Need career advice, at a school/work crossroads

First off, typing on my phone so please excuse auto correct errors.

So I am currently at a cross roads between finishing school or going to work. My wife and I are both students so finances are getting tight. I kind of made a bone head scheduling error at school and I am left with 4 classes until I graduate with my AAS in information system. The problem is is 3 of 4 of those classes are sequential, so it is basically going to take me 9 months to graduate. The classes I have left are server 2008 MCSA classes so I want to take them. On the other hand I want to get to work. I see jobs out there I want to apply for but I wouldn't be able to finish school because none of the jobs are local. There is really no opportunity in my town and they can be as choosey as they want when hiring people. So as an entry level guy with no experience I stand no chance. I do have one thing going for me though, I am 11 months away from completing my BA in business project management. So even if I don't complete my associate, I will have a bachelors in roughly the same time.

So question is, would it be a dumb move to drop out of school and go to work, or is getting in the industry and getting experience worth more than an associates and server knowledge?

Thanks

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Comments

Lampton

What percent of the course work have you already completed for your AAS? It sounds like you are mostly done.

zrockstar

I'd give it 80% maybe a little more.

emerald_octane

You are WAY to close to give up/postpone now. That's the trap that everyone talks about. Gets a decent offer or needs to drop out partway through school, figures that they don't need the degree until a few years later when all of a sudden everyone is looking for a degree, then trying to figure out whether or not their credits are still good or will transfer etc how to schedule around wife and kids, lots of regret .

eansdad

4 classes from an AS but 11 months from BA? I'm lost on that one...

If the classes are for the MCSA 2008 can you take any of them at the same time or does the school not allow it? Sure the courses should build on each other but their is also alot of the same information. I don't see why you couldn't take them at the same time unless they don't allow it.

I would stay in school and look for entry level work or internship either through the school or on your own. Remember credits expire (usually 10 years) but degrees never do.

Cisc0kidd

What town are you in? I would stick it out and finish the AAS and BS.

Lampton

80% is really far. Just finish it up, well grabbing some decent server knowledge at the same time. Finish your BS too! You'll be looking good with all the education. Grab a part time job if need be to help cover yourself until then.

zrockstar

Eansdad - My bachelors and my associates are in two different subjects at two different schools (I do 7-8 classes total per term). I started studying business then decided I am more passionate about IT about 2 years in so I started a new degree in info sys and since my business school has an option in project management I decided to go that route instead of stopping completely or switching to a 4 year in info sys which would basically mean all my business classes meant nothing. As far as taking all the classes at once, the are only offered 1 per term in order, so it is not an option.

Ciscokid - In Bend, you?

zrockstar

Emerald, lampton - thanks for the advice, seems to be the consensus so far, that is kind of my gut feeling too.

ptilsen

Are work and school mutually exclusive? Can you not take night/weekend/online classes or get a night/weekend/online job in IT? My advice is almost always to work and go to school, even if one or both are part time. In IT infrastructure, the work experience is more valuable than the education, but both are worth getting sooner rather than later.

My strong recommendation is also to begin working on a four-year degree, regardless of whether it means you waste a few credits. The AAS degree, frankly, will be almost worthless. Unless it is dirt cheap, what little financial advantage it brings (read: probably none) will probably never pay for its face cost, and the opportunity cost of pursuing it will certainly never be paid for by having it. Even if you get your four-year degree in a business field, in my opinion it is far better than having a two-year in IT. Certifications, experience, and actual skill will be the primary qualifiers for jobs, promotions, and raises -- the education itself is secondary, and a business degree usually fulfills the need. A four-year business degree should certainly fulfill any requirement that a two-year AAS would, and a degree focused on project management could be particularly useful later in your career.

After the four-year degree is done and you get some solid work experience, I would strongly recommend you consider an MS in an IT-related field. A four-year degree can still open a lot of doors in this field, and a graduate will open even more. It should go without saying, of course, that you should pursue any certifications in any particular technologies or fields in which you're interested.

So, to summarize: Complete the BA in PM, look for any work you can, part-time, nights, weekends, whatever it takes, and drop the AAS pursuit unless it somehow works well with everything else (e.g. little-to-no financial/time commitment to complete it). Pursue certs, and eventually a graduate degree.

Cisc0kidd

zrockstar wrote: »

Eansdad - My bachelors and my associates are in two different subjects at two different schools (I do 7-8 classes total per term). I started studying business then decided I am more passionate about IT about 2 years in so I started a new degree in info sys and since my business school has an option in project management I decided to go that route instead of stopping completely or switching to a 4 year in info sys which would basically mean all my business classes meant nothing. As far as taking all the classes at once, the are only offered 1 per term in order, so it is not an option.

Ciscokid - In Bend, you?

Portland. I can understand Bend being a little limited in this field.

