Certifications with a BA in unrelated field

Hello everyone,
My name is John and I have been studying some for the A+ certification, all the while trying to figure whether or not I realistically have a chance at finding a job with this certification and a Bachelors of Fine Arts in painting.. please hold the laughs.. lol. As anyone can guess, finding regular work with a degree in painting is tough, unless you go on to teach.

So will I have any shot at getting into IT, going the route of certifications with my B.F.A as my degree?

P.S. I realize this topic has been discussed some, so sorry if it is becoming redundant.. I would highly appreciate any advice from you guys..

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Comments

Priston

You'll have a better chance than people with no degree and depending on the company you might have a better chance or just as good a chance as people with a A.S degree.

Are you any good at computer graphics? graphics design is related to painting, I've seen job openings for graphic designers.

reloaded

John, my background is in WAN and telecom, but I got my BA in Political Science. I had no problem finding an IT job, even with my unrelated degree. As long as you have experience, some additional IT training, and/or certs, you'll be in a great position to get a job. Many companies will pay you higher for the 4-year degree, even if it's not even in the field.

watercolorist7

Priston wrote: »

You'll have a better chance than people with no degree and depending on the company you might have a better chance or just as good a chance as people with a A.S degree.

Are you any good at computer graphics? graphics design is related to painting, I've seen job openings for graphic designers.

Hi, thank you for the response.. I do not have much experience with graphic design programs, but I am a good "designer" per se. Meaning I have some ability with creating things that are visually interesting.. My original thought was to get training in web design, but missed the deadline to get into classes, but now I think that field is getting a little over saturated, same with graphic design.. I'm not sure about IT? I do know IT is filled with some really bright people that I'd have to compete with, which is intimidating. But that kind of says to me that the IT skills are harder to obtain and thus the field might stay leaner.. Plus being computer savvy will never be worthless in the professional world..

I think maybe if I gain some thorough knowledge of computers, then I could learn those other skills (like web design) later on to encorporate my artistic abilities..

watercolorist7

reloaded wrote: »

John, my background is in WAN and telecom, but I got my BA in Political Science. I had no problem finding an IT job, even with my unrelated degree. As long as you have experience, some additional IT training, and/or certs, you'll be in a great position to get a job. Many companies will pay you higher for the 4-year degree, even if it's not even in the field.

Hey, thank you for the advice .. See I do not have any experience in IT.. I would probably pursue the A+ IT essentials course at a local cc then take the exam (hopefully find a decent enough job) then re evaluate which particular direction I want to go.. I would self study but feel I would gain a more thorough knowledge working with a professional instructor with the hands on stuff.

What do you think should be my first step on getting into the field? Am I on the right track witht the A+? Thanks for your time.

Also, what made you decide to go into IT? and how did you go about doing so?

Unforg1ven

reloaded wrote: »

John, my background is in WAN and telecom, but I got my BA in Political Science. I had no problem finding an IT job, even with my unrelated degree. As long as you have experience, some additional IT training, and/or certs, you'll be in a great position to get a job. Many companies will pay you higher for the 4-year degree, even if it's not even in the field.

Don't get me wrong, the BA never hurts... BUT employers like degrees in this concentrated field.

What companies in this day and age really love is that beautiful thing called experience.

dynamik

I don't know... I see a lot of places ask for a CSci degree when it's barely relevant to most day-to-day tasks. They just think the "computer" in "computer science" makes it applicable. I'm not knocking CSci in general. In fact, I think it's a great route to take. I just don't think having a degree in another discipline will ultimately hold you back if you put in the time and get a few certs and several solid years of experience. I've met CCNPs with masters in theology. I know others with history degrees who used to be teachers. I am personally one requirement away from a degree in psychology, and I'm doing just fine (despite technically not even having the degree).

N2IT

watercolorist7 wrote: »

Hello everyone,
My name is John and I have been studying some for the A+ certification, all the while trying to figure whether or not I realistically have a chance at finding a job with this certification and a Bachelors of Fine Arts in painting.. please hold the laughs.. lol. As anyone can guess, finding regular work with a degree in painting is tough, unless you go on to teach.

So will I have any shot at getting into IT, going the route of certifications with my B.F.A as my degree?

P.S. I realize this topic has been discussed some, so sorry if it is becoming redundant.. I would highly appreciate any advice from you guys..

The biggest challenge your degree will pose is in your own mind. If you can get over the fact you have a degree non-related to the IT industry, you should be okay.

I like the idea of you going to a community college and getting the A+ training and certification

BTW as you can see in my signature block I have Bachelor of Science in Management. That's not IT related and it really hasn't held me back.

One thing I had to do to offset my lack of IT knowledge is do a lot of self study and make it a point to absorb as much information as possible when I am at work. You won't always get it, but if you continue to strive you will learn a lot.

