I am a network administrator and have been doing this kind of work for about 12 years now. I have no certifications or college degree. For the present that is ok but I’ve got another 30 years of working ahead of me (sigh) and I think it would help my long term prospects to get a degree in my field. I’ve tried college before when I was younger and never got much from the course materials. I think that is probably still the case…you learn far more on the job than you would at school. So in my case I’m really in it for the piece of paper rather than the learning experience…need to open more doors for my career.
That being the case I’m seeking the path of least resistance when it comes to getting the degree. Along with a full time job I have three young kids and a very full life. An online college appeals to me since I could take classes on my own time and schedule. I’ve seen offering from places like the University of Phoenix and Devry that look interesting but I don’t know much beyond what their websites say. I’m looking for recommendations on what online degree programs are out there for people such as myself who just need the degree…I guess to put it simply I’m looking for the easiest path. Can you recommend one? Thanks in advance!
Just go for various Microsoft certifications that apply for the field(s) you are interested in. That is what employers will care about.
Upside is you can study on your own at your own pace. You can take courses too if that helps you but there are all sorts of ways to approach it (books, online resources and so on). In the end you just have to pass the tests for the certification.
ETA: Good to have a Bachelor’s degree in general as well. If you don’t have one then one in computer science would be good but my degree is in journalism and I have been a network engineer for near 20 years…go figure.
Hi Wack-a-Mole! While I agree that you don’t HAVE to earn a degree it sure would open a lot more doors than are open to me now. I review the job listings weekly and almost without exception they want a degree of some kind to even consider you for the position. In addition I can go out and get a certification with about 3-4 months worth of prep time vs a degree that takes years. If a prospective employer were to require one I feel pretty confident that I could get it in a short time. I’m also thinking long term…I don’t want to be doing support forever. If I ever wanted to get into management then a degree becomes an absolute requirement.
In what is probably the only time ever on this message board, I agree with Whack-a-Mole. The market (before we entered the Great Recession) was getting much more fluid towards degrees, and certifications such as the Oracle, .NET, and others were becoming much more important, especially for people with job experience like you have. Because IT is still not nearly as formalized as other jobs, I really think your best bet would be certification.
At least that’s me. If I had to choose between:
a network admin with 12 years of experience and an MS degree, versus
one with 12 years of experience and recent/updated Oracle, .NET, Cisco, etc. certificates hanging off their belt
Thanks for the replies (and the move to the correct area for the post). While I do agree that certification has great value (perhaps even beyond a degree) I’m really seeking a degree for the reasons I’ve listed above…no network certification is going to get me into management when the time comes. Right now I’m working and happy where I am and I can get certs if needed in a very short time. The degree on the other hand is not so easily obtained and also a barrier for entry for many jobs. Check dice.com right now if you have time. I have a search agent that runs there weekly which I just checked. I looked at the first 20 listings (not all were network related) and all but one have a degree requirement. Not to say I couldn’t get the jobs without it but on paper if its me vs some other guy with equivalent experience and he has a degree but I do not he’s likely going to get priority.
Did you know you can get a degree in AI? If you’re just looking for a generic degree, I mean how cool is studying to build Mr. Data?
If not that, what really interests you? I mean you obviously have some interest in computers. What would you like to know more about? I mean if you’re just going through the motions for a piece of paper, why not fun along the way?
That’s what I’m working towards. I don’t know exactly what I want to do in computers but I’ve been completing certifications, going to school, and refining other skills I think could be useful. Right now I’m doing taking classes at the community college, where it’s cheap, to transfer to a 4 year school. I’ve complete an associates degree, a certificate in computer systems, and have a certificate in computer tech support. I also have CompTIA certificates in Network+ and Security+, and have the first A+ test scheduled for next month (getting these out the way while they’re still for life). Trying to get the busy work, like requirements for English, Math and junk out of the way so when I get to 4 year school I can focus on the important thing, computers. I want to learn all I can about computers.
Depending on how bloody minded the Canadians are I’m either going to University of Toronto, or University of Michigan. UoT would enable me to get a degree specifically aimed at AI, whereas UoM seems to have a more generic CompSci degree, but they seem to have the same classes in AI. The biggest issue is if I can get the Canadians to transfer my classes.
Also now that I think about it, have you considered doing part of the work at a community college? I don’t know about your area specifically, but the classes of the ones here will transfer to any 4 year domestic school, assuming you get a 2.0 or better.
Just some thoughts from the first leg of my own personal journey. I don’t know if I’ll actually work in AI, but I figure if I’m going to get a 4 year degree might as well but something that looks really interesting.
Fuck that noise. If you want to make bad bucks, work your way up through some of the advanced-level Cisco certifications. What kind of network engineer wouldn’t want to be in charge of a continent-spanning fiber network of some of the biggest routers on the planet?
(I know a CCIE who is the head engineer for one of the largest IP networks on the east coast. He makes mid six-figures and still gets to get his hands dirty pulling cable on occasion.)
I’m mostly interested in the network admin side of things which includes both cisco stuff and, at the moment for me, Microsoft servers. Its really a little of everything though. As far as the specific degree I’m after I’d like to keep it very much related to what I’m doing now. I see my local community college offers a 2 year degree in Network Administration which is right up my alley. Devry and the University of Phoenix also offer similar degrees, I’m just not sure how difficult they are. I don’t really need or want the math, writing and other non-industry specific classes that I’d have to take in order to get the degree so I’m looking for a school that does not focus on those and has a heavier emphasis on the classes I might actually find useful in my day to day life. I do realize I’ll need to take some english/math/science classes to get by but I’m hoping to keep them to a minimum.
