Get a decent IT job without a degree?

Is it possible to get a decent job in the IT field without a college degree of some sort. I know I can get a set of Certs that will help but can I get by with just them?

If so, what are some of the key certs that I can get so that I could start working within a year.

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Comments

myedjo24

I think finding a decent job is just luck really. I applied for my current job and it wanted a bachelors in a computer related field and 4 years experience or 8 years experience with out a bachelors. I don't have a bachelors and only had 3 years of IT experience; I applied and got the job. When making my decision to apply I just thought, hey I could do everything it's asking of me so why not apply. What it came down to once I got to know the person who hired me, was that the position had been open for months and the only people who applied was myself and someone who lived in Florida (the position is in Cali). The other person was way more qualified, but he demanded a lot more and couldn't do a face to face interview.

eansdad

PhildoBaggins wrote: »

You don't a degree for a good job. You really dont.

Not saying you need one just saying your in a better position if you have one. I got through IT for a decade with out any college or certs but I'm kind of at my limits in terms of pay and job role. Not having a degree is fine for small/medium companies and even low level state jobs but to get the good jobs you need to be able to compete with people with degrees, high end certs and experience.

SteveLord

It's no longer a young profession like it was in the old days, meaning a lot more skills are more common and the pool of potential employees is a lot larger.

You may/may not need this and that. Employers might hold higher value on those positions or they will let those with less credentials in so they can justify paying them less.

Just some things to think about.

Paul Boz

I haven't completed my undergraduate degree and it has not held me back so far. I have a slammin salary, a great job with plenty of responsibility, and work for a very large enterprise. I think that so long as you have an established resume and can eloquently state your capabilities in an interview you'll be fine. It helps to at least have a bunch of certs but I work with several guys who neither have a degree nor any certs. 99% of it is how well you interview and know your stuff.

ibcritn

Depends on the company. Some care...some don't.

Some put great emphasis on a degree.

My last company didn't care, but my current company does.

it_consultant

Turgon wrote: »

It can be done but it's increasingly difficult. The number of degreed people is rising. Ideally you get a great degree from a great college. Then you apply and get taken on as a graduate trainee by a big company. You get fast tracked and will not be in support, or if so not for long. Expect to be on the project management or commercial side of things attending many meetings and way too busy to hang out on TE.

For the rest, it's the blue collar route to success which means (hopefully), just enough grunt work in operations to get out of there and become more technical/commercial or you stay there and make the best of things. Operations is fast becoming a vanishing point for successful careers in IT.

I am beginning to see is getting easier for non-degree'd people to get IT jobs. To be quite frank a CS degree prepares you very poorly for the type of jobs most of us have. BSIT degrees are not much better because they tend to focus too much on programming. As the market has chewed through people with degrees it has become apparent that having the degree has little to do with the ability to do the job.

If you want a programming or development job then a CS background is highly recommended. If you want to design circuits you need an EE background. That is not the majority of people on these boards.

networker050184

it_consultant wrote: »

I am beginning to see is getting easier for non-degree'd people to get IT jobs. To be quite frank a CS degree prepares you very poorly for the type of jobs most of us have. BSIT degrees are not much better because they tend to focus too much on programming. As the market has chewed through people with degrees it has become apparent that having the degree has little to do with the ability to do the job.

If you want a programming or development job then a CS background is highly recommended. If you want to design circuits you need an EE background. That is not the majority of people on these boards.

Thats basically my line of thinking as well.

N2IT

it_consultant wrote: »

I am beginning to see is getting easier for non-degree'd people to get IT jobs. To be quite frank a CS degree prepares you very poorly for the type of jobs most of us have. BSIT degrees are not much better because they tend to focus too much on programming. As the market has chewed through people with degrees it has become apparent that having the degree has little to do with the ability to do the job.

If you want a programming or development job then a CS background is highly recommended. If you want to design circuits you need an EE background. That is not the majority of people on these boards.

I think you are starting to see degrees that are geared more towards the majority. You had/have computer science / engineering degrees, then you had computer information systems and other names like these. Now you are starting to see a hybrid position MIS management information systems, which covers part business (accounting, finance, economics, and system admin, networking, security). I think these are a solid degree from someone who is passoniate about school and who wants to further themselves. They can focus on a MBA or specialized masters if the opportunity presents itself.

Personally for me, I think a Finance, Accounting, or Economics degree is by far the best for most corporate IT guys. We all know the cliche, business processes drive IT initiatives. Knowing the financial strategies of what drives a business is critical.

