ANSA Degree

jrmcent

I am a freshman at RIT, Rochester Institute of Technology. I am currently majoring in Applied Networking and Systems Administration. The degree stemmed from an IT concentration just last year, and I believe it is one of the few, if not the only, networking degree in the country. My question is how do you feel this degree will be looked at by employees when compared to certain certifications? For instance the CCNA/CCNP or CCIE? I know those certs are seen as pretty good standards in the networking industry. Also, do you think I should take the time to get my CCNA/CCNP? Or will they be irrelevant once I have my degree? I am in a dilemma because I am not sure if I should take the time and money to study for these certifications when I am getting a degree specifically in networking. Here is a link to the department: http://www.nssa.rit.edu/~nssa/nssa/about/index.maml

Any information and suggestions would be great. Thanks

royal

The questions you ask are good questions and many people face the same dilemna. The one thing I can say for sure, is that it depends on what you learned while at school, your goals, and what your future prospective employers currently are looking for. My advice to you is to go for your CCNA. Taking a look at the industry as it stands today, many company's, including my own, won't even look at you if you do not contain a bachelor's degree. From there, they will look at certifications, experience, and ability to consult. I almost guarentee that to the majority of companies, that having a degree in addition to certs will show that you have a passion for technology and learning those new technologies.

So, in short, my advise to you, is learn as much as possible. Get that CCNA and bachelor's degree. Show that prospective employer that you have the passion to learn and want to keep learning and advance yourself. It will pay off in the long run. Good luck and let us know how it goes in the future for you. I'm sure many people will pitch in their 2 cents in this forum as well with their experiences and suggestions.