DeVry and UofP will charge you absurdly high tuition for a less-than-useless degree. Their sole business model is getting you a shitload of usurious student loans and then conferring a worthless piece of paper upon you.
If you want to go the college degree route, an AA from your local community college is a far better bet. But my personal opinion is that if you’re looking for job-specific vocational training, traditional colleges are not the best avenue. College programs are mostly about obtaining a broad liberal education, which is great if that’s what you want, but doesn’t directly lead to a particular job. OTOH, a few courses in various higher-level networking certifications would be cheaper and probably get you a raise.
Probably a good idea then to check the academic\college catalogs for any schools you’re considering. They should have the courses for each degree listed. You can use that to figure out which program has the most network stuff and the least amount of Math, Science, and other fluff. Plus you’ll be able to check the course descriptions and hopefully get a better idea if they jive with what you want.
Further from your experience, depending on the school, you might be able to test out of classes you already know a lot about. Something worth checking into when you’re looking around.
Check out Western Governors University, which is pretty much the most respectable online-only program out there. Don’t knock the English classes, either–if you want to move up into management, good written communication skills will make it a lot easier.
In Canadian parlance, we make a distinction between college (2-3 associate degrees and trades), and University (where you get 3 and 4 year undergrad degrees and beyond). A bachelor of science in computer science would, as far as friends in the sciences have told me, be superior to a college degree.
The reasoning? Due to various labour laws and the international market, large and medium size businesses can hire someone with the former degree much easier from India and China than those with the latter degree. Granted, I would presume this has greater currency for a programmer than network admin.
Online degrees? I wouldn’t hire someone who’s only credential is online. I know friends doing online law school, online MBAs…online PhDs. While we might live in the great internet era, there’s so much room for impropriety - did you write it yourself? Did someone help you? Do you get the same result you would from a lecture?
If I’m completely offbase on my hearsay, than I welcome someone to correct me!
Good points all around, thanks guys. I’ll check WGU, never heard of them. I also strongly agree that some employers don’t want to see an online only degree. I’m hoping to find a traditional school that also offers online courses. That way I get the credability and the flexability.
I don’t think online degrees get much respect. So if all you need is a valid diploma and the institution granting it doesn’t matter, then I guess you can go with the online degree. University of Phoenix was probably one of the first to do this and they seem to have a good reputation.
But if the degree has to actually mean something, you’ll need to jump through the normal hoops.
You can cut some corners though. For example, most 2-yr colleges will give you credit for work experience. That should especially be true for someone like yourself where you job involves a high level of technical expertise.
You can also study on your own and take the advanced placement tests for required subjects in your chosen major.
Between the 2, you might be able to shave a year or more off of the 2 yr. school - as in, a year of going full time. That’s just a guess, but you would be surprised how many credits you can rack up that way.
The first thing you need to do is make an appointment with an advisor at your local community college. They will probably have even more ideas. Just don’t pick a time of year when they are swamped.
I think almost all 2yr schools gear their ciriculum to that of one or more 4yr schools in the same general area. By doing this, it pretty much guarantees that when you transfer, virtually all of your credits will be accepted.
After that, as the moral equivalent of a college junior, you’ll be taking the more intersting and challenging courses. So as long as you don’t rush it, you should be able to finish the last 2 years in 3-4 years of going part time. If you push yourself though, you may be able get that closer to 3 yrs or less by going to summer sessions.
They do not have a good reputation. Their reputation sucks ass. They’re not a diploma mill; they actually have regional accreditation, but they charge exorbitant tuition for rather poor education with little or no rigor. Their recruiters are instructed to do whatever’s necessary to get potential students a handful of loans, and shove them into classes taught by idiots with little or no relevance to anything. Just do a simple google search to find tales from HR people about the qualifications of UofP graduates. And watch the Frontline episode “College, Inc.” which is available on Netflix streaming and PBS’s website.
Your local CC or city college system most probably provides online classes, and can get you a proper 2-year level degree at a fraction of the cost.
But I reiterate my point made above: if you want specific vocational training, college may not be the right choice. The proper certifications can be very lucrative if you want to stay in networking, and you can generally study for them on your own time. You may even be able to get your employer to pay for training.
I agree with checking out a local community college. Mine not only has online courses, but will actually help you get into online courses from partner universities. I don’t know if you could do it completely without stepping into the building, but you can go pretty far.
Oh, and one of the few four year degrees they have is in computer science: and it involves a lot of classes for certifications, and you can test out of a lot of the earlier ones.
If your eventual goal is to get a degree to break into the management tiers, would you consider an MBA or Masters in MIS? Some colleges have part time, night & weekend style programs.
I don’t see a 2-year associates degree being of much value to an experienced network admin. On the job, you’ve probably already learned what they would try to teach you. On a resume, your work experience and industry-recognized network certifications would be better evidence of your technical competency.
If one is going to get a BS or MS anyway, one would still have to complete the first two years of undergrad. An associate’s from an accredited school will get you in as a junior at most any four-year school, assuming you have good grades.