ODNation

Tsquad wrote: »

Is it possible to get a decent job in the IT field without a college degree of some sort

I don't have a degree, and I have a pretty good job. My IT manager, friend of mine (VoIP engineer), one of our ex-.NET developers (has since gotten a better job)... none of them have degrees...

You can certainly succeed without having a degree... but a resume looks awesome when you have a degree + certs + experience.

Dakinggamer87

Psoasman wrote: »

I got my current job through networking. One of my bosses was my instructor at school.

Degree and/or certs = good.
Degree and Certs = better
Degree and certs and experience = better still
Degree and certs and experience and knowing someone who can get you hired = THE BEST

A lot of getting a job depends on what the hiring folks are looking for. Some like certs, some like degree, some focus more on experience.

I totally agree well stated.

Turgon

it_consultant wrote: »

I am beginning to see is getting easier for non-degree'd people to get IT jobs. To be quite frank a CS degree prepares you very poorly for the type of jobs most of us have. BSIT degrees are not much better because they tend to focus too much on programming. As the market has chewed through people with degrees it has become apparent that having the degree has little to do with the ability to do the job.

If you want a programming or development job then a CS background is highly recommended. If you want to design circuits you need an EE background. That is not the majority of people on these boards.

I disagree. An IT related degree, even non IT degrees have benefits for IT professionals. Savvy employers generally do not employ a graduate in CS with the assumption they know how to program a router, but having the degree at all is of interest to them. This seems to be a trend for the entry level jobs in large companies. Can non degreed people make it? Of course. Is it getting easier without a degree? I think not.

tpatt100

If you are a contractor a degree helps because usually the company you work for can sell you to clients easier. I think if you have a good job without a degree it's usually people who got their start a while ago. But in IT if you are ambitious enough you can easily get ahead without one by being able to do the work your future or present employer wants. The thing is looking at the labor statistics the people with degrees usually earn more than those who do not.

it_consultant

tpatt100 wrote: »

If you are a contractor a degree helps because usually the company you work for can sell you to clients easier. I think if you have a good job without a degree it's usually people who got their start a while ago. But in IT if you are ambitious enough you can easily get ahead without one by being able to do the work your future or present employer wants. The thing is looking at the labor statistics the people with degrees usually earn more than those who do not.

I hate those statistics because non-degree'd jobs include a huge swath of people who are in manufacturing and other fairly low paying jobs where college graduates simply don't work. That causes it to look like college degree = more money and better jobs. It is just not that simple. I have been consistently employed at a high wage rate while my friends who have masters degrees have been in an out of jobs since the recession started...which is what happens when you major in history or english, but thats a different board topic.

I have an associates degree, which is only very slightly better than a High School diploma in all reality. I got my IT career start in earnest in 2006 which gives me 5 years of real IT experience. I worked in IT in the Air Force, but that has helped me very little in the real world. I destroy my counterparts who went to college for IT.

I have sat in interviews where people with BS:IT with specializations in security could not describe basic Windows hardening techniques. You don't see that with accounting degrees, people with accounting degrees can describe how to do their job in intricate detail.

ODNation

it_consultant wrote: »

while my friends who have masters degrees have been in an out of jobs since the recession started...which is what happens when you major in history or english, but thats a different board topic.

i agree with this 100%... my sister who has a PhD in Early Childhood Education is currently working in Abu Dhabi (teach away inc.) for $45,000... my sister-in-law has a PhD in mathematics from the University of Alabama, and she's currently teaching algebra at ITT Tech... degrees are great, but some people out there (like my father) think its a rite of passage to a successful life

my sister and sister-in-law are currently up to their neck in student loan debt /just sayin

Turgon

ODNation wrote: »

i agree with this 100%... my sister who has a PhD in Early Childhood Education is currently working in Abu Dhabi (teach away inc.) for $45,000... my sister-in-law has a PhD in mathematics from the University of Alabama, and she's currently teaching algebra at ITT Tech... degrees are great, but some people out there (like my father) think its a rite of passage to a successful life

my sister and sister-in-law are currently up to their neck in student loan debt /just sayin

It aint necessarily so. I have a degree in History and many successful colleagues have degrees in the humanities.

veritas_libertas

it_consultant wrote: »

I hate those statistics because non-degree'd jobs include a huge swath of people who are in manufacturing and other fairly low paying jobs where college graduates simply don't work. That causes it to look like college degree = more money and better jobs. It is just not that simple. I have been consistently employed at a high wage rate while my friends who have masters degrees have been in an out of jobs since the recession started...which is what happens when you major in history or english, but thats a different board topic.

