WGU Network Administration or state school Computer Science degree?

tom_dub · May 2013

Trying to weight the pros and cons of each of these, I have about 60 credits right now from a local community college in general ed classes, including some programming, no AS degree.

Currently work for a web hosting company doing tech support, not trying to be there forever, goal is to eventually move into Linux system administration with my current job or become an IT professional somewhere else, not sure what field, networking does look interesting though.

My pros for WGU networking admin degree
- Multiple certs offered including CCNA which would look killer on a resume
- Could complete within 1-2 years possibly
- Online so it's on my own time
- Classes seem plentiful and provide a lot of learning

cons:
- Not a Computer Science degree
- Online school, not as recognizable

My pros for a Computer Science degree
- It's a Computer Science degree...

cons:
- Would take 3-4 years to complete due to my schedule
- Mostly programming courses
- It's hard
- No certs incorporated into the program like WGU's, but once again, it's a Computer Science degree...

My state school also offers an IT degree, but it's 80% business classes, not too many technical ones, also see nothing about them providing certifications, just seems like WGU would trump that degree in terms of content, just not name brand (known state school).

So I was basically just trying to figure out what one would do in my current situation? I'm really leaning towards WGU due to the convenience and content offered, but also have the opportunity for a CS degree with a lot more hurdles though

Danielm7 · May 2013

If you are looking to be a linux admin or general IT while I understand you like the appeal of a CS degree, you also list programming as one of the negatives of the CS degree and it isn't even what it looks like you want to do with your career.

If you went the CS path at a state school you are going to pay way, way more to finish your degree, probably be miserable if you feel that programming isn't even something you like and end up with a degree that might look good on paper but not actually prepare you as much to do what you want to do for your career.

I have a number of friends with CS degrees, they are all programmers. They write code all day, if that is what you want to do then that is the direction you want to head, if not, then look what fits more closely with your goals.

demonfurbie · May 2013

what state school are you looking at

also how old are ya... do you have the time todo 4 years+ of school

tom_dub · May 2013

Old Dominion University, a school only really known in the VA/MD/DC area, mostly a commuter school.

I'm 25, do I have time to do a 4 year degree? Sure, part time, honestly not trying to graduate at age 30 though. I'm really just trying to have a good kick start to my career, and a degree from WGU with 13 certifications within 1-2 years sounds like some good fuel for a resume and overall IT knowledge/exposure.

I'm not huge on programming at all, there is an intriguing element to it though and I know programming is heavily used in the IT world for application or script development.

Really what I'm looking for here is opinions on what others would do, or just general advice given the circumstances I've laid out.

Gorby · May 2013

Tom, it sounds like your more interested in working in infrastructure (Networking, Systems) so you should go the WGU route. If you don't like programming your going to be miserable taking the computer science courses since it's a heavy focus on programming and programming logic.

I was also 26 when starting school it's better to start now when your still kind of young then not at all.

jasong318 · May 2013

That's a tough one. I guess it'll come down to where you see yourself wanting to go in five years or so. If you foresee SysAdmin roles, WGU will probably be fine. If you see yourself maybe wanting to do consulting or design, maybe take another look at the CS degree. From my personal experience, I went the CS route as I was more interested in security and I figured it would be better to know at a fundamental level how programs work and to truly understand code. Yes, it's hard, but I'm sure WGU would be too (well, probably less math

. Like Gorby, I started when I was 26, worked full time and took as much of a load as I could bare, finished in five excruciating years. And I'm glad that I did it. That being said, I have been looking at WGU for a Masters but wary of them not having the NSA designation for their MSISA degree

Danielm7 · May 2013

jasong318 wrote: »

That's a tough one. I guess it'll come down to where you see yourself wanting to go in five years or so. If you foresee SysAdmin roles, WGU will probably be fine. If you see yourself maybe wanting to do consulting or design, maybe take another look at the CS degree. From my personal experience, I went the CS route as I was more interested in security and I figured it would be better to know at a fundamental level how programs work and to truly understand code. Yes, it's hard, but I'm sure WGU would be too (well, probably less math . Like Gorby, I started when I was 26, worked full time and took as much of a load as I could bare, finished in five excruciating years. And I'm glad that I did it. That being said, I have been looking at WGU for a Masters but wary of them not having the NSA designation for their MSISA degree

