Advantages for one school's degree versus another / Job Questions

ekg

Hello Techexams, first post here.

As a preface.. I have been working in the IT field for three years this September, with one job that has provided an incredible environment for learning. Long story short, my company will support any program, any network/environment, any sector with the exception of specialized programs that do require vendor contracts in case we need guidance. Because the environment is very akin to the "Wild Wild West" has made me very familiar with almost all aspects of IT and I'm looking to move in a single direction. That direction is a degree and career in CS as it is a very popular choice among many in IT.

Currently, I am have two years of Tier 2 (Out of 3) remote experience and 1 year as a field tech. I am studying for my Network+ certification because I got a voucher through my college class for Network+ and plan to take it on the 25th of this month. I also plan on taking my ICND1 Exam in the coming months. I am currently attending Collin College in Texas and have been following their AAS - Information Systems Cybersecurity degree (https://www.collin.edu/academics/programs/pdf/info_system_cybersecurity.pdf) which enables me to transfer to Tarleton State (A&M School) where I would take classes online and pursue a Bachelors degree with a focus on CS..

Since I have been reading today, I've seen post after post after post about WGU, and I am wondering: Is it worth switching it up and completing a degree online? Why? Why not? I see the advantage of being able to complete everything online, but I feel like the convenience has to have some kind of drawback. I'm about half way through the degree as listed in the link above. I need to complete a degree, but I'm not sure if it really matters -from where-. If anyone could offer any advice, it would be greatly appreciated.

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Job questions

I currently have an option to potentially work at a company that is a CS firm, but as of right now with no degree, no certs, but 3 years work experience, I find it unlikely that I would be able to get a job even doing a junior CS position. Generally, is this the case? I also noticed that they have a position for remote support which I probably over-qualify for. Is it worth starting at the bottom of the totem pole just so I can eek my way into a CS position?



Thank you for taking the time to read!

Danielm7

A few points. Is your employer paying for your school now? Are you a few years out of HS? You mentioned CS a few times, or even a job a a jr CS position, looking to be a programmer?

Longer term many companies don't care what your specific degree is in, but, a CS degree is usually considered the gold standard, especially if you want to be a programmer. If you're younger, (aka no family/kids/etc commitments) and the debt load isn't bad, I'd probably stick with the local B&M program and finish a CS degree. If it's a local well known school there is an advantage to that, especially earlier on in your career.

WGU could be faster, or could be slower depending on your learning style and motivation. I finished my degree there and I've been in IT long enough that no one has ever said "oh WGU, what is that?" they're just happy they can check the BS degree box, so for me, short of an Ivy league school and bragging rights it doesn't really matter. WGU is 100% self directed, you can get help when you need it but you're pretty much on your own to learn everything. I know they have a CS program in development but there haven't been any updates on it so might even be a year+ away.

If you came in saying you have a busy family life and can't attend regular classes, looking for the fastest/cheapest way to check the HR box and had tons of related past experience I'd say go WGU all the way. But, if you aren't in a huge rush, are set on CS and aren't taking on a huge amount of debt I'd probably stick with your current plan.

ekg

Danielm7,

Thanks for the response. At this point my employer is not paying for my schooling, but will reimburse for passed certifications. I'm 7 years out of HS. I apologize, by CS, I meant Cybersecurity, not Computer Science. From what I understand, (InfoSec?) requires some programming as well. I've been able to pay my way through school and have no debt, and don't plan on having any. I'm not exactly in a huge rush but in the next 5 years I likely won't have time to do much outside of my 8-5. I don't necessarily have a busy life as it stands, so I'm able to take classes frequently.

Sorry for the confusion!

Danielm7

Hm, that changes things a bit. You could do a WGU security program and have your workplace pay for all the related certifications then wrap up the remaining classes very quickly, probably save a lot of money.

Repo Man

I'd B&M the bachelors slowly and focus on cranking out the certs if they are willing to pay for them. I'd even take a break from schooling, do all certs and then look to get hired at a company offering tuition reimbursement. That's just my opinion and depends on the job market where you are.

dmoore44

Just for clarification, are you wanting to attend Tarleton State in person, or do they have an online program you're looking at? If you're looking to go in person, why Tarleton State? Why not UTD, or UTA?

