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Home > Archive > Certifications and IT jobs/Salaries > July 2002 > Certifications or Degree?
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Certifications or Degree?
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| gr33nd4yg1rl 2002-07-10, 9:32 am |
| Are certifications enough to obtain a decent job working in IT? or is it too difficult to get hired without a degree?? | |
| odonata 2002-07-10, 10:11 am |
| There's been many discussions on this topic and you should be able to find one posted even fairly recently.
Most people will tend to favor a degree, certs are just a nice "icing on the cake" or can assit in getting you noticed more. Definitely go for a degree though. It's just almost silly to not get one. It's very easy to get financial aid and there are so many places who also offer evening and weekend courses, so it is not an impossible feat to accomplish.
I just finished my Masters in IT. I also completed most of my OCP at the same time. My course covered Oracle, so after the Oracle class I'd put in time to also study for the OCP exams. This worked out pretty well for me. I also worked full time, went to classes in the evenings and studied whenever I could! (ie, I had many dull weekends!) | |
| gr33nd4yg1rl 2002-07-10, 3:11 pm |
| thanx for the reply odonata | |
| CoffeeFreak 2002-07-12, 11:33 am |
| there is no replacement for a degree,
you will be on the bottom end of the pole when promotion time comes, you will be stuck in your entry level job or not get very far from it without one,,,
There are some exceptions though,
but as it's been said before,
certs for a job
degree for a career
I'm transfering and am getting my BS degree, starting this fall,,
I think it would be awesome to walk into an interview and be able to say " i got my Master's degree in IT, CCNP, MCSE, etc.."
they would be like 
expecially if you have a few years experience | |
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| [QUOTE]Originally posted by CoffeeFreak
[B]there is no replacement for a degree,
you will be on the bottom end of the pole when promotion time comes, you will be stuck in your entry level job or not get very far from it without one,,,
There are some exceptions though,}}
That is not entirely correct. True, you need a degree to get your foot in the door. But advancement within the company depends on your performance and how you are liked by your coworkers & mgmt.
Once you have been at a job for some time, all people care about are your technical skills & competencies in the position.
No one gives a rats XXX whether or not you have a degree and from where you got it from.
At that stage of the game, you are better off self studying for certifications (on your own time, of course) instead of spending more time in the classroom (and away from work) in order to get a degree that may or not do anything for you in your present position. | |
| RichardJW 2002-07-13, 4:20 am |
| quote:
No one gives a rats XXX whether or not you have a degree and from where you got it from.
lol.
If you get evidence that you are passed up for promotion within your organisation on the basis of you not having a degree then take it to an industrial tribunal. That's what the courts are for. | |
| DivxGuy 2002-07-13, 12:19 pm |
| quote:
No one gives a rats XXX whether or not you have a degree and from where you got it from.
Not true - hundreds of thousands of I.T. positions go begging right now (and have been vacant since before the downturn), and that is because they require not only vast amounts of experience in specified areas, but advanced degrees as well. A very hard combination to find!
One wonders whether these positions are really all that necessary, if companies can afford to let the positions stay vacant for so long.
RD | |
| CoffeeFreak 2002-07-13, 1:29 pm |
| go to monster.com, do a search on anything computer related, 90% of all the non-entry level jobs say "BS degree required"
you tell me it's not worth something,,
you won't be considered without it..
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| {{{{Not true - hundreds of thousands of I.T. positions go begging right now (and have been vacant since before the downturn), and that is because they require not only vast amounts of experience in specified areas, but advanced degrees as well. A very hard combination to find! }}}
Oh Puleeeze!!! There are many people that have advanced degrees, certifications, and experience who are not working. Many companies have downsized their developement or IT depts., and for those that haven't, the competition is fierce to get in. Usually a company will receive 200 resumes for one position where 90% are qualified.
I never said that a degree wan't necessary, I said that you need it to get your foot in the door only. After that, how you do on the job will determine whether you move up or out, not some two letter paper after your name. | |
| DivxGuy 2002-07-13, 2:10 pm |
| quote:
I never said that a degree wan't necessary, I said that you need it to get your foot in the door only. After that, how you do on the job will determine whether you move up or out, not some two letter paper after your name.
You won't even get a chance if you don't have a degree; that's my point.
The old days of people holding nothing more than easily-obtained certifications making big money are over.
RD | |
| swoopster 2002-07-19, 10:20 am |
| I have been working in Southern California for the past 5 years doing mainly contract/consultant work. Dealing with IT professionals, all they are looking for are ppl with knowledge and experience to get the work done. Generally if you have a Cert in a specific field with atleast 1 year of solid experience, you can get the job done.
Now this is saying that if you want to get a hands on position go for the Cert. If you want to get in at the management level then focus on the degree.
My preference is to obtain positions at the technical level, actually doing the work. The rewards are good if you gain a reputaion as being the hero when stuff hits the fan.
Peace Everyone | |
| darthw 2002-07-19, 10:41 am |
| Aim for the degree as much as possible. Regardless of the stage in your career, if you want as many apples in your cart for advancement opps.
I don't entirely disagree with NickL, however possessing a degree is one strong indicator that many employers look for, as well as a continual pattern of learning (via certs is one of the best ways to show this), and general attitude on the job, reliability, who you know, etc. The more you've got in your toolbox, the more you'll be prepared for various opps.
I have worked at on company that didn't necessarily require degrees to get in the door, but had written HR guidelines and policies that candidates had to possess x, y, or z for certain positions to be considered (x,y, or z being degree, certain years of exp, certs, etc.) So, in some companies, no degree, no advancement.
Personally, knowing the time, effort, and dedication, it takes to earn a degree, a degreed candidate would have a lead over non-degreed. That isn't to say the degree is the end all decision maker, but it's a step in the right direction. | |
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| I have recently due to a lay off have changed fields from Elec/Tech to IT/Tech/A+/Net+/MCP. My Dad has owned 3 computer companies and now works for a Top 10 university. He was very upset when he had to lay off all of the geeks/people that didn't have degrees. Because, I do not have a degree he can't hire me. The fortune 500 co. I worked for first layed off all of the people without degree's. I like that phrase certs get a job... That's what I am hopeing for. | |
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| RichardJW 2002-07-19, 2:59 pm |
| I can't speak for how it is in the US but here in the UK what they want of a programmer is 3 years experience minimum and they want the skills specific for the job they are advertising. This means they prefer that you've been working for an excellent company who will provide excellent references - though sorry to see you go no doubt. Now this is the way it is - if they are advertising for a financial software package that needs developing for example, then they will expect you to have undertaken work exactly like that - to top it off they'd probably prefer that you have previously worked as an accountant. They're also going to be asking for a host of technologies COM, .NET, VC++, VB etc. which usually reads like a shopping list. They'll also throw in a couple of real obscure technologies for good measure. Why? Because these are the requirements for the financial package they are developing. What happens after it's developed I do not know - presumably they are lumbered with you. So those are the sort of requirements they're looking for, and to cut a long story short most of them couldn't give a rat's aXX whether you have either degree or certification. | |
| Zaraspook 2002-07-19, 8:20 pm |
| What's the opinion on the type of degree? Is the type of degree important? Does it need to be specific: Computer Science or Information Systems? Or will any degree suffice: Business Administration, Chemistry, Engineering, Teaching, Psychology, Badmitton, etc.  |
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