WGU: BS in Business IT Management? Or BS in IT Software and then MBA at AACSB school?

I am wondering if anyone is currently taking, or has already earned their BS in Business with focus on IT Management? If so can you please share your thoughts and experiences? Is it a worthy degree? Do or did you find that you are more employable?

I am 37 and have little to no transferable credits, and currently no certifications.

I have worked in the computer industry for the last 13 years as tech support, network admin, database admin, but the majority of my experience and most recent experience is using VB6, VB.NET, T-SQL, and Crystal Reports to design front end and back end applications for a nationwide company with high profile clients that required highly customized data that adhered to strict local, state, and federal regulations.

I have no official managerial experience, but I did function as project lead on several high profile projects.

I am not sure what direction I want to head, and currently I don't feel very marketable, which is a strong motivator to go back to school.

I love computers and technology, but I feel like I have put my time in with the more laborious admin and support roles. I would like my focus to be more of emerging technologies and directing companies to stay relevant and on the cutting edge in the IT world.

I think ultimately I would like to end up in high management roles such as IT director or CIO.

I have heard that there a lot of people with Bachelors in Business and people with MBAs that do not necessarily gain the employment that they hoped for.

This worries me, and makes me wonder if I would be better off getting my BS in IT Software, and then seeking an MBA through an AACSB accredited school.

Can I go straight to an MBA program with only having a BS in IT Software, or are there other requirements to enter an AACSB accredited MBA program?

I have started the enrollment process through WGU and have a target start date of September 1st. So I am looking to get this figured out soon!

Thoughts? Comments? Stories? Advice? Flames?

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Comments

a.a.!4life

Transition from wgu bachelors IT into mba aacsb accredited school, possible? I believe so. You might want to contact the schools you plan on doing your mba to see if they recognize wgu which I'm sure they should. A bachelors degree only makes things more possible in my opinion.

As for what emphasis in the WGU BSIT to take up, if time is a factor and finances are not, I would suggest looking into the general BSIT degree. With your 13 years of experience I would suggest getting as many certs in that program (comptia/microsoft mta's) as you can, transfer them into WGU. You'll still be left with your GE's, I would look into straighterline.com to accomplish as many GE's as you can and transfer those in as well. I believe it's $300 per month per course at your own pace. (There may be other online alternatives for ge's, I only know of sl) Or maybe attend night classes at your local community college to get your a.a. if you have the time. (I just read you have a wgu target start date of sept 1st so this may be something to consider before you start as once you officially start you can no longer transfer credits into wgu)

If time is not a factor then I would suggest BS in Business IT Management as this would definitely prepare you more for an MBA than the general IT or software degrees.

Another piece of advice, do a search on linkedin for wgu or wgu+mba(this may include a combo of wgu's mba grads and mba grads from other institutions). You might find individuals who have taken this route. Just my 2cents, there are others here whom can chime in with a greater deal of info on the subject than myself. Also, read through the forums here and I'm sure you'll come across similar situations.

guht

Thank you that is some good advice. I am looking to be aggressive in terms of the timeline I finish my degree as finances are a factor. Time is not so much a factor in regards to the fact that I have a lot of free time, especially currently being unemployed. However, time is a factor in that I am not getting any younger, and already feel behind the curve in my current skill set and not having any degrees or certifications.

I am not overly familiar with all the certs that would come with a general BS in IT. Regardless of my experience I do not think that I could pass any cert without a lot of study.

I guess my main question would still be whether or not I would be more employable with BS in IT Software or BS in Business Admin with IT focus. Keeping in mind that my ultimate goal would be to get an MBA at prestigious school. I was always under the impression that once you had your BS in anything, you could get a Masters in a totally unrelated field without any extra course work?