A.A.S. (associates in applied science)

Here is the layout of my current situation....Im 29, A+ N+ and Sec+ certified, I have a Huge interest in computers/networking...Just bought wendell odom's CCNA books and thats where im headed. Since, I have been out of high school for some 10 years and really hate, yes I mean hate general education courses would an A.A.S network administation degree land something mediocre (30-35k) so I could actually enjoy the field I work in? At 29, and with minimal experience in the I.T. field (1 year or less ) is this move beneficial or just a waste of time and money? Thanks in advance for any insight.

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phantasm

I think an A.A.S. would be beneficial. Just keep in mind that a CCNA and no experience won't get you a job. Try and find a position with your A+, Net+, and Sec+ and go from there. Also, make sure you figure out which path you want to go down, whether it be networking or systems.

For comparison I am 29 and have a CCNA only. However my current job has me working in a NOC for a nationwide ISP. I got the job with only a CCENT and an A.S. degree in CIS.

jamesleecoleman

I've seen a few entry level jobs out there that wanted someone with an A.A.S degree and paid 30,000+ a year. It's rare but I've seen them. Getting any type of education isn't a waste of time and I understand you about the general education classes. I don't like taking them too but it's worth it because you'll get your degree. If you're at a non online college, I suggest trying to get workstudy (if you're not working full time) and try to get a job in IT at school, if you can.

Deesiel

The thought of doing general ed courses kept me from going to college until I was 29 also.
My (near) AAS degree plus certs and limited experience helped me to achieve what you are looking to do (land a job in the 30-35k range). With an AAS program (as opposed to an AS), you'll do more career/major related classes than general ed. In my AAS program, the general ed classes were easy A's... mostly covering concepts a person should have learned in high school.

veritas_libertas

An AAS can definitely be profitable in IT field. A question you might want to ask though is will it transfer to a Bachelor degree program. You may not be thinking about doing that right now, but down line you may want to.

jamesleecoleman

veritas_libertas wrote: »

An AAS can definitely be profitable in IT field. A question you might want to ask though is will it transfer to a Bachelor degree program. You may not be thinking about doing that right now, but down line you may want to.

I would like to add that at some Universities alot of the credits won't transfer. So you could be set back another year. For example, GVSU won't take alot of computer credits from the Community College that I attend. The 4 year that I'm transferring to will take more credits but less than half transferred from the Community College. I'm currently set back another year because I have 35 credits at the 4 year and 76 credits at the community college.

Bl8ckr0uter

Look for community colleges with agreements with 4 year schools. My A.A.S in Network Engineering will complete transfer over to BS in IT because of an agreement between the two schools. It will probably save me about 20K.

ITRajuy

phantasm wrote: »

I think an A.A.S. would be beneficial. Just keep in mind that a CCNA and no experience won't get you a job. Try and find a position with your A+, Net+, and Sec+ and go from there. Also, make sure you figure out which path you want to go down, whether it be networking or systems.

For comparison I am 29 and have a CCNA only. However my current job has me working in a NOC for a nationwide ISP. I got the job with only a CCENT and an A.S. degree in CIS.

Sorry for the noob question but i have seen NOC in a couple of post regarding IT jobs. What is a NOC?

Bl8ckr0uter

ITRajuy wrote: »

Sorry for the noob question but i have seen NOC in a couple of post regarding IT jobs. What is a NOC?

Network Operations Center.
Network operations center - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I have worked at two so far. The one I am at now has layer 1 hands and feet support as well as Virtual Datacenter Support. My last one was strictly layer 2+3.

JoJoCal19

I would have to advise against the A.A.S. In this economy and this day and age you would be hard pressed to get an IT job (even lower level, in the $30's) over the many more qualified candidates or candidates that have a Bachelors. My experience is not indicative of all situations but I'v been battling with being undereducated. I have over 5 years IT experience, A.S. in Networking and Network+ and I've either not had interviews for positions I was more than qualified for, or have been flat out told that I dont have enough education.

There are so many college grads coming out with Bachelors in IT that are competing for entry level jobs that its extremely competetive and you are at a disadvantage with just an A.S. or A.A.S. As was posted above, rarely do you see jobs just asking for Associates any more. Even then you are having people with Bachelors applying.

Then there is also the issue of limiting yourself. Unless you are content with making $30k the rest of your life, why would you not just go on and get your Bachelors? You're going to need it at some point, or atleast wish you had it.

fly351

sloan23 wrote: »

Here is the layout of my current situation....Im 29, A+ N+ and Sec+ certified, I have a Huge interest in computers/networking...Just bought wendell odom's CCNA books and thats where im headed. Since, I have been out of high school for some 10 years and really hate, yes I mean hate general education courses would an A.A.S network administation degree land something mediocre (30-35k) so I could actually enjoy the field I work in? At 29, and with minimal experience in the I.T. field (1 year or less ) is this move beneficial or just a waste of time and money? Thanks in advance for any insight.

I have an A.A.S. in Networking from a local community college... yes the degree program was awesome, real-life IT work instead of taking a A.S. that will focus on other aspects of education. However, now I am working on my bachelors and most of my credits are worthless. 15 credits of networking, 9 credits in windows server, plus others, and they don't apply for anything.. Just something to think about if you plan to go on past your Associates

Deathgomper

A 4 year degree is where it's at. If you decide to go to college you should strive for a Bachelors degree. For me the biggest problem is that when I started taking night classes all I wanted was an associates degree, when I was done all I wanted was a bachelors degree. There isn't a whole lot that is going to transfer. In my opinion if your going to get deep into education you might as well shoot for the moon. I just turned 30 and I'm still trying to break into the industry, it feels like "crunch time."

zerglings

While having a degree is better than nothing, it is not what really get you a job. It is a combination of a lot of things. For example, skills, luck, who you know, ability to sell yourself during the interview, and other stuff that I've left out.