Certification and degree??

montanaman

Hello,

I am new to this site and am working on getting A+ certified.

How important is it to have an actual school "degree" along with certification? My local 2 year college offers programs but I don't want to spend the money on these degrees if I don't have to. I feel that I am competent enough to be able to get certified on my own...
thank you for all of your input!

bellboy

for the bigger jobs, i have seen the advertisements requesting degrees along with mcse.

timdaog

Right now I am a chemical engineer with a masters degree looking to make a career switch to programming. I have some experience with C++ and am also interested in VB, Oracle, SQL, and Java. Should I pursue an associates degree (I dont prefer to go for a bachelors) or should i go for certifications?

Webmaster

Since you already got a Masters, I think certifications will open more doors for you, and perhaps sooner. Oracle might be a very good choice, it offers a lot of different directions from db management to developing, but since you also mentioned C++, VB, and SQL you might want go for Microsoft's MCSD cert.

lazyart

I'd tell any of the young guns to work on a degree. If you're a 30-something, it's awful tough to go back and pick it up.

My opinion is that you are gonna have to have certs sooner or later. The sheepskin will give you an edge. With IT stalling out like it has, get the degree and be ready when things open up again.

Homer Simpson

If you can get the degree (college nearby, have funds, etc) you need to pursue it. It is a sacrafice of your time and financial means. Employers really appreciate the effort you will use to get to the end. Plus it might give the competitive edge needed when resumes are reviewed. A degree is generally a broad swath of many regimes that only give you enough info to be familiar in a particular field, not an expert. Becoming an expert comes with experience, but you cannot gain the experience unless you can get the interview and the job. Sort of a catch-22 situation.
A degree can be done traditionally as in 4 years or over a decade, either way it can still be done. The best students are the non-traditional ones who have families and a mortgage to pay as they tend to be more focused. Stick with a degree and have a plan. you can do it.

ajs1976

I'm not sure about programing, but as far as networking goes, get a bachelors. The market is tough now. You might be able to get an entry level job, but moving up the ladder is more difficult without the degree and it is very difficult to go back to school to get the degree. I know, I am doing it now.

cMajewski

Good Day,

I believe the importance of a degree cannot be overstated. I know it's costly and a drag to participate in classes that you'd rather not take, but the upside is so worth it. When you're in a degree program you get access to all kinds of technology you most likely wouldn't get access to; you learn the fundamentals of computing in a structured way that becomes beneficial for the rest of your computing life; you get to pick the brains of instructors/professors who possess a substantial wealth of computing knowledge and who are there, for the most part, to actually help you; and you get an immediate group of peers (your classmates) to learn with. It can be a struggle, but it's worth it. Disclaimer: I recently finished a BS in CS and found the experience pretty rewarding. That being said: Has the degree turned into a job? Not yet, but it has allowed me--so far, fingers crossed--to plow through the material for my first certification attempt with ease; later this month I'll take Microsoft's exam 70-270.

ed6612

Hi everyone,

I would have to say that despite a greater commitment of time and money into earning a degree vs. certifications, a degree will by far produce more returns on your investment if you chose to pursue it. Think of it this way, a certification will generallay hold it's value as long as the skills and products that it guarantees are current and in demand. Once the lease is up, you'll probably have to recertify or be considered obsolete. A degree on the other hand is yours for life. Additionally, certifications tend to specialize on a particular technology area or vendor while a degree applies to a broad field. A BS in computer science will be just as applicable for a programmer position as for a network administrator. It is true that the skills you learn while pursuing a diploma are based more on theory rather than practice. To an employer, however, a degree translates to such qualities as strong commitment to success, ability to work in a group, responsibiliy, punctuality, among others.