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Home > Archive > Certifications and IT jobs/Salaries > April 2001 > CCIE or Computer Science
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CCIE or Computer Science
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| Hi,
Well, I'm almost done Grade 12 
And I am a little confused on what to do next. I currently have my A+/N+ and CCNA, and am studying for MCP (Server) right now. I want to get mcp before June. My problem is that I dont know if I should go to University for 4-5 years and take Computer Science, or go for CCNP and then CCIE. Also, I live in Winnipeg, so there are hardly any IT jobs here, if any they want people with 5+ years experience! I know that if I go to Uni, I will probably have no time to get my CCNP, and my CCNA will expire.
So I am stuck, I have no clue whatso ever. If anyone can give me a few pointers, I will appreciate it, thanks,
Azam | |
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| Hello,
I think you answered your own question in your post. "Your CCNA will expire." but a college degree will not. Please pursue your college education. Five long years you will be happy you did. Perhaps, you can use the technique I have to go to school (in my case graduate school) and study for a certification exam at the same time. First, take a class that is the most closely related to the certification exam that you can. Then if your have to write a paper or do a project pick the topic as close to possible to those subjects in the certification exams. You will accumulate in depth knowledge of the topic. Also, during the semester, spend a few hours a week reading review notes (such as those available on exanmotes)just so the material stays relatively fresh in your mind. At the end of the semester, spend the break studying full time and take the exam before going back to school the next semester. It is slow but you actually reinforce what you are learning the class and you still get the certifications. | |
| dmaftei 2001-04-24, 7:46 am |
| quote:
Originally posted by Azam
My problem is that I dont know if I should go to University for 4-5 years and take Computer Science, or go for CCNP and then CCIE.
Hi Azam,
I thought I convinced you a while ago. There is absolutely no doubt that in the long run you will be better off with the CS degree. And honey is right: you can go for certs while in school.
Heh, I remember an advertisement from a while ago:
"Be cool: stay in school!"
Cheers! | |
| Nicole 2001-04-24, 10:16 am |
| My vote: go to college, for a couple of reasons. One, you will always have that degree, and more and more job qualifications include a CS or similar degree as mandatory. Two, college is the beginning of your network. Your drunken college buddies will one day be CIO's, as scary as that may sound. Three, hi-tech companies love to recruit new college grads, even when they wouldn't considering hiring someone with no experience otherwise.
Four, college is fun. You can work hard, study hard, and still have a blast
-Nicole
P.S. Congrats on your progress so far! | |
| Randy 2001-04-24, 10:30 am |
| Go to college. A CCIE is a great accomplishment, but many places won't even give you an interview unless you have that degree. Besides, college gives you an opportunity to co-op with some companies and that will be worth it's weight in gold when you start the job hunt. You can pick up some extra certs during the summers anyway. Just my thoughts on it. | |
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| Thanks for the replys!
I have decided once and for all that I am indeed going to Uni. Plus, the Uni is right beside my home, so it just makes things easier. Also, I have seen tons of jobs which require you to have some sort of Degree. Well thanks again guys, I appreciate it.
Azam | |
| slapyomoma 2001-04-24, 11:42 am |
| College. College. College.
Not only will you be pursuing an IT degree, be getting other valuable knowledge as well, but it's the best time of your life before you actually have to work to feed your face.
sym | |
| Randy 2001-04-24, 11:49 am |
| Best of luck, Azam. | |
| Nicole 2001-04-24, 1:24 pm |
| Azam, don't believe that nonsense about these being the best years of your life Trust me, it just gets better. (Although I do miss summer vacations...) | |
| slapyomoma 2001-04-24, 2:24 pm |
| I don't know Nicole...
Getting Drunk, Passing Out, Lots of Women, Spring Break, Summer Vacation, No Work, Parents Money to Spend, crazy friends, frat parties vs. long work hours, alot of bills, cheezy boss, corporate america, paying taxes. college was pretty fun for me.
sym | |
| slapyomoma 2001-04-24, 2:25 pm |
| I don't know Nicole...
Getting Drunk, Passing Out, Lots of Women, Spring Break, Summer Vacation, No Work, Parents Money to Spend, crazy friends, frat parties, football games, school spirit vs. long work hours, alot of bills, cheezy boss, corporate america, paying taxes. I'd take college over this anytime. Maybe I ought to become a career student.
sym | |
| slapyomoma 2001-04-24, 2:29 pm |
| oops...
meant to edit, not add.
sym | |
| BGP4Me 2001-04-24, 2:31 pm |
| College first and foremost..........certs at the same time or later. You will be much happier in the long run. | |
| Nicole 2001-04-24, 4:17 pm |
| quote:
Originally posted by slapyomoma
I don't know Nicole...
Getting Drunk, Passing Out, Lots of Women, Spring Break, Summer Vacation, No Work, Parents Money to Spend, crazy friends, frat parties vs. long work hours, alot of bills, cheezy boss, corporate america, paying taxes. college was pretty fun for me.
sym
What parent's money? I worked 40 hours a week plus a 20 hour a week class load plus about 30-40 hours week in the studio or on projects in college.
