Associate Degree and Entry Level Job

Bacsilove

Can an associate degree (IT related) and certs get you a job in the IT industry today?

I've read from numerous sources and majority of them are stating that a B.S is needed for entry level IT job nowadays. Judging for jobs listing online it does seem pretty accurate. What do you guys think?

blargoe

Entry level what? Call center, helpdesk, as far as I have seen, do not require a completed BS degree in most cases.

Akaricloud

You don't need any degree for a lot of entry level IT jobs. Sure the more education you have the better but they're entry level for a reason.

VAHokie56

I got my my first IT job ( help desk) with just a A+....I had a degree in a unrelated field as well but I don't think it helped me ether way. There where a lot of people in that call center with out degrees or certs.

ImTheKing

Perhaps it's different in other areas, but I was able to get a systems administration job with an AAS. To be fair, I had some [contractor/self employed] experience to show for, but plenty of jobs (even mid-high level) will accept you as long as you know your stuff. That said, I had plenty of friends in college who had no problem finding a job outside of school, regardless of experience. Heck, a lot of help desk jobs will accept you with just some certs and a high school diploma. The idea that you would need a BS to work an entry level position is... well, BS.

Edit: Just something else to add; I think HR would be kidding themselves if they think a BS would actually translate to a better worker or something. I could transfer to the U of A and finish my BS in Network Administration in just 2 additional years. 24 of the credit hours are core classes (math, technical writing), 21 of the credit hours are humanities, and only 15 credit hours are actually networking related classes. I don't see how that would contribute much of anything to my ability as an administrator. Looks good on paper, but when it comes right down to it, there's a lot of unnecessary hype about degrees.

Timber Wolf

I just landed my first entry level job two months ago doing a sort of mix up of everything. I was actually still finishing getting my AS degree when they hired me (I just finished a few days ago). Other then that the only certs i have are the CCNA and CCENT so it is very possible to get an entry job today with only an AS and certs. I have also had a few calls and emails from people who have seen my resume on Monster.

LinuxRacr

I'm an UNIX sys admin with only an A.A.S. When I started at the company I am with, I was in operations support, and was still in school working on the degree. I was able to advance without a higher degree, but it would be harder these days... That's why I'm starting with WGU in January.