It's one HUGE + in IT.

hurricane1091

Simplest answer honestly is you can be turned down for a job for not having a degree, but you'll never be turned down for having one. We can go into technicalities here about how many jobs may actually turn you down and if it is worth having a degree or not, but if you were looking for an absolute answer, it would be that there is indeed a benefit to a degree. However, if you were to have years of experience or have advanced certs like the CCIE, you probably won't have a problem getting a job. Certifications should be worth more than a degree in IT, but many places still require a degree and that just seems to be company specific. Starting out I think it is tougher to get by without a degree. I would probably argue once you're in the field for awhile it probably doesn't even matter much.

You said you never went to school for CS, but you didn't say you didn't go to school period. If you have a BS degree in something else, that will definitely suffice and I wouldn't really entertain the idea of getting another BS.

DatabaseHead

Hurricane hits on another point I like to call out. Getting a degree in a related field of study that aligns with your direction MAKES a lot more sense than getting something unrelated. While I agree if it is unrelated you should still list it, but let's not assume it will always been viewed as "good". I fall into the category of having an unrelated bachelors AND masters. I get,"How did you end up here"? or Why "programming" when you went to school for XYZ.

It can lead to an uncomfortable situation.......

hurricane1091

DatabaseHead wrote: »

Hurricane hits on another point I like to call out. Getting a degree in a related field of study that aligns with your direction MAKES a lot more sense than getting something unrelated. While I agree if it is unrelated you should still list it, but let's not assume it will always been viewed as "good". I fall into the category of having an unrelated bachelors AND masters. I get,"How did you end up here"? or Why "programming" when you went to school for XYZ.

It can lead to an uncomfortable situation.......

Based on my experience, there's so many people in IT who actually have unrelated degrees. Sometimes a degree is literally a "check-box" and that's it, and the fact that I know a good chunk of people with non-IT degrees working in the field somewhat confirms it to me. I don't think employers even care so much about what the degree is in unless it is for a programming job - they would probably prefer to see a CS degree, certifications are what people care about for specialization. No one became great at anything due to do a one semester course in something lol. Degrees mean not a whole lot in terms of learning real-world stuff, especially in IT. Employers like to see that you were able to subject yourself to something voluntary and not fun, and remain disciplined and committed to see it through. This is what has been explained to me by those who actually hire. Every manager is different though.

I have 2 AS degrees and a BS degree - I do run into a similar awkward situation every single time. For OPs sake, if he had a BS degree in criminal justice but wanted to work in IT, while it may be unrelated - there is no way I would suggest going back for a second BS degree. Check that box and move on!

DatabaseHead

Agreed, sorry missed the context....

No way I would go back either, criminal justice it is!

Besides that's not horrible IMO, it's not like a BA in Art Appreciation.. (No that's not my degree)

the_Grinch

I can second xxxkaliboyxxx in most of the people I know who do digital forensics came from a law enforcement background or were on the support side of law enforcement. I recently accepted a position as a Mobile Forensic Investigator and it was a combo of former law enforcement experience/technical knowledge/bachelor's degree and working with the agency on a case that got me there. Experience is a big driver and very rare to just hop into forensics (though it happens from time to time). I know my new agency specifically stated on the announcement they were going to train the two people hired, so prior experience wasn't necessary.

I would suggest working on obtaining some basic certifications and getting a job with a help desk or doing onsite support. From there you can gain some experience and then focus on getting into the forensic side. Check to see if your town or county has some sort of reserve police force because that will give you some legal knowledge while also allowing you to gain some connections. Since you are in PA, you could pay your way through the police academy (ACT 120) and try to get on with a department.

I can't find it, but typically when the FBI posts all new computer examiners are trained. They receive two weeks of A+, two weeks of Network+, and then several weeks of training in the tools they utilize. You can most definitely obtain forensic training on your own, but it's typically expensive.

NetworkingStudent

THIS is Spot on-->

iBrokeIT wrote: »

No, but you will be completing for jobs with people who do have a college degree and/or experience so that puts you at a disadvantage.