Sure college was fun. But I was actually more thinking about acne, emotional insecurities, being 'popular', milk crate furniture, Ramen noodles and barely functioning car vs. new sports car, owning your own home, "yeah, I can go to the opera in NYC Friday night -- lemmee call my travel agent," and no longer caring about who sees whom leave your house at 7am.
I can get rid of the gray hair in 20 minutes, but you can't buy a bottle of attitude
-Nicole
P.S. What bills? Sounds like a personal problem to me -- wanna talk to my accountant?  | |
| Taqwus 2001-04-24, 6:51 pm |
| Go to school if you get your CCIE without about 5 to 7 years xp it would look real odd and you might not get hired or hired on at a lower rate. | |
| slapyomoma 2001-04-25, 6:48 am |
| lol@milk crate furniture and Ramen Noodles. I lived off that stuff for about 3 years. Ramen Noodles and Taco Bell. I remember all the other stuff too, but when a bunch of college buddies and myself get together, it's funny how we only remember the "fun" stuff. Going through that crap and working summers at a manufacturing plant made me realize how important an education really is. Go to college you won't regret it!
sym | |
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| I agree that a B.S will not expire.
If u don't have any experience, there no way u can pass the CCIE 2 day exams.
If u think you are very smart. Go to other States for college. CA, NY, TX, MA... Where there a lot of job required the knowledge of CCNA.
DOn't stay there! Look into your future.
U can do CS major and study MCSE, CNE, CCNP in the 4 yr colleges. It is all up to you.
But college go first, GPA is important and will get your scholarship and good reputation on the jobs.
Easy for you to get the job after B.S, then M.S ....
Think carefully! | |
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| Thanks guys,
I plan on taking CS, and then I might do a Masters in it. I will also work on CCNP too. This summer I'm getting a job at a PC tech place, the starting pay is $9.00, which is pretty cool.
Later
Azam | |
| ccieToBe 2001-04-25, 12:08 pm |
| Hey, I'm going about to graduate hs soon too, it's 3 weeks away for me
There's no doubt in my mind that a CCIE would be more valuable then a CS degree, but keep in mind that the knowledge level needed to obtain the CCIE is phenomenal.
I think you've made the right decision to go to a University next year, good luck. I've been going to college classes instead of the hs my senior year, and I can tell you that it's actually fun now (I hated hs classes), but the free time drops considerably. Like honey said, the only significant time you can devote to certs is between terms and other breaks (I did most of my BCMSN preparation during spring break and passed the exam on the last day before classes started back). | |
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| Thats cool man!
Are you pursuing a degree also? If so, which one?
Azam | |
| ccieToBe 2001-04-25, 1:06 pm |
| I'm going for two degrees right now. An AA in CS and an AS in networking (community college). I'm starting to reconsider the CS degree though because I'm getting sick of all the math. One of the universities near me started an IT BS program, which is basically a CS BS with more technology classes, and less math. I'm seriously considering switching over to that after finishing the networking degree. | |
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| C'mon, guys, math is easy! | |
| ccieToBe 2001-04-25, 1:12 pm |
| I agree, but I find it extremely boring if not applied. If it's something like a physics class, or figuring out the latency of a data path I like it though. | |
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| I never minded the abstract stuff, but then it was my major. if you're class is too boring, try studying alone, you can always find something to make it interesting. | |
| ccieToBe 2001-04-25, 1:26 pm |
| Good idea Randy. I could teach myself the material through physics. I'm still considering changing majors though. | |
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| That might actually be a good idea. If you're into CS, the most math you'll probably need is linear algebra, calc and probability, all of which can be used in physics problems. heck, calc was designed to solve physics problems. If you feel you need something concrete to make the problem interesting, that might be the way to go. Stictly theory never bothered me much, but I can see how it can be a bit spacey and directionless for some people. What majors are you considering? | |
| ccieToBe 2001-04-25, 1:38 pm |
| UCF started offering a degree in Information Technology recently, and from what I gather, it's basically a CS degree, but with less math and more technology classes. That's the main option that I'm considering. I'll finish up the networking degree either way, because I've skipped most of those classes anyway  | |
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| Might be a good option to consider. At the university that I went to (LSU), there was really no networking options. Computer Science really meant coding and if you wanted to do any hardware or communications type work, you had to be in the ME, IE or Telecomm colleges. | |
| ccieToBe 2001-04-25, 1:42 pm |
| UCF started offering a degree in Information Technology recently, and from what I gather, it's basically a CS degree, but with less math and more technology classes. That's the main option that I'm considering. I'll finish up the networking degree either way, because I've skipped most of those classes anyway
BTW, take a look in the Linux/Unix form. There's a pleasent surprise there. | |
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| Is it a good choice to get a degree in businness after you get a CS degree?
Azam | |
| ccieToBe 2001-04-25, 9:48 pm |
| If you want to get into the management side of things it would really help. If you want to stay away from it, having a bussiness degree may push you in that direction. | |
| Watchdog 2001-04-26, 7:29 am |
| Azam,
Go to college and get your CS degree. While you are there try to get a part-time job working in the college IT dept. By the time you leave college you will have a CS degree and 4 or more years IT work experience.
Good luck |
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