Cert vs College 1

[diamynd]

Hello, newbie here
I'm trying to decide if I should do certification and find a company to grow with as I continue my certifications. Or should I go back to College for a BS in CIS degree (I have basically all core classes taken care of-just need to get the concentrations out of the way--another 2 years, at least).

If I do Certs, where should I go beyond A+ and N+? I would like to be a network admin, but not necessarily as a long term career. I have flirted with the ideas of Database Admin, or programmer as well.

If I go back to college, I worry about finding employment that will complement my studies while at the same time won't interfere with my coursework.

Any answers or opinions would be appreciated.

 

[schase]

IMHO

Both are important in their own right.

Certs demonstrate you have a certain level of knowledge in a given area. I.E. if you passed the Net+ it is given you have a decent knowledge of Networking overall, not so deep that you can troubleshoot a Cisco Router but you can troubleshoot to the point of saying - it is in this Router we need the Cisco guy to go from here.

College will give you I think a foundation of several areas that you can build upon. It shows you have dedicated years to your field, and that you most likely have a wide base of knowledge. But a good portion of that knowledge will probably be on obsolete items for todays standards - but a necessary one to go forth as newer technologies emerge, because really all current technologies were based off of what previous ones were and did.

"Never underestimate the power of determination"

Stuart
Net+

 

[glister]

If at all possible, stay in school. The Baby Boomers will start retireing in a couple of years, en masse, and you will be much better positioned with a bachelors degree.

A+,N+,S+,L+,I+,HTI+,e-Biz+,Security+,CETsr,CST,CNST,CNCT,CFOT,CCNT,CCTT,ACSP,ISA CCST3

 

[diamynd]

Thanks schase and glister:

Another question, I was considering changing my major from CIS to Business Mgmt and continuing to do certs on the side. Will this make me more marketable to potential employers in the long run?

 

[schase]

IMHO yet again here.

But it depends on what you want your career path to be.

A degree in itself is necessary these days - what kind of degree doesn't matter quite as much.

But having said that,
If you are pursuing say a job where you will be administrator of an Oracle database in a large company.

Having a CIS degree will stand out more than having a Business Associates Degree.

But if you will be in say a smaller company administrating their Network than either degree probably will not matter much - just that you have one. In this situation the certs will stand out as a very nice addition to the degree.

"Never underestimate the power of determination"

Stuart
Net+

 

[cydud3]

Why not have a CIS major with a Business minor? That's what I did. I'm also doing certifications on the side. Unfortunately, I can't say that companies are tripping over themselves in trying to hire me. I guess the saying "It's who you know, not what you know" is at least partially (if not mostly) true.

 

[410bbennett]

Personaly i believe it is best to have at bare minimume your two year degree in your related feild. Most buisnesses look for people who go to collage above all else (in most cases.) then you would want to load up as much certifications as possible to show employers you have good handle on the industry to make yourself more money.

 

[TheDaniel]

I'm looking at going into the civilian workforce to do Network Security and such. I'm not too far off from my two-year degree that will be issued by the US Air Force. I'm not too interested in college simply because there are not degrees that interest me that much. The only one that looks half-way decent is ITT Tech and they will cost upwards of $60K for a bachelors.
So if I went into the workforce, I'd have an AAS degree, a Gov't Secret Clearance and 6 years of hands-on experience with (hopefully) a few certs. I'm working on A+ and Net+. Any ideas on how marketable I'd be?

 

[schase]

with something like a top secret or otherwise clearance - extremely. Especially if your in the area dept of Home Security - i.e. DC area.

"Never underestimate the power of determination"

Stuart
Net+