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Home > Archive > alt.certification.mcse > January 2004 > Certifications or Masters Degree?
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Certifications or Masters Degree?
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| Corey B. 2004-01-22, 10:25 am |
| I am wondering what opinions are out there for my situation. I'm
looking at possibly entering a MS in Information Science program at a
local university, and doing the degree program part time. A little
background on me.....grad. in 99, and then I worked for 1.5 years as a
client/server programmer (at my first job), and then now 3 years at a
small research office in a university doing basically everything
computer - web site, network admin, pc repair, ad hoc programming,
database mgmt, etc.
I'm wondering - should I pursue a Masters in Information Science or
should I concentrate on getting certifications, CompTIA & MS? There
are things to consider - one con - since I'd be getting the Masters
part time and still working, it would take four years to get it - four
years of work + class + other normal life stuff like family/kids. One
pro, however, is that as long as I remain an employee here at the
university, I can take basically half my classes (2 classes a year)
for $7 per class - a savings of probably around $1200 per class.
Another con - if I get a new job at any point during , then I'll be
stuck in the middle of a masters program that A)I don't know if the
new job will let me continue, and B) Will probably go up exponentially
in cost, since I won't have the University benefit of $7 per class.
In everyone's experience, which is the best direction to go?
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| Rex Tincher 2004-01-22, 12:26 pm |
| On 22 Jan 2004 07:01:30 -0800, corey_bunch@yahoo.com (Corey B.) wrote:
<snip>
>I'm wondering - should I pursue a Masters in Information Science or
>should I concentrate on getting certifications, CompTIA & MS?
<snip>
The Master's degree impresses academia and many government
contractors.
The certifications impress private industry, and to a lessser extent,
many government contractors. (Although certifications are less
valuable now because of the "paper-MCSE" phenomenon.)
Where do you want to work? Are there more academic, private industry,
or government contracting jobs where you live?
--
Computer network administrator available for work
in the Dayton, Ohio USA area. BS CS, MCSE, and twenty
years of experience in the computer industry.
See my resume at http://www.tincher.to/resume.htm
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| Start on the Master's. Hopefully you'll finish it on the cheap, if not
it'll still be money well spent. A Master's degree will stick with you
throughout your life and never "expires" or gets "outdated". Yes, it will
cost more in opportunity cost, but will pay for itself in the long run.
As to certifications, there's no reason it has to be one or the other. It
can be both. Win2003 will still be prevalent when you finish your Master's,
and an MCSE for 2003 would also help. You don't need to be in a rush to
finish it and you can use a lot of the breaks during the Master's program to
pursue it. Think Christmas and Easter and maybe summer. If you knock out 3
test per year on the MS side you're only looking at about 2 years to your
MCSE. The CompTIA ones aren't hard for anyone with experience and you can
intersperse them to give yourself a break from MS.
Good Luck,
Joe
CISSP, MCSE:S&M (sounds kind of nasty doesn't it), MCNE and tons of CompTIA
certs
J.D., MS
"Corey B." <corey_bunch@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:9e9b712e.0401220701.23cf0db6@posting.google.com...
> I am wondering what opinions are out there for my situation. I'm
> looking at possibly entering a MS in Information Science program at a
> local university, and doing the degree program part time. A little
> background on me.....grad. in 99, and then I worked for 1.5 years as a
> client/server programmer (at my first job), and then now 3 years at a
> small research office in a university doing basically everything
> computer - web site, network admin, pc repair, ad hoc programming,
> database mgmt, etc.
>
> I'm wondering - should I pursue a Masters in Information Science or
> should I concentrate on getting certifications, CompTIA & MS? There
> are things to consider - one con - since I'd be getting the Masters
> part time and still working, it would take four years to get it - four
> years of work + class + other normal life stuff like family/kids. One
> pro, however, is that as long as I remain an employee here at the
> university, I can take basically half my classes (2 classes a year)
> for $7 per class - a savings of probably around $1200 per class.
> Another con - if I get a new job at any point during , then I'll be
> stuck in the middle of a masters program that A)I don't know if the
> new job will let me continue, and B) Will probably go up exponentially
> in cost, since I won't have the University benefit of $7 per class.
>
> In everyone's experience, which is the best direction to go?
| |
| Sharon Ross 2004-01-22, 8:26 pm |
| Looking toward Microsoft Certification , Here is greate Link
for Excellent Microsoft Certification Guide,
http://www.Cert21.com/mb.asp
Also here is another Money saving idea for Microsoft Testing exam fee. buy voucher
and Scheduale the exam using Microsoft voucher for Only US $115.00
http://www.ExamVouchers.com/mb.asp
"Joe" <none@none.com> wrote in message news:<ytednbnFmbGEZJLdRVn-uw@comcast.com>...[color=blue]
> Start on the Master's. Hopefully you'll finish it on the cheap, if not
> it'll still be money well spent. A Master's degree will stick with you
> throughout your life and never "expires" or gets "outdated". Yes, it will
> cost more in opportunity cost, but will pay for itself in the long run.
