How valuable is a B.A in IT? Thanks in Advance!

Phliplip112

GamingCrazy wrote: »

I think I'm gonna take the B.S in IT,

What does C.I.S Prepare you for in contrast to I.T, and do you have to do additional study to get certifications in these majors?

Thanks! and Sorry I haven't responded in the last couple of days.

They are they are the same area of study. Its just a different type of school. Usually you do one or the other since they both teach the same concepts.

veritas_libertas

Phliplip112 wrote: »

BAS in IT

That is the Georgia college that I was going to mention...

dennis1960

Hey everyone,

Just joined the community and really like the posts. This one caught my eye since its a question I ask myself constantly. Currently a network engineer dealing with very small financial companies across the country. Have about 10 years experience with AAS in IT and certs in A+, CCNA, and Novell CNE. The degree and certs are 8 years old.

Looks as though our clients are taking the recession hard and thus my company is suffering as well. Need to update my resume but can't decide whether to pursue a BS in IT or update my certs then go for the BS.
The CompTIA (A+, Net+, Sec+) tests should go quickly, and then renew the CCNA and maybe add a MSCIT. This should get me some job prospects in the next 6 - 12 months if my company closes its doors.

I realize that WGU offers these certs as part of the BS IT-Sec degree. My question remains - is this something I want to commit to or even need at my age (50)? I'm not interested in the management side of IT. I prefer to stay with the "nuts and bolts" area and specialize in designing and maintaining network security.

Thanks for your opinion,

veritas_libertas

dennis1960 wrote: »

I realize that WGU offers these certs as part of the BS IT-Sec degree. My question remains - is this something I want to commit to or even need at my age (50)? I'm not interested in the management side of IT. I prefer to stay with the "nuts and bolts" area and specialize in designing and maintaining network security.

Thanks for your opinion,

Someone else with more experience probably knows better, but my instincts say go for the CCNP, and CISSP instead of the Bachelor degree. You have the experience and connections needed, why go back to school? I wouldn't want to at age 50.

motogpman

Personally, with your background, I would go with the the BS. I just hit the 40 mark and finding that with other things going on in life, it's getting harder to stay focused. I wouldn't even want to think about working towards it at 50. Not trying to poke at your age, rather state that I can understand your thoughts.

A lot more companies, at least in my area, won't even give an interview without having the BS. The older you get, it seems that the question is, " Why haven't you gotten a degree?" Not sure if it is the economy or what, but even at my company you can't hold a NE position without the paper, which is frustrating.

I have also been told, off the record by several people, that higher pay only comes with the BS, due to devaluation. Basically, degreed people aren't going to want to give equal pay to someone without a degree, since they had to "work hard" to get the degree. That's when I asked them if they have ever worked for a higher end Cisco or MS certification. That fell on deaf ears, so I just need to finish the BS.

dennis1960

Thanks for the responses.
This is typical though, some say go for the certs and don't worry about the degree while others say the degree is the only way to go. What a conundrum.

Well, I have an initial telephone call with an EC at WGU tomorrow afternoon. Have a few questions regarding this dilemma. Since I have an AAS it seems some classes probably won't transfer. But I'll see if I can concentrate on the certs first then finish with the General Ed classes. If not, then I'll pursue the certs on my own and maybe look into a local college to finish my degree.

This area has a very heavy military presence and a lot of DOD\CS jobs available but some do request at least a BS to get in the door.

Thanks again for your input guys, I really appreciate it.

earweed

There are several people your age going the WGU route. The EC will probably not have a clue as to what will transfer. You wont know that until WGU does your transfer eval. Most people mix in the gened classes as they go as they are generally a lot easier than the cert classes and kind of buffer you from getting burnt out.
Whether to go the degree route or not now mostly depends upon your experience level and what you want to be doing a few years down the road. Like you mentioned about most of the DoD jobs requiring a degree in your area is probably a good point towards your decision.
Whether many of your credits transfer or not you will probably still finish sooner and cheaper with WGU than your local college if you're willing to put in the time and the work to really learn as you're going through the program.