Masters worth it???

Hi,

I need some advice on weather a masters in telecommunications is worth sacrificing certifications. I graduated 6 months ago with a 1st in computer science. I started working for a decent enough company and have just obtained my mcsa. i want to move away from Microsoft and aim for my ccsp. Although studying a part time masters is taking up so much time i am struggling to get certifications done. So is the masters worth it?? Should i just cut my losses with it and focus on my Cisco??

Cheers

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Comments

hypnotoad

Depends on what you want to do and what the Masters program looks like. What are your goals? Can you give us a link to the program you're looking at?

GAngel

Where you see yourself in 5,10,20 years are what should determine your education path.

stephens316

Do you have student loans ? (Yes or No )Can you obtain your masters with out a student loan and pay for it through savings ? if the answer to this is YES to the first question then the answer is NO to your masters. If you can pay for the masters degree your self and have the ability to work then go for it. What would the tele com masters cover ? I would think something with more options would help you more. If you can not go for your masters then I would start with CCENT>CCNA>CCSP something along those lines. Do your self a favor after reading this go to your bank and open a NEW savings account for things you want, then take from each pay check any where from $50 to $200 and put in this account and within in a few months you will have enough built up to go for all your test and study materials. I hope this helps. If you want to know more feel free to PM me.

Obdurate

stuarty wrote: »

Hi,

I need some advice on weather a masters in telecommunications is worth sacrificing certifications. I graduated 6 months ago with a 1st in computer science. I started working for a decent enough company and have just obtained my mcsa. i want to move away from Microsoft and aim for my ccsp. Although studying a part time masters is taking up so much time i am struggling to get certifications done. So is the masters worth it?? Should i just cut my losses with it and focus on my Cisco??

Cheers

I have my masters in information systems and all it has done so far is kept me from being laid off, but at the same time it has blocked me from getting job interviews. Basically, they see "masters" and they think you will ask too much in salary.

My recommendation is this:

Any college degree (i.e. AS degrees)
Introduction certifications (i.e. MCP, A+)
Get your BS degree (i.e. BSIT)
Advance certifications (i.e. MCSE, CCNP, CCIE)
Then get your masters.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have done it this way.

~Obdurate~

PS I am a very big fan of online classrooms (UoP for me)

GAngel

Obdurate wrote: »

I have my masters in information systems and all it has done so far is kept me from being laid off, but at the same time it has blocked me from getting job interviews. Basically, they see "masters" and they think you will ask too much in salary.

My recommendation is this:

Any college degree (i.e. AS degrees)
Introduction certifications (i.e. MCP, A+)
Get your BS degree (i.e. BSIT)
Advance certifications (i.e. MCSE, CCNP, CCIE)
Then get your masters.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have done it this way.

~Obdurate~

PS I am a very big fan of online classrooms (UoP for me)

If you got a masters without any real experinece in your field then you can't expect it to be any different. Especially in an IT field where learning is mainly hands on. A masters seems to becomnig the norm straight out of undergrad now. It's the new cash cow for universities but out of touch with reality in the workforce.

When i interview MIT and MIS's i expect a SME. It's very rare to find one who really is.

Obdurate

GAngel wrote: »

If you got a masters without any real experinece in your field then you can't expect it to be any different. Especially in an IT field where learning is mainly hands on. A masters seems to becomnig the norm straight out of undergrad now. It's the new cash cow for universities but out of touch with reality in the workforce.

When i interview MIT and MIS's i expect a SME. It's very rare to find one who really is.

And much to my dismay, you are absolutely correct.

~Obdurate~

GAngel

Obdurate wrote: »

And much to my dismay, you are absolutely correct.

~Obdurate~

In a few years ti will be worth the time and effort no worries mate.

Essendon

This is from someone who has a Master's in Engineering. Dont do it.

The only Master you might benefit from is an MBA and that's if you want to to get into Management.

Get a degree, a Bachelor's in something should be enough. Most employers want a degree, doesnt matter what it is in.

So the mantra is ( Certs + Degree + Experience + Who you know ) * Luck = Money + Great Job.

HTH.

dynamik

I'm a cert whore, and I'd ditch them in a heartbeat in order to work on a masters if I had the opportunity (maybe a year or so out). Certs will always be there and are much easier to do via self-study and on a flexible schedule. If you have the opportunity for higher education, go for it.

shednik

dynamik wrote: »

I'm a cert whore, and I'd ditch them in a heartbeat in order to work on a masters if I had the opportunity (maybe a year or so out). Certs will always be there and are much easier to do via self-study and on a flexible schedule. If you have the opportunity for higher education, go for it.

