Degrees, Certificates, Please Advise. Taking the leap!

Hello, first off I want to thank you for taking the time to read this. I've already browsed back through the forums and found so much useful information!

I desperately need advice considering A.S and A.A.S degree's at a community college, leading towards transferring to a four year college and a B.S in Information Technology or Information Systems. I'm looking at becoming a Network or System Administrator in the future. These are the courses offered locally;

If I could I would go straight for the B.S degree but right now it would cost too much. I was told that the A.S in either computer science or information systems would be my best bet if I wanted to transfer and go to a 4-year college for the B.S in I.T or I.S. I know not all of the credits from the A.A.S will transfer and it could add an extra year onto the B.S degree program.

Just a note, I'm doing this on my own. I have no backup support financially. It's likely that after I complete the A.S or A.A.S I will have to take a years break before I can save enough to support myself while attending a University for the B.S degree. During this time I want to land a reasonably decent job ( preferably in the IT field for experience ) to save up. Would the A.A.S or A.S have more chance for landing a job?

Will the A.A.S, designed to give me the technical skills to land a job straight out of the community college be my best bet? Since so many of the technical courses won't transfer it feels like a waste of money in the long run. Or would you advise going straight for the A.S degree and getting all of the requirement courses out of the way before I can save up enough money for the B.A?

I know adding certifications will increase the chances of getting hired for work in IT related jobs. Do you think it's worthwhile getting them done while I'm in college and before saving up for the B.S?

Please, any advice is welcome. Thank you

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Obdurate

Ritch wrote: »

Hello, first off I want to thank you for taking the time to read this. I've already browsed back through the forums and found so much useful information!

I desperately need advice considering A.S and A.A.S degree's at a community college, leading towards transferring to a four year college and a B.S in Information Technology or Information Systems. I'm looking at becoming a Network or System Administrator in the future. These are the courses offered locally;
Computer Science – A.S

Information Systems - A.S

Information Technology – A.A.S ( concentration in networking )

If I could I would go straight for the B.S degree but right now it would cost too much. I was told that the A.S in either computer science or information systems would be my best bet if I wanted to transfer and go to a 4-year college for the B.S in I.T or I.S. I know not all of the credits from the A.A.S will transfer and it could add an extra year onto the B.S degree program.

Just a note, I'm doing this on my own. I have no backup support financially. It's likely that after I complete the A.S or A.A.S I will have to take a years break before I can save enough to support myself while attending a University for the B.S degree. During this time I want to land a reasonably decent job ( preferably in the IT field for experience ) to save up. Would the A.A.S or A.S have more chance for landing a job?

Will the A.A.S, designed to give me the technical skills to land a job straight out of the community college be my best bet? Since so many of the technical courses won't transfer it feels like a waste of money in the long run. Or would you advise going straight for the A.S degree and getting all of the requirement courses out of the way before I can save up enough money for the B.A?

I know adding certifications will increase the chances of getting hired for work in IT related jobs. Do you think it's worthwhile getting them done while I'm in college and before saving up for the B.S?

Please, any advice is welcome. Thank you

If I had to do it all over again:

Get your A.S. degree first, then a basic certification or two (A+ and MCP for example), then B.S. and then more advanced certifications. Finally get your Masters and then the really advanced certification.

I got my masters first before the certifications and that over qualifies me for many jobs out of the gate.

~Obdurate~

Zartanasaurus

Not gonna qualify for student loans?

penguinking

Honestly, your undergraduate discipline isn't nearly as important as you might think. You could get a BA in English and with a good couple certs and some solid experience you can be making significant dollars. If you're really interesting in formal schooling, concentrate on graduate programs. College is a great place to learn the fundamentals, which you can do in a formal CS program or not. I did IT as a hobby in college and it turned into a career. And am now seriously considering entering a 2 year Masters program. It makes you a lot more marketable, that's for sure, and they aren't going to care what your undergrad degree was in if you have a Masters in Information Security or Networks.

hiddenknight821

Ritch wrote: »

Hello, first off I want to thank you for taking the time to read this. I've already browsed back through the forums and found so much useful information!

I desperately need advice considering A.S and A.A.S degree's at a community college, leading towards transferring to a four year college and a B.S in Information Technology or Information Systems. I'm looking at becoming a Network or System Administrator in the future. These are the courses offered locally;
Computer Science – A.S

Information Systems - A.S

Information Technology – A.A.S ( concentration in networking )

If I could I would go straight for the B.S degree but right now it would cost too much. I was told that the A.S in either computer science or information systems would be my best bet if I wanted to transfer and go to a 4-year college for the B.S in I.T or I.S. I know not all of the credits from the A.A.S will transfer and it could add an extra year onto the B.S degree program.

