Masters vs Certs -- Which would you pick?

I've searched and read the old threads on this topic.
I'm curious what the forum thinks in 2013. If there are any new viewpoints.

I'm trying to decide if I should get a masters next or more certs.

My background:
Right now I do both technical(80%) and management(20%).
I'm not sure if I had to pick just doing one which I would pick.
Probably technical, but not sure if I'll feel the same way in 10 years or not.
I have a BS, but in History. My highest level active cert is the CISSP.

Figure a masters takes ~2 years. In 2 years I could get probably 2 decent certs.
Maybe a highlevel security cert like the OSCP, and maybe a VMWare VCP.

Core Question:
Masters in IT vs OSCP and VCP

Which would you pick?

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Comments

Iristheangel

Why not do both? It may take a bit longer for both but you'll get the most bang for your buck for doing it. While I was doing my undergrad, I studied for and completed my CISSP. Now while I'm doing my MSISA, I'm studying and on my way to completing my CCNP R&S. Doing both delayed both to some measurable ways and definitely added stress but not as much as you would think.

If you decide not to do both, I would recommend figuring out where you want to go in your career (management vs technical) and make the decision on your future job title that you want, not based on the job title you currently have

networker050184

The two will help you accomplish two different things in your career. The real questions is where do you want to go with your career? If you don't know work on both.

NicWhite

I vote for both as well.

You never know where life is going to lead you. I would just say to try to do it as inexpensively as you can.

(Meaning no school loans, they are the devil)

010101

One thing I keep thinking about is how a coworker is finishing up his MBA and it's only taken about 20 months.
Then I think about how worthless my old MCSEs are and how my brand new CISSP will be worthless in 5-6 years.
Seems like a masters might be smart if I was planning on spending the time studying on something anyway...

networker050184

Sure certs expire or lose relevancy, but is that masters really going to help you get that next technical job you want? Will it help more than a high level certification? In my experience the answer is no. If you plan on going down the management or business side of things a masters will be more beneficial than a certification.

You need to figure out where you are going before you start planning out the steps to get there. Can't put the carriage before the horse so to speak.

GoodBishop

I'm 3/4th through a MBA. Go for the masters - it will be with you your entire life. It's worth it - plus, if you look at lifetime earning potential, having a masters gives you about 500k more over the course of your life.

I dunno about you, but a 500k raise is pretty good.

Polynomial

I'm with networker050184 on this one.

Identify what your gut says about career goals and align accordingly. Degrees will definitely help more if your goals are management versus pure tech work.

NinjaBoy

Personally, I would say do both. You don't know where your career will take you; whether it's pure tech or upper management, whether it's in the same area or even country or even what organisation.

But at the end of the day, it is up to you...

wallpaper_01

I'm doing both, I have a full time job and I'm doing a part-time Masters over 3 years in Networking Technologies and Management. I have just finished the first year and this year I also did N+, CCENT and about to take CCNA exam and start MCSA this month.

I will say it is full on though, time management is so important and I have said 'no im studying' more times than I can remember to people. I just figure get all this out the way now rather than realising later I need to do it... Go for it! But be prepared to be a social recluse hah! To be fair I have been rubbish at time management, if I was better I could have finished those certs earlier and spent more time with people. Year 2 im going to do better!

clouder

The VCP doesn't take that long, at least the DCV doesn't. I took the exam about a month after finishing the class. I can't speak for the OSCP, though it does sound pretty brutal.

RoyalRaven

Both. If I'm your competition (depending on certs), I have both! There is no reason to pick either or. Figure out what the requirements are of the jobs you see yourself looking at in the future and work towards those. Like others have mentioned, a degree will stick with you for life, while certs come and go as time passes. A combination of both makes things soooo much easier. Now I that I have the degrees behind me, I can focus more effort on certs and I have ZERO issues when education comes up or is a requirement.

higherho

It also depends on your lifestyle and where you are getting your masters because some schools are tougher than most. You also pay a lot more (in most cases) for your degree than a certification. If you need more time to focus on your Masters and get the best grades / honors you can than I would ditch certs until you complete your masters. Just make sure your you get exp while doing it because that trumps all!

charlemagne

010101 wrote: »

I've searched and read the old threads on this topic.
I'm curious what the forum thinks in 2013. If there are any new viewpoints.

I'm trying to decide if I should get a masters next or more certs.

My background:
Right now I do both technical(80%) and management(20%).
I'm not sure if I had to pick just doing one which I would pick.
Probably technical, but not sure if I'll feel the same way in 10 years or not.
I have a BS, but in History. My highest level active cert is the CISSP.

Figure a masters takes ~2 years. In 2 years I could get probably 2 decent certs.
Maybe a highlevel security cert like the OSCP, and maybe a VMWare VCP.

Core Question:
Masters in IT vs OSCP and VCP

Which would you pick?

Do both. In the long term, an MS is worth it. No reason to think it's "either/or" as many get graduate degrees and various certifications over time. A Masters degree gives you the additional option of teaching at the college level (part time if you have a full time job) and this keeps your knowledge up to date and some find it quite fulfilling. Also, most (forget WGU) graduate programs offer full tuition waivers, teaching or research assistantships and you get experience, free tuition and a stipend in most cases, and still earn certifications. I have two Masters and once I did well on the GRE, it was no problem applying to various schools and being awarded a tuition waiver/assistantship. You can't do this online but if you do go to a brick and mortar then it's worth thinking about.
It's up to you. You can do both and have more options. Good luck!

over9000

Doing both is great. The IDEA situation is to work for someone who will pay for you to do the masters as well. This way you don't have to incur any extra expense and you know that you have a JOB when the masters is done.

I'm sacrificing a masters instead of working to hopefully gain better opportunities, but in hindsight I'm not 100% sure I should have gone this route. I did an internship, but I didn't get a job offer and now I'm worried that if I don't get a job lined up by May how will I be able to pay back the money I took out to get my masters.

I'm all for bettering yourself and getting more education while you can, but be careful about the preconceived notion that a new degree is a GOLDEN TICKET to success.

I still have until May to see how it ends up

, but trust me it's a lot easier knowing you have something to go/fall back on before you take the risk of leaving something in hand for school.

ptilsen

My vote is that now is the time for your MS or MBA. I'm still with the "do both" crowd, but if you have to focus on one, Master's makes more sense, to me. Once you have it, you have it. Certs will still be there to earn. Most of the better ones expire without maintenance, and there will always be new ones coming out. Knock the degree out before making higher-level certs your primary focus.

idr0p

I have both now, but the answer is depends.

If you are trying to change jobs or move to a different field i would go certification route as it will "spin you up" faster on things you will actually be doing.

If you are looking to dip into management / leadership more then masters.

If you are happy where you are and want to stay there for a while masters, then get certs when you get the urge to change up.

daviddws

I say do both!! I have two master degrees (MBA, MISM). I never intended to get any certs, but because of my current position it's expected. In a way I'm happy to get a few certs so when I move into management (note to boomers: retire) I can leverage that experience. Im thinking of getting an MCSE at the moment to increase my skill set more.