Online University News | WGU Earns NSA Certification
That one?

ptilsen · May 2013

If you're already sure you don't want to program or even script much, WGU seems like the better choice for you. Both the school and the degree will hold less weight, but you will get it down so much faster for so much less money and effort and get certifications alongside it. From a purely career perspective, I think your long-term outlook is going to be the same amount of money (maybe even more) earned over the course of your life for less work.

I was in a similar position myself a year ago. I was 23 with a full AAS (but not from a CC) and was debating between a local commuter university CS program and one of the WGU bachelor's. WGU would have taken more of my credits and all of my certs, and I could have probably finished in two or three terms. In fact, I would most likely be done right around now. I had more or less the same sets of pros and cons as you. Local university was better recognized; CS is a "better" degree; brick-and-mortar has a better reputation; but, it will take three times as long; not come with certs, cost more; be less convenient.

I came to a different conclusion for myself because of my interests, not because of any of these factors. I quite possibly missed my calling with software development or some sort of programming-heavy field. I enjoy most aspects of infrastructure, but generally speaking, I would rather be programming than doing anything else at work. I prefer deep technical work over business or management stuff. I would probably never consider an MBA, which is becoming increasingly popular for infrastructure professionals. So, I went the harder route that I think will make me happier in the long run. Unless there's something you're not saying, it seems to be the WGU route will make you happier in the long run (and the short run), which is why it seems like the right call to me.

jasong318 · May 2013

Danielm7 wrote: »

Online University News | WGU Earns NSA Certification
That one?

No, the CAE designation.

demonfurbie · May 2013

if i was in your spot id say go to wgu and then get a masters from a traditional school. it will probably take ya just the same amount of time as a bs from a normal school.

milieu · May 2013

For what you're doing, I would definitely go with WGU degree over the BS in CS. You can be done in a year or two if you go in with some transfer units, and you really put your mind to it. It's far easier to go to WGU with a day job than a state school. I think it would work out to be a bit cheaper too...part time tuition is usually more expensive than full time.

WGU will give you enough exposure to programming for you to see if you like it or not. If you got into the CS degree, and discovered you hate programming, you might not be able to graduate.

On the other hand, if you discover you love it, you could always learn more on your own. You could then get an MS in CS if you felt you needed a CS degree.

ptilsen · May 2013

milieu wrote: »

On the other hand, if you discover you love it, you could always learn more on your own. You could then get an MS in CS if you felt you needed a CS degree.

I agree with everything you said but this. Technically, there do exist M.S. in CS programs that would accept entrants with WGU IT degree, but in my opinion no M.S. CS worth getting will. Any decent M.S. in Computer Science is going to require quite a few undergraduate courses that you won't get at WGU. Even the WGU BSIT Software degree doesn't really provide the pre-requisite credits and knowledge.

Now, reputable master's programs in IT, or Information Assurance, or some similar IT infrastructure-related field would almost certainly accept applicants with WGU IT degrees without needing any additional undergraduate work.

In general, any CS graduate program worth entering is going to be pretty difficult to get into without an undergraduate in CS, EE, or at least math-and-coding-heavy CIS and MIS (even then, only maybe).

kgb · May 2013

I'm local to your area and just graduated last year from WGU.

If you don't want to be a programmer, like plenty of people already said, I don't see the sense in the CS degree.

I'm currently employed as a Software Engineer and I just started applying for other software engineering positions in the area and have had several interviews so far and the fact that my degree is in IT and not CS has not been a factor at all. In fact, the fact I have a degree only came up one time. I'm really beginning to see it's merely a HR checkbox.

However, if you are set on a CS degree, it's my understanding that CNU (Christopher Newport University) actually has a better CS program than ODU.

WGU Network Administration or state school Computer Science degree?

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