do i need a college degree if i want to be a ?

md2006

Hi all

I am still debating whether i should get a college degree or not, since all i want is to be a network engineer ?? I don't plan to move up to the management and probably never will.. I rather stay at the technical side.

so my question is do I need a college degree if i don't want to become a manager, just a techie with sufficient knowledage in networking?

thank you all!

edit * i understand i will have to keep my knowledage up-to-date, i have no problems with that. in fact i love learning new technologies!

rockstar81

It depends on who is hiring to be honest. What you will find is you may come up against someone who is going for same role who has same experience, same certs and a degree in which case you could lose out based on that. I still think you could do very well for yourself without a degree. I am starting a degree shortly (within 6 months) which I plan to spend up to 5 years doing via home study. It’s a long term project and will be used as a little extra beef for the CV.

jpeezy55

If all other criteria are equal, I think a lot of companies would prefer someone who has a degree over someone who does not. I am 36 and just started college to get a BS in Information Technology because I feel that having that extra education will make me look better to a prospective employer. I should finish in 2 1/2 years (thanks to some credit transfers). Just because you are not interested in the management side of things, does not mean that it would not be placed upon you at some point. Your Network Engineer role may have people who work under you, in which case, knowing how to manage them and handle situations would be a plus. To know that you have the skill to handle it is a great asset to you and the company. Also, with the way things are, the more a company can get out of you, the better it is for you.

pwochnick1

I was pretty ambivilant about finishing my four year degree in the past. After finishing my B.A. this past spring I can say that it was the best move I ever made. With a degree you career options are much wider then without.

Right now you say that you don't want to move up the ladder but that may change 5 or 10 years down the road. A four year degree would really help your future job prospects.

Cheers.

sir_creamy_

yes, you do.

Go Bucks

The real question is how much money do you want to make?

I recall in one of my college classes seeing a chart that shows the direct correlation of education to annual income. It showed how much each education level made starting with high school dropouts all the way up to those who hold doctorate degrees. There was an increase in income at every level, although some more drastic than others.

Yes there are exceptions to every rule, but the bottom line is education does pay.

I just found this link for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It also shows lower unemployment rates too.

http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/1999/Fall/oochart.pdf

sprkymrk

md2006 wrote:

since all i want is to be a network engineer

That's all you want to be? Well golly, quit McDonald's now and go tell one of the Fortune 500's that you can swap out hard drives and burn CD's and install programs. I am sure they'll hire you in an instant to run their networks, if that's really all you want to be.

Seriously though, I know what you mean, and I would recommend a degree if at all possible. It is easier to get the degree out of the way now rather than later while you are trying to work and support a family. The longer you put it off, the harder it is to go back and get it. And speaking from experience, I am pretty sure you'll regret it later if you don't get it now. Good luck!

avx

Depends on the person and how bad you want it......end of story.

kovo

I know engineers who have never gone to university, been working , now with 10 years experience have contract jobs that pay more than $100,000 AUS a year. As an engineer a degree is not valued asmuch as certs are because being an engineer all your work is hands on. DOing a degree is not going to give u what 4 years experience of hands on work will. If u want to stick it out as a techie you can make big $$$ just keep learning getting certified and the results willcome. If u have a degree and your a going up for a job against some one with an MCSE , for a technical role the MCSE will have the upper hand, being an engineer is all hands on and in this industry Certs are what are looked at, a bit more so than a degree.

blargoe

It will be easier with a degree, if you are starting from nowhere.

Go Bucks

I think it is essential (in the US anyway) to have a degree, certs, and experience in order to be more competitive for jobs. Since the dot com explosion and fall, there are more and more workers in the industry and hiring managers can be more selective.