+1....I'm working on a MS in Telecom also and I would definitely say it's worth it depending on your goals. Do you plan to stay in a network related position? Are you looking continue in academia afterwards? I know alot of employers in the telecom field like to hire graduates from my program espically since this program isn't offered at that many places. Keep working hard and really try to learn the material, it will pay off. Just make sure its what you like.

JDMurray

If you already have an undergrad degree, and your resume is suffering from "cert bloat," a Masters degree is an excellent way to let an additional "leg up" on your employment competition. My Masters in Information Security gives me more cred than having a CISSP in most InfoSec situations--and it should because it was much more learning and far more difficult to achieve.

Obdurate wrote: »

I have my masters in information systems and all it has done so far is kept me from being laid off, but at the same time it has blocked me from getting job interviews. Basically, they see "masters" and they think you will ask too much in salary.

If some place won't interview you (for whatever reason) because you have a Masters degree, then you don't want to work there anyway. There's no future in a place with that mindset; you should consider yourself fortunate. Not getting that interview is actually saving you from not getting a better job that you deserve with your advanced degree.

JockVSJock

Obdurate wrote: »

My recommendation is this:

Any college degree (i.e. AS degrees)
Introduction certifications (i.e. MCP, A+)
Get your BS degree (i.e. BSIT)
Advance certifications (i.e. MCSE, CCNP, CCIE)
Then get your masters.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have done it this way.

~Obdurate~

PS I am a very big fan of online classrooms (UoP for me)

Agreed. If I could go back in time, that is what I would have done too.

However, it sounds like you have the right idea. You got your BA and now your grinding out professional certs. Welcome to the club!

Don't get sucked into the marketing hype put out by whatever college that after finishing their Masters program, you'll make the big money. Or your going to get all this hands on experience/knowledge and then have all of these recruiters banging on your door.

I'm sure there are some that could help jumpstart your career, however there are just as many that are willing to take your money and that is it.

Someone else already said it, if you go for a Masters, go for the MBA.

Matter of fact, Yahoo News had this article today on how too many people have college degrees, overloaded with student loan debt and can't get a high paying job.

Should make for some interesting discussion.

College Degrees More Expensive, Worth Less in Job Market

skrpune

JDMurray wrote: »

If you already have an undergrad degree, and your resume is suffering from "cert bloat," a Masters degree is an excellent way to let an additional "leg up" on your employment competition. My Masters in Information Security gives me more cred than having a CISSP in most InfoSec situations--and it should because it was much more learning and far more difficult to achieve.

If some place won't interview you (for whatever reason) because you have a Masters degree, then you don't want to work there anyway. There's no future in a place with that mindset; you should consider yourself fortunate. Not getting that interview is actually saving you from not getting a better job that you deserve with your advanced degree.

Very good points. Education isn't supposed to hold you back from working at crappy places, it's supposed to help open doors into better jobs.

I have an unrelated undergrad degree, so while having ANY bachelors is better than none, I think it does hold me back that I don't have a formal education related to my now-chosen field of work. That's why I'm going for my masters in computer science now. It's a good mix of classes that will give me some practical and some theoretical knowledge...and by the time I graduate, if I combine a masters + a few years experience + a few more certs, I think that's a great formula for success.

stephens316 wrote:

Do you have student loans ? (Yes or No )Can you obtain your masters with out a student loan and pay for it through savings ? if the answer to this is YES to the first question then the answer is NO to your masters. If you can pay for the masters degree your self and have the ability to work then go for it

I'm going to have to disagree here - I think that's an overly simplistic formula you're using. It seems like a catch 22: you can't get the higher level of education until you get a higher paying job, and you can't get that until you get the degree (or oodles more experience depending on your chosen subfield).

I'm doing a combo of taking out loans AND saving up for school. Student loans allowed me the flexibility to get through this first year or so of my program while I amass some job experience - I worked part time for a few months and recently went full time. I took out mostly subsidized loans, and so the math works out nicely...I've been able to sock away some extra money and not be paying interest out the nose, and I'm on a weekly savings plan into a designated account to save up for semesters to come.

To the OP, I would say that if I were forced to choose between a masters and certs, I would definitely choose a masters - they sure as hell don't expire and in my book a solid educational background is never a bad thing. Technology is ever changing, and so are certs...and it's not like you'll be in school forever - you can focus on certs during school breaks and when you've graduated.