Personally, I'd look to complete your studies in the most cost effective, least disruptive way possible.

ekg

I am planning on attending Tarleton State online. I've spent some time looking at UTA and UTD, but neither have programs that have much meat to them in the technical sense, they tend to weigh more on the business side of the degree (Which isn't necessarily a bad thing). I have thought about doing UTA or UTD but they do not do very many night classes and it would force me to take a night shift position which I wouldn't exactly prefer. Are you local? Any thoughts or know of what others in the Dallas area have pursued @dmoore44?

Thank you!

ekg

@Repo Man

That's what I'm thinking. I'm not necessarily in a rush, and I still have things to learn at my current job, so that's always a good thing. Thanks for the advice.

jibtech

If you read my posts, I am clearly a fan of WGU. But, I had to get there objectively.

Pros:
- Competency based. If you know it, and can prove it, you can get through it. This prevents sitting in a class, or studying for hours on something you already know, just to justify X number of credit hours.

- Self paced. I determine how long a class will take. If I can get through a class in 20 minutes, great. If it take me 4 months, that is an option as well.

- Accredited. By this, I mean both nationally and regionally. It makes a difference in the eyes of both employers and peers.

- Inexpensive. This comes with a caveat. WGU costs roughly $3k per term. If you can knock out the classes in 1 term, your degree just cost $3k. If it takes longer, it costs more. If you stick to the minimum 12 credits per term, you are looking at 10-11 terms. That makes the degree $30-33k.

Cons:
- WGU is an all or nothing deal. Because of the structure, several classes may not transfer to other schools. Also, WGU does not support taking classes for a term of two, then coming back in a year, and taking another term or two. There is a model for putting a month or two break between, but WGU is really set up to push through. Depending on where you transfer, the certs may qualify as credit, but I wouldn't always bet on it.

- Nobody is holding your hand. If you want to succeed, it is on you. Not everyone learns in a self-driven, self-study model. If you can't thrive in that environment, WGU IS NOT FOR YOU. I can't say that enough.

- Perception. Many people have either not heard of WGU, or don't understand its model. You will have to spend time explaining it. That can affect everything from tuition reimbursement, to potential jobs. Once it is completed, it becomes another degree. But, during the process, it can be a challenge to explain.

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Hope those help. I love WGU, but it is perfectly suited to my approach to learning. It is not the same as other colleges, and I would warn everyone considering it to really do some self-reflection and make sure you can learn in this environment. Everyday, I read stories on the WGU pages, about people who are seriously struggling with the model.

dmoore44

ekg wrote: »

I am planning on attending Tarleton State online. I've spent some time looking at UTA and UTD, but neither have programs that have much meat to them in the technical sense, they tend to weigh more on the business side of the degree (Which isn't necessarily a bad thing). I have thought about doing UTA or UTD but they do not do very many night classes and it would force me to take a night shift position which I wouldn't exactly prefer. Are you local? Any thoughts or know of what others in the Dallas area have pursued @dmoore44?

Thank you!

I am local - I work near DNT and Legacy (there's tons of tech in that area, and more moving in every day).

What programs were you evaluating at UTD? If you were looking at the CompSci programs offered through the Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, then they would be highly technical (UTD was donated to Texas by some TI research engineers). I used to attend some of the UTD Computer Security Group meetings when I was looking to recruit recent grads and interns - all of those students were very sharp. I have a co-worker that's working on a MS at UTD, and I think he's taking classes at night-ish (more like late evening, but whatever)... I'll have to ask him for details.

I've also known some people that have passed through the Lyle School of Engineering at SMU, and they've also been sharp... But if you're interested in SMU, you're probably going to need to take out some student loans.

As far as focusing your search a bit more, I suppose it would really depend on what sort of long term goals you have... You obviously know what you want to major in, but what sort of work are you going to seek once you graduate? Further, depending on your answer, are you open to relocate for a bit? UTD has a fantastic CompSci program, but UTSA has an excellent Cyber program...

One of the other things you might do is look for some meetups for disciplines that you're interested in... There are meetups that cover virtually every interest - DevOps, IoT, programming, cyber, big data, gaming, etc... Attend the meetups, network with people active in that discipline, and find out how they got to where they are.