M.S. or Certs??

Hi Everyone,

I've been pondering this question quite a bit lately and figured I'd throw it out there for your opinions.

I'm 30 years old and have steady job in IT (windows client/server) with a very large company. I have a B.S. in MIS along with a few Certs. I'm currently making a very solid living with good benefits, etc etc.

My question is - does anyone think that it would be beneficial for me to go back to school for my M.S. in MIS or perhaps Comp Sci? My work would cover all of the expenses, so I'm just really wondering whether it would be worth the extra time and burden of going back to school. My other consideration would be going after a few other certs (most of mine are on the Msft side of course).

Your opinions are appreciated!

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Comments

Polynomial

Want to get into management?

Obvious answer is obvious

dmoore44

If your company will cover the expense, then why not? It can only help if you want to continue moving up the pay scale...

NetworkVeteran

blinkme323 wrote: »

I'm currently making a very solid living with good benefits, etc etc.

If you're already satisfied with your pay, it mostly comes down to what you want to be have achieved and be doing five years from now. Do you want to be an engineer? Do you want to be a manager? Do you handle other types of products?

Want to get into management?

Personally, I'd rather be the renowned chef than the restaurant manager.

networker050184

As others have stated the question you really need to answer is what do you want to do? Then from there pick which will help you get there.

VAHokie56

This ol argument again? if I had nickel!

blinkme323

I think management might be something that I look at down the line, but certainly not in the immediate future. My company would pay for the both the degree or the certs, so I'm just trying to weigh the plusses and minuses of each.

dbrink

If your company will pay for it, you have the time, and you have the willpower....go for the Masters. It will never expire!!

I will warn you though, if you have an undergrad that isn't in Computer Science and you look at doing a Masters in Computer Science then plan on taking a year or two of prerequisite classes before you can apply for the Masters of Computer Science program. There may be some schools out there that don't require the prereqs but most I've seen do.

instant000

You have more than two choices. I can think of at least four:

1 - education only
2 - cert only
3 - education and cert
4 - do nothing

If you work on the education, it will take some time to achieve the Master's degree (typically, two years). Since you said "down the line" two or three years from now will be "down the line".

If you're choosing between information systems and computer science, then take computer science.

RoyalRaven

I'm almost in the exact same boat from the original poster. Masters degree - best decision ever. I will *NEVER* be questioned again on my educational background if I stay in IT. That is such a wonderful place to be after getting shot down many times through the years due to not having that next degree up the chain. If your company is paying, even more of a reason to do so...mine was until they changed policy and I started out-of-pocket (still best decision ever to pursue). Grad school is not cheap.

If you want my best advice, work on the degree and squeeze in a cert from time-to-time. Sometimes your classes may align with the subject material too and/or be part of your research projects.

Complete_IT_Professional

I assume "MS" means Masters?

I think that once you have a degree, you shouldn't really need to go back and further it. A Bachelor's is a great foundation for a career. A Masters is better, but once you have the Bachelors, getting the Masters might not add a lot of extra benefit (I don't have a Masters, only a Bachelor, so this is just my impression only).

I think it will help to think of why you're looking to get another qualification. Is it for a pay rise? Is it to learn new things or to add to your existing knowledge? Is it to get a promotion? Degrees and certs impact these in different ways.
Hope this helps.

Polynomial

Complete_IT_Professional wrote: »

A Bachelor's is a great foundation for a career. A Masters is better, but once you have the Bachelors, getting the Masters might not add a lot of extra benefit

I'm going to draw out the flamers and suggest that in my future as someone in their early 20s who wants to go into high level management I'd be insane to not pursue Master degrees. Yeah, I know a bunch of people on here do fine with some or no college at all. However, the value of a Bachelor degree is at an all time low. People who really want to stand out go for graduate degrees.

veritas_libertas

VAHokie56 wrote: »

This ol argument again? if I had nickel!

LOL! Yes, if only...

blinkme323

That's my line of thinking as well. Also since my company would be footing a large portion of the bill, I figure why turn down free money?

curtisc83

blinkme323 wrote: »

That's my line of thinking as well. Also since my company would be footing a large portion of the bill, I figure why turn down free money?

You get around, city-data now techexams. Masters is your answer. Tuition keeps increasing every year and after awhile the degree might be priced out of being a possibility.

N2IT

If you are asking my opinion straight up with no factors, MS all way. I can make the assumption you are getting a top 50 program/degree with a Masters of Science. I don't see very many if any certifications trumping that. Now dumb that down a bit and get a degree from a for profit etc, then margin between the two begin to shrink. @ Curtis wonderful point, that is an extreme possibility.

