What will get you a job faster a CCIE or BS in IT and what would the pay scale be?

Do you think I will get a job faster as a CCIE ONLY and no degree or a job faster with a degree? And how much pay rate would you expect from both options?

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deth1k

IE coupled with how many years experience?

krejustin79

deth1k wrote: »

IE coupled with how many years experience?

idk say 3 to 5 years. Then also 5-8 years.

Turgon

krejustin79 wrote: »

idk say 3 to 5 years. Then also 5-8 years.

If you have 3 - 5 years experience I would press on with the CCIE and do the degree parttime. A degree you can accomplish with elapsed time if you stick at it. Most CCIE wannabee's can't hack it and drop out inside 2 years because it's just too demanding socially. Get *something* along the way which means pressing on with your degree. Good luck!

S3CUR3N3TW0RK

I apologize for replying to a two week old thread but if the OP is still looking for an answer well then here is my two cents, first off how much experience do you personally have? Or is this a hypothetical type question?

The short answer to your question is - if you can manage to get a CCIE then your going to get a job faster and will start at a much higher rate, at least in the US. The problem is, is that your really going to have trouble getting the CCIE without any experience, you'll most likely fail. You'll also end up in a more specialized area of IT, whether that's a good or bad thing is up to you and depends on your interests.

If you already have 3-5 years of network infrastructure (R&S) experience, well then the CCIE will give you that extra boost needed to get that higher level senior level role, and it could easily bump your salary up by 20K minimum depending on where you live and what the Tech market is like there. A bachelor's degree, while useful in the long run, is not going to get you any sort of pay raise or promotion on top of what you where already going to get. It's not going to make you any more marketable then you already where, sure it might open the door to some companies and positions that require it but you'll end up being paid according to your 3-5 years of experience and not according to that extra qualification unlike the CCIE.

If you have 5-8 years of network infrastructure experience on the other hand, the CCIE will probably not yield as high a return fiancially anymore. In this scenario you are already nearing the 10 year mark and would already be considered a senior engineer in most places along with the senior salary that comes with it. Yes, it will definitely make you more marketable but the difference in salary from your current level isn't going to be too drastic unless you decide to become an independent consultant or start to take on short term contract work. In this scenario, since your already going to be making a decent living based on your experience, pursuing your degree part time would make more sense. The degree will later open doors such as management, etc., that are usually not available to non-degree staff and it will help you in the long run in case you should ever want to move away from tech work later on in life. I mean, your probably not going to want to be a 60 year old techie one day - are you? So finish the degree and then go for the CCIE for professional development in this scenario.

Sorry for the long winded answer, hope it helps.

hyper1pua

Sorry but I disagree with the previous poster about the importance of a degree. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying a degree will magically make it happen for you all of a sudden but I graduated last April and I can tell you that a degree is the first thing employers are asking for. For better or for worse. Yes they want experience and they want certifications and yes they want the degree. I don't know how long ago you switched jobs but try looking at ads for some IT positions and the very first thing (usually) under requirements it says a BS in MIS, CS or similar. I'm not saying it's right or wrong I'm just saying this is the way it is.

sides14

I agree 100%. Several years ago with the dot.com boom, the degree requirement was often overlooked for experience. Now there are a substantial number of candidates with a BS or MS and many years of experience. Work on both in parallel like Turgon recommended.

unclerico

I'm going to go the other way and say the degree is overrated. I only have a two year degree but I've got plenty of certs and about 10 yrs experience. In all the interviewing I've done never once was my not having a BS or MS brought up. They all wanted to know if I could do the job...let me tell you that ive never gone on an interview and not gotten an offer afterwards. IMHO, if a company wont look at you because you lack a BS then look elsewhere. The whole "it's going to make you more well rounded" crap is just that...crap. I guarantee that knowing Shakespeare isnt going to help me troubleshoot a spanning-tree issue. The whole higher Ed game is a racket and should be included in the RICO laws.

joshmadakor

unclerico wrote: »

I'm going to go the other way and say the degree is overrated. I only have a two year degree but I've got plenty of certs and about 10 yrs experience. In all the interviewing I've done never once was my not having a BS or MS brought up. They all wanted to know if I could do the job...let me tell you that ive never gone on an interview and not gotten an offer afterwards. IMHO, if a company wont look at you because you lack a BS then look elsewhere. The whole "it's going to make you more well rounded" crap is just that...crap. I guarantee that knowing Shakespeare isnt going to help me troubleshoot a spanning-tree issue. The whole higher Ed game is a racket and should be included in the RICO laws.

While I agree with you, it doesn't change the fact that some employers won't even consider you unless you have a degree.

Edit: Oops, old thread

sieff

I have over 10+ years experience and I've held a few network engineering positions. The most notable thing was "experience" and the "certs" help. Also, the certs "CCNA, CCNP", etc are used to filter through applications. The BS degree does provide some recognition if its from a Name Brand COLLEGE like a Auburn, Penn State or Duke, etc. but I work with well qualified guys who's educational background varies from either didn't go to college at all or some guys that have degrees in Music or Business. some have engineering degrees, but I can't say that helped them or not. the common thing that I'd say all the engineers on my team have are years of experience and the certs that you gather along the way. my college experience only comes up when talking amongst colleagues or sports, as I went to a big SEC football college ["sad but true"].

the CCIE dramatically increases your marketability in the job market and the CCIE would definitely give me an extra $30K bump in salary.

nethacker

i personally is a witness to recognizing certs and experience more than degree. I agree that degree is good to have but more importantly to employers, experience is key and certs are plus. I was recently hired for a network engineering role which i will start in 2 weeks time. in the requirements, they needed someone with a B.Sc in IT or engineering with 5-7 years experience and CCNA (at least). After they reviewed my resume they decided to give me a try. I was interviewed 4 times - 1st technical phone interview->behavioral interview -> 2nd Technical in-person interview(1hr Theory and 3hrs lab) -> expectation interview. After i was done with all the interview process, the hiring manager said he was amazed that i never had a bachelors and i could secure the position just because i had "EXPERIENCE & CERTS" and they overlooked the bachelors requirements.
by the way, i only have and associate degree and CCNP with 3yrs+ experience in R&S environment and i'm currently heading towards obtaining my bachelors. I believe different companies have different policies regarding entry requirements.
Just my 2cents from experience

Forsaken_GA

hyper1pua wrote: »

Sorry but I disagree with the previous poster about the importance of a degree. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying a degree will magically make it happen for you all of a sudden but I graduated last April and I can tell you that a degree is the first thing employers are asking for.

It really depends on your job market. Here in Atlanta, experience trumps degrees, every single time. For operational positions, the only thing folks really care about is if you can do the job. Most hiring managers understand that the guy who goes home and recompiles his kernel is going to be better at the job than the guy who played beer pong for 4 years.

I have an associates degree, and education has never, ever been a barrier to me finding a job. My salaries have steadily trended upward, and that's because I have years and years of measurable experience and the fact that once I sit down for an interview, it becomes obvious very quickly that I know my stuff.

nethacker

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

It really depends on your job market. Here in Atlanta, experience trumps degrees, every single time. For operational positions, the only thing folks really care about is if you can do the job. Most hiring managers understand that the guy who goes home and recompiles his kernel is going to be better at the job than the guy who played beer pong for 4 years.

I have an associates degree, and education has never, ever been a barrier to me finding a job. My salaries have steadily trended upward, and that's because I have years and years of measurable experience and the fact that once I sit down for an interview, it becomes obvious very quickly that I know my stuff.

That is what i'm talking about