Cisco and Microsoft Certified School Drop Outs!

I don't know the mininum level of education required to make a successful career, but I find many especially employers judging applicants based on level of education(formal).

Have any of you ever faced such though, perhaps humiliating questions:

"You have great skills and years of experience, but why you did not finish your education?"
"You think you're right for this job because you hold certificates with various combinations of all the letters of the alphabet and no degree?"

I know people leave (drop) formal education for varied reasons, while others think vendor certifications is for school drop outs. I don't think the most skilled and experienced are the most educated.

Your views....

Best wishes for the new year to u all!

Find more posts tagged with

Free for TechExams community: Cybersecurity salary guide

Compare cert salaries and plan your next career move

Button

Comments

liven

I have seen both sides of the fence on this one.

Most of the IT ninjas I know do not have degrees. I am not saying the degrees make or break anyone, and I am not knocking degrees. Just telling it like I see it. I have been in this field for 8 years and I would say less than 40% of the folks I know have degrees. And two of the smartest technical people I have ever met have a high school education no certs no degree. Each of these guys are so smart that top executives at their respective employers do what ever they say when it comes to technical situations. Shoot one of the guys even works out of his house 2 states away from where the company resides. The company even pays for all of his inet connections (2 t1's). Now this gentlemen works pretty much non stop, but I guess that is just part of the agreement they have.

Will either of these guys ever be the CIO, probably not. Why, because they don't have degrees, but neither of these guys have any desire to be in that role.

I think school is a very good thing. And I would suggest to anyone that is interested to stay in school and finish a degree. But it is not the end all be all.

freetech

I can only speak from conversations that I have had with employers, so please don't attack the messenger.
Employers that I have talked to think that having a four-year degree says something about the ability to see a long-term project through to the end. For most, it's a measure of character, stability and determination. It also seems to be a "class" thing. There is a perception that you get a better class of person when they have a degree.
Again, I am not espousing personal views here, just answering your question.
Most of the IT people "in the trenches" do not have degrees and couldn't care less. It's the "suits" who seem to hold degrees in such regard.
Most of the people I know who have IT degrees, don't think they need certs.
Oh well. For all it's worth, the degree helps if you have it, sometime it hurts when you don't. Sometimes you get into good situations where nobody cares.

iowatech

"You have great skills and years of experience, but why you did not finish your education?"
"You think you're right for this job because you hold certificates with various combinations of all the letters of the alphabet and no degree?"

If someone actually tells you this in an interview it's probably better to live the area anyway. More than likely it's some ex college student with a grudge thats now in a hiring position or an ex college grad that thinks everyone should drop 60,000 for a 4 year degree in ecological world engineering and without that you are worthless to the rest of the world.

As the first poster stated, degrees do not mean a whole lot they aren't worthless either, but they aren't needed.

Just my take,

networker050184

It all comes back to having both is the best bet. Some employers require a degree and some don't as long as you have experience. Having a degree will never hurt you.

Vendor certification is not for "formal" school drop outs. Most of the students I know who want a career in IT are pursuing certs and a degree at the same time. The really smart ones get a internship as well. These are the ones who will have the most oppourtunities when coming out of school.

If you don't have a degree you should pursue one part time if possible. Then you can always answer you are pursing your degree when asked questions like this

sthomas

If you want to be a Tech then a degree is not always required although helpful. If you want to me an IT Director or beyond then a degree is probably necessary, though it is possible to become an IT Director without a degree but more difficult. Experience is what employers look for the most because usually it shows that someone can do the job. Of course like everyone else has said having both certification and a degree along with experience is the best way to go.

shednik

Getting a degree is very important in my eyes...look at job site most require a BS/BA in an IT related field.

I just graduated with my BS, worked a part time internship for about 11 months, worked a full time job for a year, and have a few certs. Now I just accepted a job making 46k for a very larger company out of school, so I feel having a combination of all three is what really helps you out. I will always say that you can never go wrong with more education whether it be spending late nights on the rack, learning in your job, or going to class. In the end it's only going to benefit you and make more valuable to a company.

binarysoul

A degree gives you 'broad knowledge' while certifications give you 'specific skills'.

That's why university students always wonder why intermediate Calculus is required for some programs while it's not used in real life.

shednik

binarysoul wrote:

A degree gives you 'broad knowledge' while certifications give you 'specific skills'.

That's why university students always wonder why intermediate Calculus is required for some programs while it's not used in real life.

True

Darthn3ss

binarysoul wrote:

A degree gives you 'broad knowledge' while certifications give you 'specific skills'.

That's why university students always wonder why intermediate Calculus is required for some programs while it's not used in real life.

that can be applied to most non-degree (ie, the liberal arts/etc portion of a degree). I'm not so sure art history is required knowledge in the computer science field. maybe those are just classes to keep the GPA up

binarysoul

Darthn3ss wrote:

binarysoul wrote:

A degree gives you 'broad knowledge' while certifications give you 'specific skills'.

That's why university students always wonder why intermediate Calculus is required for some programs while it's not used in real life.

that can be applied to most non-degree (ie, the liberal arts/etc portion of a degree). I'm not so sure art history is required knowledge in the computer science field. maybe those are just classes to keep the GPA up

Almost half of a degree, that's 15-12 classes could be open electives. Students explore different subjects. One important criteria is if in the open elective class there is a cute girl

Then the optional class becomes a 'a must take class'.

emmajoyce

I just have to say from my experience it was just the opposite. Every job interview I went on could care less about my three degrees and all my certifications. All they wanted to hear about was my experience. What did I do and how long did I do it. I couldnt get a job for the longest time. I actually contacted a couple of Hiring mgrs to ask why I was passed up. The answer " the other people had experience". They didnt have near the education I had. So I guess its who you have been talking to as to who these people hire.

sir_creamy_

binarysoul wrote:

One important criteria is if in the open elective class there is a cute girl

Hence, the reason why universities offer Woman's Studies degree programs

Mrock4

I have my GED. Some places may not look highly on this, but if you know your job, you will get noticed. My supervisor (military), was shocked to hear I had my GED. He found this out after I worked for him for approx. 13 months in Iraq. After he saw me get the CCNA, he didn't treat me any different than anyone else. Infact, I got more responsibility. Some of the smarter people I know got their GED. Out of all the IT people I work with, one has a degree in Computer Science, and at work, we are basically equals. The difference is my education came from home labs, rack rentals, fooling around at work, CCNA, etc, whereas his came from his schooling. It all boils down to who can get the job done.

But yes, it is annoying when people hear "GED" and think less of you.