Moon Child

I see you have just the A+ and N+ listed, if it were me I would get more certs before I considered the masters. I know a lot of people with masters degrees including myself who were disappointed after they got their masters degrees. I think getting a higher level certification like the CCISP, MCSE, or CCNP would have more value than a masters degree. I can't say the masters degree helps me much in interviews and it seems the lack of entry level certs and the right kind of work experience is what trips me up the most, even though I have previous work experience in IT it is not in the specific areas they are looking for. Obtaining more entry level certs is my summer project. I know two underemployed MBA's. How good the school is I am sure may matter somewhat, but one guy I know has his MBA from a top 20 business program and he still can't find work in his field so he got his CDL and works as a truck driver for England.

DissonantData

I always thought that certain masters degrees such as MBAs and JDs are losing their value. These days, It is important to have education AND experience above all. Even if you had an MD, you can't become a doctor if you have no work experience (residency). As far as MBAs and JDs are concerned, there are way too many of them. For JDs the situation is worse because employers will think you are overqualified.

curtisc83

Moon Child wrote: »

I see you have just the A+ and N+ listed, if it were me I would get more certs before I considered the masters. I know a lot of people with masters degrees including myself who were disappointed after they got their masters degrees. I think getting a higher level certification like the CCISP, MCSE, or CCNP would have more value than a masters degree. I can't say the masters degree helps me much in interviews and it seems the lack of entry level certs and the right kind of work experience is what trips me up the most, even though I have previous work experience in IT it is not in the specific areas they are looking for. Obtaining more entry level certs is my summer project. I know two underemployed MBA's. How good the school is I am sure may matter somewhat, but one guy I know has his MBA from a top 20 business program and he still can't find work in his field so he got his CDL and works as a truck driver for England.

I think certs hold value but its just a different sort of value. Looking at your certs on the side it appears you have a Masters in Ed. That's fantastic but I don't think in IT a Ed degree holds very much weight. Maybe that's why it didn't help as much as you hoped. Everyone I know that has a Masters in my company moved up the ranks extremely fast. I think certs come and go but degrees have a more permanent value.

Moon Child

My bachelors was in Computer Information Systems which is an IT degree which I hope would hold some weight. The Masters in Education was so I could become a teacher and get a teaching license. I taught last year, but I want an evening IT job as well so I can get some spare spending cash to supplement my teaching job. Even though the Masters wasn't in IT, I was hoping an bachelors in a computer degree + a masters in a different field would mean more to employers than just having the bachelors.

curtisc83

Moon Child wrote: »

My bachelors was in Computer Information Systems which is an IT degree which I hope would hold some weight. The Masters in Education was so I could become a teacher and get a teaching license. I taught last year, but I want an evening IT job as well so I can get some spare spending cash to supplement my teaching job. Even though the Masters wasn't in IT, I was hoping an bachelors in a computer degree + a masters in a different field would mean more to employers than just having the bachelors.

I would view a Masters in Edu as a professional Masters for a very specific field. I'm just assuming but that might be why it isn't helping as much as you'd hoped. I wouldn't expect a Masters in IT to open too many doors in becoming a teacher at a HS either.

jibbajabba

blinkme323 wrote: »

My work would cover all of the expenses

blinkme323 wrote: »

burden

Easy, if you can't decide then let the company pay for the more expensive bit. No one says you can only do either of the two.

However, if it's a burden, then you pretty much answered your own question. If its a burden for me to walk to the corner shop, then it is just a matter of time until I'll take the car.

010101

I have the same question as the OP.
I figure a masters would take about the same time as another higher level cert like a CISSP/CCNP/etc.

The benifit is I don't have to renew it every 2-3 years. I'll have it the rest of my life.
Also, my bachelors isn't in IT, so I'm thinking a masters in IT may help in the future.

The downside is I feel like I would lose time moving up with more real skills.
I could use those 1.5-2 years getting a VCP and maybe an OSCP(high level security cert)

.

dmoore44

010101 wrote: »

I have the same question as the OP.
I figure a masters would take about the same time as another higher level cert like a CISSP/CCNP/etc.

I didn't spend 36 months studying for the CISSP, and I doubt that it would take me 36 months to get another higher level cert (CISA, OSCP, CCNP, etc...) But I do know that it's going to take me at least that long, and be a lot more work to go after a MS.

I do agree with you about not having to renew or pay maintenance fees... but you could also examine the situation from its corollary: AMFs are once a year payments for a specific amount, but once you graduate from a school, you'll be hounded multiple times a year for the rest of your life for alum donations... So pick your poison