I have an associates degree, which is only very slightly better than a High School diploma in all reality. I got my IT career start in earnest in 2006 which gives me 5 years of real IT experience. I worked in IT in the Air Force, but that has helped me very little in the real world. I destroy my counterparts who went to college for IT.

I have sat in interviews where people with BS:IT with specializations in security could not describe basic Windows hardening techniques. You don't see that with accounting degrees, people with accounting degrees can describe how to do their job in intricate detail.

This is where IT/CS degrees differ from other majors. An IT/CS degree does not mean that you will know a particular OS inside and out. A degree is vendor-neutral.

it_consultant

veritas_libertas wrote: »

This is where IT/CS degrees differ from other majors. An IT/CS degree does not mean that you will know a particular OS inside and out. A degree is vendor-neutral.

Look, I understand where you are coming from, but if you can't harden an OS that has HUGE market penetration, that degree is looking less and less valuable. Accountants learn how to use HP calculators, MS Excel, etc even though accounting degrees are vendor neutral. The degree has to match at least a little of what is happening in industry.

IT is driven by vendors, Cisco, Microsoft, Red Hat, HP, etc all basically developed what we know as IT. MS CHAP v2 was a collaboration between Cisco and MS, for example. I don't think you can get too vendor neutral.

millworx

I agree with what some of the people on the board are saying about relevance. Most of the jobs I see posted do not require a degree. Almost every net engineer position, etc, have all said Skills: "Bachelors Degree in CS/EE or 4+ equivalent work experience" Granted there are a few exceptions to the rule, but most of what I see is the aforementioned line.

I have no degree, I have about a years worth of college CS courses, but dropped out when my work got to tight. It's never been a bar in employment for me before, and maybe I'm lucky to have got in when I did back in 98. My resume gets me calls all the time, most of the time out of a large pool of candidates I get narrowed down to the last 3-4 interviewees.

Now the thing that does get me, and is one of the alternate reasons I stopped my CS degree, is I am HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE with math above algebra. I mean, I'm a bright guy, you stick me in front of a new software program, or a new hardware box, and I'll pick it up quick. But math is difficult for me, and in a CS degree, I need to take physics, Calculus 3, and also a lot of Assembly programming classes, c++ (that one is easy).

Now can anyone tell me, as a network engineer, when will I ever need to use Physics, Calculus 3, or Assembly Programming to setup and configure my routers and switches? Let's say I'm doing a new BGP roll out for my company, shoot I don't think I can do it, I don't know Calculus!

When will I ever use it when I'm configuring Exchange or Active Directory? Exactly.... Other than maybe training you for a certain thought process CS degree is worthless for Network / Systems Administration positions.

ibcritn

it_consultant wrote: »

Look, I understand where you are coming from, but if you can't harden an OS that has HUGE market penetration, that degree is looking less and less valuable. Accountants learn how to use HP calculators, MS Excel, etc even though accounting degrees are vendor neutral. The degree has to match at least a little of what is happening in industry.

IT is driven by vendors, Cisco, Microsoft, Red Hat, HP, etc all basically developed what we know as IT. MS CHAP v2 was a collaboration between Cisco and MS, for example. I don't think you can get too vendor neutral.

This why I feel a degree by itself isn't that great. With IT you certainly still need certifications OR skills, but hopefully both.

The education systems typically hate certifications there is a huge battle between "Education" and "Training". I feel to be a successful IT professional its great to have both.

N2IT

ibcritn wrote: »

This why I feel a degree by itself isn't that great. With IT you certainly still need certifications OR skills, but hopefully both.

The education systems typically hate certifications there is a huge battle between "Education" and "Training". I feel to be a successful IT professional its great to have both.

I agree to a certain extent.

I think if you are coming out of highschool, if at all possible get a degree from a solid university. Brick and Morter is perferable IMO.

Make sure you do a program that is specific. Finance, Economics, Accounting, specific Engineering. Stay away from the hybrids, like Business Adminstration, General Studies, and others like that. I think schools should be forced to get rid of those programs.

Next would be to get a job in the IT field. Business user with IT emphasis would be ideal for me. But others may want to go strictly technical. That's fine. IT is way more forgiving with students with Finance majors than the other way around. Business is very unforgiving with technical degree going into business roles.

Of course this is just my opinion.

Boluperi2015

Hi. Been trying to get into the IT sector as I have a great passion but not sure where to start how could you help with some advise