Cisco Inferno

on a sidenote. i feel the bfa pain. my gf is finishing up her BFA in painting, and even from a good school things seem dim jobwise. She is going to persue a masters in Art Therapy though. its a little hope ha. painter to therapist... i guess there are careers.

anyways. IT is fun! persue it. maybe get a masters in something related or stock up on certs?

watercolorist7

dynamik wrote: »

I don't know... I see a lot of places ask for a CSci degree when it's barely relevant to most day-to-day tasks. They just think the "computer" in "computer science" makes it applicable. I'm not knocking CSci in general. In fact, I think it's a great route to take. I just don't think having a degree in another discipline will ultimately hold you back if you put in the time and get a few certs and several solid years of experience. I've met CCNPs with masters in theology. I know others with history degrees who used to be teachers. I am personally one requirement away from a degree in psychology, and I'm doing just fine (despite technically not even having the degree).

Hey, Thanks for the response... What made you get into IT and what route did you take?

It is uplifting to hear of people getting into the field with the unrelated undergrad.

watercolorist7

Cisco Inferno wrote: »

on a sidenote. i feel the bfa pain. my gf is finishing up her BFA in painting, and even from a good school things seem dim jobwise. She is going to persue a masters in Art Therapy though. its a little hope ha. painter to therapist... i guess there are careers.

anyways. IT is fun! persue it. maybe get a masters in something related or stock up on certs?

Hey Cisco Inferno.. Yes I too went to a pretty prestigious school for painting with distinguished faculty.. I have considered an MFA but competition is feirce for teaching positions. What your GF is doing is a great idea, she will have a lot of oppurtuinities down the line.

Have you found work with your A+ and Network+ ?

N2IT wrote: »

The biggest challenge your degree will pose is in your own mind. If you can get over the fact you have a degree non-related to the IT industry, you should be okay.

I like the idea of you going to a community college and getting the A+ training and certification

BTW as you can see in my signature block I have Bachelor of Science in Management. That's not IT related and it really hasn't held me back.

One thing I had to do to offset my lack of IT knowledge is do a lot of self study and make it a point to absorb as much information as possible when I am at work. You won't always get it, but if you continue to strive you will learn a lot.

Hi, Thanks for the input... I think you are right on with the problem being in my mind. Especially because IT is such a complex field with tons of detail.. One thing I can tell you by studying the subject is that I have a ton of respect for electrical engineers now!! I do find the science rather fascinating so I don't think it should be a problem for me to enjoy studying and learning more about it.. I just want some pertinent skills for today's real world, and computers aren't going anywhere soon.

Any other thoughts?

Cisco Inferno

watercolorist7 wrote: »

Hey Cisco Inferno.. Yes I too went to a pretty prestigious school for painting with distinguished faculty.. I have considered an MFA but competition is feirce for teaching positions. What your GF is doing is a great idea, she will have a lot of oppurtuinities down the line.

Have you found work with your A+ and Network+ ?

I'm in school right now and am not working. but it shouldnt be hard looking i guess. it should be enough to land a helpdesk gig at least without experience.

dynamik

watercolorist7 wrote: »

Hey, Thanks for the response... What made you get into IT and what route did you take?

It is uplifting to hear of people getting into the field with the unrelated undergrad.

I've been into computers ever since I was a child; it was a natural progression.

I started at a small business doing non-IT work just to make ends meet after I graduated high school. They were still on sneakernet, and I proposed running some cables and setting up a basic file server. Again, it was natural progression from there on out. I kept seeking out additional responsibilities and more challenging work.

The actual progression was: Fabricator / Graphic Design > Web Developer / Systems Engineer > Managed Services Consultant > Traveling Information Security Analyst > Information Security Manager

It took me slightly over five years to go from grunt to my current position. My future plans are to start a business within two years. I feel like I've "won" the traditional career path and don't have many other options for personal growth, which is really what drives me.

If you feel that your degree is limiting you that much, tack on a more relevant graduate degree. When asked about my degree, I simply say that I've always been good with computers, can teach myself IT technologies, and simply wanted to broaden/expand my horizons with my degree. That's 100% true. In my first college C++ course, I would often finish my programs before the instructor could finishing explaining the assignment. I could see where it was going. I basically donated my time and money to the college to be a TA for that course. I couldn't do another four years of that.

MentholMoose

I have a BS degree, but it is in Economics. I don't think my desired career path has been hurt much, if at all. During interviews I actually receive a surprising amount of positive comments about having completed a degree. Sometimes I've asked interviewers about their own major, and I don't recall anyone ever responding they had an IT degree.

I agree with N2IT, it is a psychological thing that you need to overcome. At one point I was quite worried about it, so I looked into also getting a BS in CIS while I was still working on my BS in Econ. There were classes that sounded interesting, but there were also a ton about web design/programming and other areas I had zero interest in.

Instead, I got an AS in CIS at a community college. Honestly I think what I learned while getting that was much more applicable to my job than if I went for that BS in CIS. In fact, many of my classmates even had a BS degree in CIS already! In one class, the professor actually did a poll, and literally one-fourth of the class had their BS in CIS. So, I don't think it would have been particularly helpful to me compared to an Econ degree.

It may vary by job, though, or company. I mostly go for systems admin positions, or similar. At my last job, the three other admins also had BS degrees in non-related fields, and I know some of the previous admins had non-IT degrees (for example, one guy apparently had a music degree since he quit to join an orchestra), so I don't think major mattered there. By comparison, I have some friends with BS degrees in CIS who are IT auditors, and it is my understanding that a BS in CIS was a requirement.