Just a note, I'm doing this on my own. I have no backup support financially. It's likely that after I complete the A.S or A.A.S I will have to take a years break before I can save enough to support myself while attending a University for the B.S degree. During this time I want to land a reasonably decent job ( preferably in the IT field for experience ) to save up. Would the A.A.S or A.S have more chance for landing a job?

Will the A.A.S, designed to give me the technical skills to land a job straight out of the community college be my best bet? Since so many of the technical courses won't transfer it feels like a waste of money in the long run. Or would you advise going straight for the A.S degree and getting all of the requirement courses out of the way before I can save up enough money for the B.A?

I know adding certifications will increase the chances of getting hired for work in IT related jobs. Do you think it's worthwhile getting them done while I'm in college and before saving up for the B.S?

Please, any advice is welcome. Thank you

I was in the same boat last year. I was in the A.S. program and I was failing classes, and had to withdraw from them. Realizing I was not ready for the bachelor courses, I had to back out and get an A.A.S. degree as a backup in case my scholarships/sponsors stop paying my tuition if I flunk again. So, here I am expecting to graduate next May then continuing for bachelor the following year. By then, I should be done with 1/4 of my bachelor study. This is why I'm picking up certs now like crazy. Going for my CCNA now. Maybe going for Server+ (waiting for SK0-003 to be released) and MCTS (70-642) afterward. This should be suffice for me to get hired.

Ritch

Thank you for such quick responses!

I may apply for a loan towards the last two years of the B.S, but do not want to end up with too much debt after college. Hoping the FASFA will help cover most of the first two years. I will definitely get one degree before going for any certifications. Still deciding between an A.S or A.A.S though in case I do end up going straight into work after the first two years. A friend of mine recently got their A.A.S in IT and was able to land a job immediately with the skills they learned.

Thanks again, any more advice is welcome.

ajs1976

Any idea on the school you are looking into for the BS? If it is different than the school for the AAS or AS, look for articulation agreements, what classes will transfer, electives you should take that will might program requirements for the BS, etc. When you are working on the AAS or AS, you want as many of those classes as possible to count towards the BS.

Zartanasaurus

Are you eligible for Pell Grants?

sidsanders

have you taken any CS classes yet and if you have did you like them? if you can major in what you like and it ties into career goals, thats what you should do. as noted, you could get a degree in non tech related items and still not be limited.

Firemarshalbill.com

Our world has 3 parts and in my opinion this is the order of importance, and of course it is a nasty circle cause you can't get the job without the cert/degree

1. Job Experience
2. Certs
3. Degrees

I am an adjunct faculty member at a technical college offering AS and BS degrees in networking. When my students ask I always tell them to finish the AS degree, find a job in the field most likely entry level get the certs and then finish the BS degree, hopefully with some tuition refund from the employer.
By the time they finish they will have 3-4 years experience to put down on the resume

I couldn't tell you how many times during an interview I would discuss my Masters Degree in Telecom Engineering (paid for by AT&T via tuiton reimbursement) and their response was "great, do you have any certs?)

I am also a Senior Engineer at service provider (not AT&T) and am currently responsible for hiring 5 engineers at this time, and guess what the top 2 requirements we are looking for are - Job Experience and certs and this is for a network engineer position

Ritch

Thank you again for your responses!
My plan now is to get the A.S/A.A.S then some Certs and following up with a B.S.
The colleges looked at so far do have transfer programs, and i'll find out exactly how many credits transfer from each degree once I talk to someone at the college.
Aside from the courses and subject matter in either an A.S or A.A.S degree is there any difference further along the line when employers see either an A.S degree, or A.A.S degree on a CV? Or will they both be considered as equal degree's, and the main focus will be towards experience, certs and the B.S chosen?
Thank you for the helpful advice

nx1no

I see that some people still actually care about your associates even if you have certs...

Is there a reputable online college to get an AS from?

brad-

Consider the military, given your financial situation.

Forget the AAS if you want a BS. The 4 year college will likely not accept some of the credit transfers and you'll find that you wasted time and money.

BS curriculuum's are more centered around programming. Depending on your focus, it may be hardware, database, networking, web...etc.

If during your BS, you like it and want to make a career, pick up some certs inbetween semesters.

tpatt100

Many Community Colleges have agreements with some of the State Universities for their AAS classes to directly transfer over depending on the program.

Zartanasaurus

Zartanasaurus wrote: »

Are you eligible for Pell Grants?

tap .

Ritch

I thought Pell Grants were linked with the FASFA Federal Aid? That is what I'm applying for.

One Uni did have an articulation agreement but it was for the Information Engineering Technology Degree, and I was looking at the Information Systems or Information Technology courses. They said some credits will transfer from the A.A.S but only on a case by case basis. ( Most of the Networking courses won't transfer )

From what I gather...
The A.A.S teaches the more technical side and skills you need in the work place. But if I were to take the A.S which focuses more on general education courses and combine that with a couple certifications ( A+ Networking+ ) would the certs give me similar knowledge/skills taught in the technical side of an A.A.S degree?

