How much school do we need ?

!30!30 Member Posts: 356
Hello !

I was just wondering , how much school do you need for a well-paid job ? ( in this day's ).

I mean , if you are very good at your work ( a programmer , network admin , web designer , and so on ) , do you have a have a lot of school , to get that job ? I mean university ?

Which is most valuable : university cert or a CISCO , MS .. ( or I don't know what cert ) ?
Do you think that someone with no high-school and no university , could gain sometime a well-paid job ( very well paied ) ?

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Comments

  • supertechCETmasupertechCETma Member Posts: 377
    !30 wrote:
    Do you think that someone with no high-school and no university , could gain sometime a well-paid job ( very well paied ) ?

    icon_eek.gif
    Yes, if Daddy owns the company to start with. icon_rolleyes.gif
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  • Ricka182Ricka182 Member Posts: 3,359
    !30 wrote:
    Do you think that someone with no high-school and no university , could gain sometime a well-paid job ( very well paied ) ?

    icon_eek.gif

    Not a chance, seriously. If someone does, they either have a relative insider like mentioned above, or they're dreaming....at least a diploma is required I would say, and high school isn't exactly a top notch education...
    i remain, he who remains to be....
  • SmallguySmallguy Member Posts: 597
    with out a diploma I think you will get screwed eventually

    even if you get your foot in the door with a company trying to work your way up will be hard with out a diploma or degree backing you up.

    and if you ever left that company or were forced ot leave you'd be back at close to square one.
  • garv221garv221 Member Posts: 1,914
    That question has no answer, I know people who are multi who do not have past a high school diploma.
  • TechJunkyTechJunky Member Posts: 881
    I have found experience is the key, not education from a book.

    Real world experience is what employers crave. I have taken little to no college courses and I am a network administrator. I am 23 years old and have been published in a magazine already. I am not trying to toot my own horn, rather letting you know if you are willing to work for something you can obtain it.

    However, if you have little experience and no college degree I would agree with the the majority here. You defiantly need a degree if you havent had prior experience.
  • SlowhandSlowhand Mod Posts: 5,161 Mod
    I tend to look at education, (among other things,) as a cumulative process. The more of it you have, the better your chances are to get to where you want. Does that mean you're guaranteed a job just because you have a degree? In a word, no. It just means that your chances are greater and you have more opportunities. The same goes for work experience and certs.

    There are a lot of people who succeeded in their field without any formal training or education, but they are, in the end, the exceptions to the rule. There are even more people out there who are very talented at what they do, but they don't get the chance to showcase those talents and get the jobs they want because no one wants to give them a chance. When it's all said and done, they have to rely on a lot of luck, a lot of skill, and a lot of time invested in finding a job. For people with a degree, the chances are much higher that they'll be seen for interviews and probably get the jobs the other guys are gunning for.

    Again, I'm not saying it's a guarantee that you'll get a job with a degree, but your chances are higher. Think of it this way: if you go and apply for a job as a software developer, and you have a B.S. in computer science, you'll probably be considered for that job. If you had no degree, you'd have to prove your worth as a programmer in some other way; and if you didn't have any solid work experience to show, you'd be out of luck. Then again, if you have that B.S. degree, and someone else has a Master's, that guy will probably get your job. There are always exceptions, but the chances are very high that the the guy with the shinier degree will get the job.

    And, as I said before, the same goes for experience and certs. If you certifications, if you show that you have experience, you can probably land the job you want. It'll be an uphill battle, from nothing to where you want to be, but you can get there. If you had only experience or only certs, it'd be much tougher, and you'd probably spend a longer time working at it. And, of course, if you had a degree to start out with, the climb would generally be easier and you'd probably have been hired at a higher salary or a higher position.

    So, to answer your question: how much education do you really need? As much as you want, as much as you're willing to invest in, and as much as you need.

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  • TechJunkyTechJunky Member Posts: 881
    Very well put. I would agree with everything above posted.

    I believe myself to be an exception to the rule. I am actually the youngest person I know that is in an Administrator position at my young age. If I did not land this Network Administrator position I would have gone back to school and finished my BA, and I still may. Education defiantly helps you make more money.

    If you are in a work place and find yourself getting great experience I would highly suggest to start getting as many certifications as possible. Most companies reward employees with higher positions/salaries etc depending on where a person started and reviewing where they are headed. If you are just a regular employee who shows up and does outstanding work everyday, but do not show any self motivation to either obtain more certifications or education you are more than likely to get passed over. I know this very well because I was the top technician in my field at my old employeer and kept getting passed up on internal job postings because I did not obtain more certifications. Once I got my things together and started passing certifications the promotions came with it. You are only as good as your motivation to better yourself. If there is a no motivation dont expect to get rewarded. If you are finding yourself getting bored, find use of your time to study, implement new company ideas etc.
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