Cisc0kidd

ptilsen wrote: »

Are work and school mutually exclusive? Can you not take night/weekend/online classes or get a night/weekend/online job in IT? My advice is almost always to work and go to school, even if one or both are part time. In IT infrastructure, the work experience is more valuable than the education, but both are worth getting sooner rather than later.

My strong recommendation is also to begin working on a four-year degree, regardless of whether it means you waste a few credits. The AAS degree, frankly, will be almost worthless. Unless it is dirt cheap, what little financial advantage it brings (read: probably none) will probably never pay for its face cost, and the opportunity cost of pursuing it will certainly never be paid for by having it. Even if you get your four-year degree in a business field, in my opinion it is far better than having a two-year in IT. Certifications, experience, and actual skill will be the primary qualifiers for jobs, promotions, and raises -- the education itself is secondary, and a business degree usually fulfills the need. A four-year business degree should certainly fulfill any requirement that a two-year AAS would, and a degree focused on project management could be particularly useful later in your career.

After the four-year degree is done and you get some solid work experience, I would strongly recommend you consider an MS in an IT-related field. A four-year degree can still open a lot of doors in this field, and a graduate will open even more. It should go without saying, of course, that you should pursue any certifications in any particular technologies or fields in which you're interested.

So, to summarize: Complete the BA in PM, look for any work you can, part-time, nights, weekends, whatever it takes, and drop the AAS pursuit unless it somehow works well with everything else (e.g. little-to-no financial/time commitment to complete it). Pursue certs, and eventually a graduate degree.

With only three classes left on the AAS it seems a no-brainer to me. Also I think he said he could do those as he finishes the BA.

ptilsen

@Cisc0kidd, it really doesn't seem like a no-brainer to me. Even three classes can be a lot of time (most likely 50-100, depending on workload), effort, and money. If those were three classes at ITT, for example, that might be $5000 worth of classes. Even if this is a bottom-dollar public university, it still might be $1500 to $3000. That's a lot of money for a degree that's basically worthless. Unless those credits are going to count towards a four-year degree, they're free or close to free, or they are truly cost-effective training for something of value (a certification), I think it's a waste of time and money. Just because OP has wasted time and money on an AS or AAS (sorry to be so blunt, but that's how it is) doesn't mean OP should waste more.

A two-year degree is really only valuable if the credits transfer well to a four-year degree and there is no real disadvantage to getting the two-year along the way. On the market, IT jobs that will hire you or pay more based on a two-year are few and far between. The time it takes to get even three classes in an AAS program could easily be enough to get MCSA 2008 or something along those lines -- or to earn experience and money in a job.

As someone who has a two-year degree and has hired and interviewed many candidates with varying education states, and worked with others involved in the process of hiring technical professionals, I cannot tell you enough how little two-year degrees are worth in this field.

Cisc0kidd

ptilsen wrote: »

@Cisc0kidd, it really doesn't seem like a no-brainer to me. Even three classes can be a lot of time (most likely 50-100, depending on workload), effort, and money. If those were three classes at ITT, for example, that might be $5000 worth of classes. Even if this is a bottom-dollar public university, it still might be $1500 to $3000. That's a lot of money for a degree that's basically worthless. Unless those credits are going to count towards a four-year degree, they're free or close to free, or they are truly cost-effective training for something of value (a certification), I think it's a waste of time and money. Just because OP has wasted time and money on an AS or AAS (sorry to be so blunt, but that's how it is) doesn't mean OP should waste more.

A two-year degree is really only valuable if the credits transfer well to a four-year degree and there is no real disadvantage to getting the two-year along the way. On the market, IT jobs that will hire you or pay more based on a two-year are few and far between. The time it takes to get even three classes in an AAS program could easily be enough to get MCSA 2008 or something along those lines -- or to earn experience and money in a job.

As someone who has a two-year degree and has hired and interviewed many candidates with varying education states, and worked with others involved in the process of hiring technical professionals, I cannot tell you enough how little two-year degrees are worth in this field.

No disrespect at all. I just feel there is value in finishing things you start. At this point, with three classes he can finish while he is also finishing the BA, I would do it. YMMV.

techdudehere

Definitely finish school. Work any part time job you can that doesn't interfere with school but school should come first. You're too close to quit now. You've got to think long term. I have a B.S., but if I were 3 classes from an AAS I'd still finish it. I don't think it could hurt to throw it on the resume.

zrockstar

Thanks for all the advice guys. I think I am going to stick it out. I talked to my adviser today, I might have figured out a way to graduate a little early.

WiseWun

Unless you somehow become homeless in the near future and bills are stacking, I would advice you to finish your school. If you leave now, chances are you will be in the same situation down the road. Complete your school, get your certifications and continue to build your network. Trust me, you'll then be ready for the workforce.