Reading back through these forums, I saw that it's possible to learn the material for certifications through books and self-study rather than pay for courses.

I think this is the last major question I have. Thank you so much everyone for your help and advice ^^

Zartanasaurus

Ritch wrote: »

I thought Pell Grants were linked with the FASFA Federal Aid? That is what I'm applying for.

This is true. You have to qualify for the Pell Grant (read: have low income).

Do you remember what your EFC was?

veritas_libertas

Ritch wrote: »

I thought Pell Grants were linked with the FASFA Federal Aid? That is what I'm applying for.

One Uni did have an articulation agreement but it was for the Information Engineering Technology Degree, and I was looking at the Information Systems or Information Technology courses. They said some credits will transfer from the A.A.S but only on a case by case basis. ( Most of the Networking courses won't transfer )

From what I gather...
The A.A.S teaches the more technical side and skills you need in the work place. But if I were to take the A.S which focuses more on general education courses and combine that with a couple certifications ( A+ Networking+ ) would the certs give me similar knowledge/skills taught in the technical side of an A.A.S degree?

Reading back through these forums, I saw that it's possible to learn the material for certifications through books and self-study rather than pay for courses.

I think this is the last major question I have. Thank you so much everyone for your help and advice ^^

Are you opposed to engineering for particular reason? I know that an Engineering degree holds a lot of weight.

tuscani

Here is the route I took:

AAS
A+ and Net+
Remaining certs

IMO, BS or BA is only needed if you want to get into management.. and even then not always required

tpatt100

tuscani wrote: »

Here is the route I took:

AAS
A+ and Net+
Remaining certs

IMO, BS or BA is only needed if you want to get into management.. and even then not always required

Most of the companies I worked for you needed a bachelors to get into senior engineer positions, you might get into them if you worked long enough but they will pressure you to get one. I think most of it is due to being able to bill more for your services.

pipemajor

tpatt100 wrote: »

Many Community Colleges have agreements with some of the State Universities for their AAS classes to directly transfer over depending on the program.

I worked IT to put myself through school many years ago. My AA program was directly transferable to a private university where I got a BBA.

I also got Uncle Sam to help out as I went AFROTC and earned an MBA while on active duty.

mav2005

Your associates degree should include the vast majority of the general education courses that are required to complete a four year degree. Therefore for transfer purposes, there is little difference between completing an AS in computer science compared to a general AS.

It's possible a help desk position would look at an associates degree in computer science more favorably than any other associates degree. At my current systems administration job, it didn't matter what my major was as long as I had some type of associates degree.

My advice would be to earn a bachelors in something other than IT. Engineering, science of some type, math, even a nursing degree. Complete your IT certifications on the side and visit the small businesses in your area and volunteer your knowledge for free to gain experience. If after graduation you still want to work in IT, then you'll have some certifications and experience to do so.

AlexMR

mav2005 wrote: »

My advice would be to earn a bachelors in something other than IT. Engineering, science of some type, math, even a nursing degree. Complete your IT certifications on the side and visit the small businesses in your area and volunteer your knowledge for free to gain experience. If after graduation you still want to work in IT, then you'll have some certifications and experience to do so.

Best advice ever!!!

billscott92787

It all depends on what you want to do. I would highly recommend just going for the bachelors. You already said that some of the credits won't transfer. That means you're in a way going to pay for some of that education all over again. Forget that! Go for just the bachelors. If you "know" for sure you want to work in IT for the rest of your life, then get the degree in IT. If you are unsure, find out something else you like, get the degree in that, then go for the certs. I went for a bachelors in Networking and communications management, because I know this is what I want to do. On the side, study for certificates, get them for IT, whatever area you want to work in. I have been doing school and studying, got my CCNA, studying for my CCNP, once I get that, I'm going to start studying for my CCIE degree. If you are going into networking, honestly, I know someone who has a CCIE, and his advice to me was forget the masters degree and just get the CCIE, because it's not worth the money, he said that the CCIE would get you further than the masters. As in most positions you are going to be BLOWN out of the qualifications because the employeers are going to say, "Oh my gosh, we will have to pay this guy big bucks." Whereas if you have the bachelors and the cert, chances are they will figure they may be able to get away paying you a little less. Even though the average salary for that cert is somewhere between 90,000 - 120,000 in the nation, of course depending on location and experience.

My recommendation is figure out if you want to work in IT, if so go for the bachelors in it, if not, like I said go for something else and just get certifications. Most employeers will just see you have a bachelors, and if you have certs, they will probably be satisfied even if the degree isn't in IT.