Big companies

Do big companies only accept CS/EE degrees? I noticed cisco writes BS in CS/EE and comcast/AT&T write BS in computer science. Anyone have any experience with the bigger companies?

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NetworkNewb

I worked at a company that has like 35k+ employees and they only cared you had BS, didn't matter at all what it was in. (was told exactly that from my manager there) Having a BS was a strict requirement though. Granted that was one of my first IT job so not sure how much they hold to that for higher level positions.

soccarplayer29

Those are likely soft requirements. If you had a BS in networking and not CS/EE I doubt the company cares. They should be looking at your experience, continued education (certs), and degree as a whole.

The BS in general might be a hard requirement.

networker050184

I've worked at both these types of companies. It's usually a soft requirement on having a degree at all much less a specific one for most technical positions.

DatabaseHead

Huge leg up at my company, fortune 500

Blucodex

We have quite a few guys in the SOC without degrees. Fortune < 10. It really just depends on the culture of your department. Having my MS, I don't think anyone here cares.

Danielm7

I have a few friends in those specific companies. One has worked in Comcast with a job that required an MS, he didn't have any degree. Later he went back and got his BS at WGU, now he's back to Comcast at the director level, which also has an MS requirement.

TechGromit

soccarplayer29 wrote: »

The BS in general might be a hard requirement.

In some companies, this is certainly true, but it's there loss all the talent they are missing out on. There have been lots of famous scientists, inventors and self made million/billionaires that either never attended or never finish a college degree.

Blucodex

TechGromit wrote: »

In some companies, this is certainly true, but it's there loss all the talent they are missing out on. There have been lots of famous scientists, inventors and self made million/billionaires that either never attended or never finish a college degree.

Exactly. I feel over certed at this point. People I meet just don't care. I actually am starting to feel like the guys I meet with certs know less than the ones without. The people I've met lately without certs spend their time actually doing things--not just reading about it.

With that being said--There are still some certs I want!

Iristheangel

I work at Cisco and I don't have a CS/EE degree. Almost all my coworkers dont. Routergods (another forum member) only has an AA degree. From what I know of what my coworkers make, there is zero difference in pay from have a CS/EE degree than not and they get promoted just as quickly if management is the route they want to go. I think the job adverts are just generic but definitely not a requirement.

Just to give you a few ideas:
- Former Regional Manager I used to work with who later moved to Dimension Data and then IBM and he's rocking those WGU BS and MBA: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milesennis/
- Matt White - CCIEx7, VCIX-NV, and CCDE. Technical Solutions Architect and doesn't look like he has a CS/EE degree and doing just fine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arpanet/
- Andre Laurent - 3xCCIE and CCDE and he's the World Wide Director of Engineering for Enterprise Networking Sales. Andre is a good friend and moved up REALLY quickly from SE to WW Direct in under 8 years majoring in Chinese Language and Literature and later got himself an MBA: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrelaurent/
- Humphrey Cheung - Also known as www.mostinterestingasian.com - Got into Cisco with his AA degree majoring in justice. He's moving up quickly and wouldn't be shocked if he's a director in the next 4 years: https://www.linkedin.com/in/humphreycheung/

techie2018

No. I worked at several big companies before I received my B.S. degree. So not only don't they require a CS/EE but you don't even have to have any 4 year degree.

yoba222

Here's a quick homework assignment:
1. Pick a popular online job board
2. Search for a job title of your preference (e.g. the word "security")
3. Choose a large and generic area, like California or Texas
4. Copy and paste a list of the phrase where it asks for college requirements, e.g. "Bachelor’s degree or higher in related field" into an empty document
5. Do this for 15 to 20 job postings

Then decide for yourself what companies want regarding specific degree or major.

techie2018

yoba222 wrote: »

Here's a quick homework assignment:
1. Pick a popular online job board
2. Search for a job title of your preference (e.g. the word "security")
3. Choose a large and generic area, like California or Texas
4. Copy and paste a list of the phrase where it asks for college requirements, e.g. "Bachelor’s degree or higher in related field" into an empty document
5. Do this for 15 to 20 job postings

Then decide for yourself what companies want regarding specific degree or major.

If you do this be sure to pay attention to job ads that says B.S. degree or equivalent experience. If it does say equivalent experience then obviously a B.S. isn't required assuming you have the experience and knowledge.

NetworkNewb

TechGromit wrote: »

In some companies, this is certainly true, but it's there loss all the talent they are missing out on. There have been lots of famous scientists, inventors and self made million/billionaires that either never attended or never finish a college degree.

Exactly, just become a famous scientist/inventor or self made billionaire. Who needs a degree...

College really holds a lot more value than just the knowledge you gained in a particular area... Reason why I believe a lot of companies don't care what you majored in just that you completed one.

The saying "experience is king" comes to mind, but networking and knowing the right people is probably even more "king" though.

Iristheangel

techie2018 wrote: »

If you do this be sure to pay attention to job ads that says B.S. degree or equivalent experience. If it does say equivalent experience then obviously a B.S. isn't required assuming you have the experience and knowledge.

Very true. Probably every consulting systems engineer, network consulting systems engineer, and systems engineer position probably says they prefer a CS degree and CCIE but most do not have either. It's important to remember that most of the time this is a wishlist, not a hard requirement. They're often crafted by HR, not the actual people making the hiring decision and are often overlooked in the case of a candidate they want.