Few things to think about: What do you have to offer that your competition doesn't?

Everything you can do to make yourself STANDOUT, gives you a competitive edge over other canidates.
Certs
Education
Experience
ect..

paul78

One thing that I wanted to mention - when looking at people who are successful in technology without a degree, it's important to understand when and how those people started their career. Even though I don't have a degree - I am absolutely not a good example to emulate in terms of career path. I started my career in a time when there was no internet or cellphones and computers were large expensive machines. And a desktop PC was a novelty. It was easier to get into the field and not everyone had a knack for computers or were interested.

Ultimately - as in all pursuits in life - if you have the tenacity and passion for your craft - and you throw in a little luck, you can be successful.

Jaydel.Leach

Hello I was the opposite early last year. I received my Masters degree and decided to try my hand in the field instead of Military reenlistment. I thought Jobs would be overflowing once I presented my shiny new Masters degree (information systems security). I received no call backs even though I had 8 years of IT experience in the Military. When I presented my degree to recuiters they responded with a "so". I passed security + in June 2016 and CCENT in July 2016. Then jobs started calling me back. I got an IP Network controller position in September.

Moon Child

I would advise against, especially since your 27 wasting 4 years of college. You would be better off getting 4 years of actual experience in IT. You already have the Security+ cert, maybe get the A+ too and try your hardest to try to get any type of computer experience. Work experience in the IT field is what gets you hired more than anything. That is what I have learned from the 2 IT jobs I have now had. The more work experience you have had in this field the more employable you are.

The main problem with any type of computer degree is in my opinion they do a very poor job of actually preparing you for the job. Certifications maybe do a little better preparing for specific roles, but still nothing really prepares you for an IT job like actual work experience in the field. That is why they say in the field that work experience is king over any degree or certifications you have. IT managers realize this and this is why they will hire those with work experience in the field over those who have degrees and certifications but no work experience in IT.

I have had two computer jobs now. My first job was doing PHP/ Linux/ Webdevelopment and doing some basic break/fix troubleshooting for client computers that came in. My current computer job been in about 2 months now is very hands on and deals primary with getting to know how to take apart/ put together/fix all kinds of devices at the hardware level and then inventory everything. They move us around to different departments doing a high work load of laptops, desktops, all-in-one devices, macs, hard drive wipes, TV's, game consoles, speakers & sound systems, phones, tablets, ipods and keeping accurate logs of our inventory.

At my past IT job and my current IT job I work with many co-workers who don't have any college degrees or certifications, but many years of work experience in the IT field. I have a Bachelors in Computer Information Systems and certifications, but they know way more than me due to their years of experience in IT. You learn more on the job than any degree or certification can teach you. Years ago when the going got tough I thought about going back and getting a Master's Degree in IT from Purdue, but since certifications and work experience seemed to matter more in the IT field I didn't. Instead I got a Master's Degree in Education and a teaching license to broaden my skill set.

DatabaseHead

We recently put a job req for an analyst job. The previous boss listed all this crazy degree requirements etc...... We just listed another job req and before we sent it to hr to post, I had them remove all the educational requirements.

While it surely won't hurt you and in fact CERTAIN degrees will help you, I'm looking for technical skills and experience. IMO 1 year of experience is > than a degree in that specific area/domain.

Right or wrong it's the way I am wired and the way we are doing business now.

Fulcrum45

Having a degree is great, especially if it aligns with technology but it's not a show stopper. I have a degree in history because for most of my young adult life I wanted to teach. Not only that but it's a subject that interests me far more than technology. To that end whenever I get questioned about how I got where I am in IT I use it as an opportunity to demonstrate just how hard I'm willing to work (and have worked) to reinvent my career and get where I am from scratch. I've been in IT for 7 years now and unless I suddenly get a tenured position at a large university to teach early 20th century Russian history, there's no turning back.

mdhisapro

Not having a degree certainly hasn't hindered my career in IT at all; although I am assuming this could be different depending on circumstances. What I mean by that is most jobs I've applied for offered experience as a supplemental for a degree. IT was the first big industry I went into directly from high school, so the limitation of not having a degree and having a lower starting pay didn't effect me too much. I was able to get experience under my belt and leverage this to other positions.

