BIT Vs BCS

Zectel

After a few years hiatus from being involved with computers, I am ready to get into the field and am working on getting the A+ certification since just about all the jobs I've been browsing require A+ and a lot even list MCSE (even if it will only lead to a help desk job for now, it seems I can't even get my foot in the door around here without an A+ certificate). I've always had the question on my mind over what is a better degree to hold: Bachelor's in Computer Science or Bachelor's in Information Technology? I currently have my Bachelor's in Information Technology and have an Associate's in Computer Science. I've noticed a lot of employers post that you must have a "Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent degree" and I have even been contacted by a few potential employers for phone interviews after they've read my resume with only my BIT and AA in CS listed (didn't get the positions since I didn't have the experience). What is really an equivalent degree that they're looking for? Would a BIT be sufficient, or are they looking for engineering and science degrees?

Iristheangel

In my experience, BS-IT, MIS, etc are all usually equivalent if the job posting is asking for an "equivalent degree."

Is a CS degree nice to have? Sure. It shows that you're stronger in applied math and programming than a BS-IT degree, but do you need that for a networking, InfoSec, network admin job? In my experience, no. Is the advantage worth the cost to go for that degree if you already have a bachelors in IT? I would say not.

With an associates of computer science AND a bachelors of IT, I'd say you've pretty good with degrees at this moment unless you decided to go for a graduate degree. I'm not sure what kind of IT job you're looking for but I would recommend going for more certifications geared towards your ideal career.
Adjust your expectations: You might be stuck getting paid less than you ideally want while you gain experience. This is alright. We've all been there. Put your time in and then make bank later.

Another thing I would recommend is posting your resume on here with personal information redacted. Resume feedback on here can be a great resource. Also to pick up additional experience, you could contract through sites like Workmarket.com and onforce.com

the_Grinch

I can agree with Iris. I think you will actually find a lot of IT degrees are incorporating programming courses (web development, databases, software development) as this is what employers want. In turn, employers have started saying "equivalent degree" because you can actually find people who can program and that have an BS in IT, MIS, IS, etc. My program provided three courses in Java Development, I only took one, but would often get calls for programming jobs (I ultimately removed it from my resume as my ability was to read the code and know what it was doing, not really write it). Also, our newest web developer has a degree in MIS and our IT Manager (who does programming and manages the programmers) has his Masters in Information Systems. So don't get too hung up on what degree you have, you have one so just read the job requirements and if you meet them apply.

Zectel

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, when I got my degree in IT I took classes in C# and ASP.NET with C#. There was also an introductory to programming class that had us using Alice.

Iristheangel wrote: »

Another thing I would recommend is posting your resume on here with personal information redacted. Resume feedback on here can be a great resource. Also to pick up additional experience, you could contract through sites like Workmarket.com and onforce.com

Thanks for the tips. I was able to browse onforce.com and that site looks great. I don't know why I've never heard of either before but will definitely check them out further. I'll also have my resume posted soon.

Thanks again.