>
> As to certifications, there's no reason it has to be one or the other. It
> can be both. Win2003 will still be prevalent when you finish your Master's,
> and an MCSE for 2003 would also help. You don't need to be in a rush to
> finish it and you can use a lot of the breaks during the Master's program to
> pursue it. Think Christmas and Easter and maybe summer. If you knock out 3
> test per year on the MS side you're only looking at about 2 years to your
> MCSE. The CompTIA ones aren't hard for anyone with experience and you can
> intersperse them to give yourself a break from MS.
>
> Good Luck,
> Joe
> CISSP, MCSE:S&M (sounds kind of nasty doesn't it), MCNE and tons of CompTIA
> certs
> J.D., MS
> "Corey B." <corey_bunch@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:9e9b712e.0401220701.23cf0db6@posting.google.com...
| |
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Hey spammer, can't you at least change some of your text? I am getting
mighty sick of seeing the exact same spam responding to all these
messages.
On 22 Jan 2004 16:14:22 -0800, zaqwsx267@hotmail.com (Sharon Ross)
wrote:
>Looking toward Microsoft Certification , Here is greate Link
>for Excellent Microsoft Certification Guide,
>
>http://www.---------.com/mb.asp
>
>Also here is another Money saving idea for Microsoft Testing exam fee. buy voucher
>and Scheduale the exam using Microsoft voucher for Only US $115.00
>
>http://www.---------.com/mb.asp
>
>
----------------------------
We contemplate eternity
Beneath the vast indifference of heaven
- the late Warren Zevon. 'Keep me in your heart for awhile'
| |
| Shattenstein 2004-01-22, 9:26 pm |
| "Sharon Ross" <zaqwsx267@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:d932f0d8.0401221614.2d03f1bc@posting.google.com...
> <spam snipped>
Lady, get lost with the spam, will ya!
| |
| Shattenstein 2004-01-22, 9:26 pm |
| "Corey B." <corey_bunch@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:9e9b712e.0401220701.23cf0db6@posting.google.com...
> I am wondering what opinions are out there for my situation.
In case you haven't noticed, the IT jobs are drying up. It is, for all
intents and purposes, a dying industry for American citizens. I am an MCSE,
and I hold a ton of other certifications. They were worth a lot to me for a
long time, but there is no way in today's economic climate I would even
consider certifications, let alone entering a dying field.
Go to college or get into sales or both. I'd become an AP clerk before I
would consider crawling under a desk everyday for $6 an hour.
G
| |
| Shattenstein 2004-01-22, 9:26 pm |
| "Rex Tincher" <tinc@dnaco.netREMOVETHIS> wrote in message
news:53uv00126rtr58kev59jkdg83
587tt66q5@4ax.com...
> The certifications impress private industry, and to a lessser extent,
> many government contractors. (Although certifications are less
> valuable now because of the "paper-MCSE" phenomenon.)
Certifications don't impress much of anyone anymore. Paper-MCSE's are the
least of the problems in the IT industry. I wish that was the biggest
problem we faced.
| |
| Rex Tincher 2004-01-23, 12:26 pm |
| On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 02:07:04 GMT, "Shattenstein"
<shattenstein@NOSPAMyahoo.com> wrote:
<snip>
>Go to college or get into sales or both. I'd become an AP clerk before I
>would consider crawling under a desk everyday for $6 an hour.
Nearly one third of all jobs listed in the Dayton Ohio USA area are
for nurses. And most of those jobs pay a lot more than $6 an hour.
--
"And I can't describe how I felt when I picked up that rifle,
loaded it into my little car, and drove home. It seemed so
incredibly strange: Sarah Brady, of all people, packing heat."
- source: "A Good Fight", Sarah Brady, chapter 21, page 223
of first edition hardback, ISBN 1-58648-105-3
| |
| Mike Trozzo 2004-01-25, 8:26 pm |
|
"Rex Tincher" <tinc@dnaco.netREMOVETHIS> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news 2j210peitu2mdgod6rm5bdcv
hm75ftv9q@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 02:07:04 GMT, "Shattenstein"
> <shattenstein@NOSPAMyahoo.com> wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
> Nearly one third of all jobs listed in the Dayton Ohio USA area are
> for nurses. And most of those jobs pay a lot more than $6 an hour.
>
At least until the inevitable H1-B flood thatīs sure to come.
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