I started doing tech support through apple at the age of 17 back in 2005, when I graduated. I stayed at that position for ~2 years; which when I applied for a job doing desktop support the 2 years were the same as an AA for the company I had applied to. I normally spend an obscene amount of time studying emerging and new technologies; and when I would make it to the interviews is where I would shine. I think the hardest part of getting an IT job and progressing your career without a degree is getting the interview. If you know your stuff; once you hit that point you can normally put any worries the employer has at ease. It also doesnt hurt to always end the interview by asking if they have any reservations about your qualifications, and explaining in more detail any areas they feel you may be weak.

I stayed at the Help Desk role a few years; and moved from there to a company that did CCTV and Access control for some major hospitals, and other organizations in the area. There I was more of a liason between our team of technicians and the network team of the hospital, and would pull cable; configure storage for video, and a host of other random jobs. We ended up moving a lot of their infrastructure to VMware for their CCTV and Access control, and that helped me move to a position with the state in 2014 as a Computer Network Specialist.

Worked there for just over a year; and moved to promotional position within the state in another agency as an IT Network Security Analyst; where I stayed again just over a year, before my latest promotional jump up to the Manager of IT Security and Network Infrastructure. Currently 29; so about 12 years into my IT career, in total. I have been going back to get a degree for the last year or so since now that I am in Management, the degree helps a little more with the HR process at least with the positions within the state I am looking at now.

I think the biggest help was certifications and interviewing and keeping brushed up on technologies.

DatabaseHead

Just to make sure I don't come across as a degree hater, I have two of them.

Getting an associates, bachelors, masters is fine. However I would personally make sure it aligns with your degree path, if not IMO it's pretty worthless. There are some folks like Fulcrum, who wanted to do history or whatever to do it, that's fine their choice. I personally see it as a huge waste of money but to each their own. (No offense Fulcrum).

If I am hiring someone an associate in IT is > masters is social work. Experience/Skill > degree.

*** This is in regards to the IT field.

paul78

I still believe that having a degree is something that one should seriously strive for - not just because of the knowledge but because it can help build discipline, help make connections, polish interpersonal skills, etc. Even a liberal arts education can be valuable. There is also the sense of accomplishment - I wish today that I had finished my own degree. Many times throughout my career - I thought about it. And I do intend to get it - even if it's after I retire.

On a practical side - I can appreciate why many people are saying that having a degree may not matter. Last year - my company was in a hiring spree and I interviewed candidates about 4-5 times a week (sometimes more). I will admit that I never once looked at where a candidate when to school or even if she/he had a degree. But if the candidate engaged me in a conversation about research that she/he did while in school - it was always a plus to me to listen about the candidate's passion about the topic.

@OP - you haven't chimed back in - I would be curious to know if your thinking has changed or if you have other questions.

TLeTourneau

In non-managerial roles it is definitely possible to excel in IT. It is even possible to excel in IT management roles without a degree in certain organizations however there are some places that will require a degree to get past a certain point or to move into higher level management positions. My employer requires a bachelors degree for entry/mid management and a masters for upper level management. People that do not have the degrees are not interviewed. So while you can excel without the degree it never hurts, as others have said, to have a degree.

kohr-ah

Well and also don't think about now. Think also about down the road. Times are changing so rapidly where I agree I want someone that knows what they are doing but even my wife's work they didn't require a degree for the work they did and they have changed the way their business works so much it is a requirement for new hires.

I have respect for degrees greatly as it shows dedicated time to accomplish something. I am even starting mine tomorrow at WGU.

But in 5 years is not having that degree going to get you NO's for applying to a job? 8 - 10 years from now. etc.
I rather accomplish something once that isn't going to expire than have to always wonder if I didn't get that job because I didnt have it.