And if money is an issue, look into alternative funding sources with your department and grad college office. I've applied for tuition waivers with my grad college office, and if it comes through, it's the opportunity to get 1-2 of my classes paid for with no requirement for repayment. My department even offers a program where tutors get tuition waivers for tutoring from 5-20 hours per week. If you get creative and do some research, the funding part can be less of a hassle than it seems at first.

Firemarshalbill.com

I have an MS in telecom engineering from SMU - AT&T/Lucent paid for it 10 years ago, probably before certifications were as big as they are now. I also have several certifications & 30 years experince in IT, so with that said in my opinion you should look at it like a 3 pronged attack. Degree's, certifications, and experience all count, they all take time, so you need to think long term. I know for a fact that my MS has landed me 2 high paying jobs. I would work on the MS especially if you have tuition refund from the company. If not I would get some certifications and then the degree. Also, not sure if you were looking at going year round but you could also do your degree and in the summer focus on certifications. You can also work on certification although probably at a slower rate. As you gain degrees, and certifications you can hopefully climb the ladder.

ONE THING TO REMEMBER TO MAKE IT IN THIS FIELD "YOU NEVER STOP STUDYING"

Best of luck

Sanis4life

Firemarshalbill.com wrote: »

ONE THING TO REMEMBER TO MAKE IT IN THIS FIELD "YOU NEVER STOP STUDYING"

Best of luck

For an IT person, this is the quote to live by.

CSCOnoob

dynamik wrote: »

I'm a cert whore, and I'd ditch them in a heartbeat in order to work on a masters if I had the opportunity (maybe a year or so out). Certs will always be there and are much easier to do via self-study and on a flexible schedule. If you have the opportunity for higher education, go for it.

What he said.

Masters > Certifications in my opinion. I was considering of taking Masters but I still have my student loans to repay so that's out of the picture, at least for now. I figured, if I ever get my CCIE number I'll be able to afford to go to graduate school.

zen master

You haven't told us how much you have invested in your MSc, and I think that's pretty important. Personally I don't think it would be a wise decision to bail on something that, at the end of the day, you probably will eventually want to do. As some others alluded to above, you should be using a three pronged attack, degrees, certs and experience, and I don't think that you need to be so concerned about whether you get the degree before the certs, that you "cut your losses", and bail on the program halfway through. I just don't see the sense in that.

Turgon

stuarty wrote: »

Hi,

I need some advice on weather a masters in telecommunications is worth sacrificing certifications. I graduated 6 months ago with a 1st in computer science. I started working for a decent enough company and have just obtained my mcsa. i want to move away from Microsoft and aim for my ccsp. Although studying a part time masters is taking up so much time i am struggling to get certifications done. So is the masters worth it?? Should i just cut my losses with it and focus on my Cisco??

Cheers

I have a Masters degree. In a tough economy it was a deciding factor in landing my first IT job back in the nineties. You have a first class honours degree which obliterates most of the degrees held by people so you are already academically excellent. I think you must go on and get the Masters degree. Work hard at your current job and your Masters and relax a little on the certification study front. With your profile you could go far.

nel

i havent really got anything new to put in but i'll add this...i would def go for your masters at some point - it just really depends when. Look at your current situation and see whats best. your already in work and gaining experiance which is a good thing. you also have an excellent marked honours degree. it sounds like your in a similar position to me. im about to fin my honours degree with hopefully the same mark but i dont thing im going for my masters...yet, because i dont think an MBA will be an immediate beneficary for me. i want to advance on a technical level over the next few years by going for my cisco certs and hopefully one day go for the ccie and gaining an architect type position. then once i hopefully achieve this it will have taken several years where i will hopefully have enjoyed working at a high level. then i want to take my MBA incase i want to go into management of some form. another reason im not taking an MBA is it will take 3 1/2 years part time study and to me at the moment its better spent on technical aspects at this moment in time.

Like i say i would def recommend it but if you decide not to then it doesnt mean you cant later on in life. on the other hand many would say its better to complete whilst your younger.

chrisone

personally i would not go that route and owe all kinds of money just for obtaining my masters. Whats the point, when your going to study for your CCSP anyways?

But seeing that you already committed yourself and already taking courses, i would say do not quit now. Stay with your goals and finish your masters. It would be a crying shame and you would regret it knowing that you never finished your masters.

Eh think about it 2-3 years go by fast in this day of information age! You can finish your CCSP within a year's tops depending on how much you get done while your going to school. If you have a decent job already, stay there, dont mess up your routine if its working for you, dont allow money/greed to mess up your routine, finish your masters, then go for your ccsp.

Goodluck.