My husband is going to be laid off work soon, but it appears he may get assistance to go back to school. He’s interested in doing IT-type work, but isn’t sure what kind of degrees or certifications will yield the best career opportunities. Here are the programs he’s looking at from the local community college:
IMHO, certifications are almost entirely useless[sup]1[/sup]. The only people who take them seriously are non-technical managers, and if they’re doing the hiring you probably wouldn’t want the job anyway.
A good computer programming course, on the other hand, can teach you skills that will last a lifetime. But, you have to put a lot into it – programming is not easy and requires a certain mode of thinking that not everyone is cut out for. An associates in computer programming can also eventually turn into a BS in computer science, which may be necessary for more advanced programming jobs[sup]2[/sup].
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The exceptions are certifications on technology that supports huge organizations, like those offered by Cisco and Oracle, which often require years of study and actual competence.
On the other hand, I’m a college drop-out who learned CS on the job and I now do work which usually requires at least a BS.
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Tell him to go for either network or database. As for certifications, I agree with friedo. Micro$oft is only good to get in with HR people. CompTIA is more like something that he can get in his spare time to increase his raise one year. An Oracle or a Cisco cert is actually WORTH the paper it’s printed on.
A college degree in compsci or business would be infinitely helpful to him as well. Now that the Govt has raised the bar to require at least a 4-year degree, industry has followed suit. An Associates degree won’t cut it anymore, much like a GED not cutting it 20 years ago.
I work for a software company in Silicon Valley that hires a lot of technical folks… but most of the software engineering positions are moving offshore in a hurry. I would hate to have just graduated with my Computer Science degree and try to compete with someone in India or China making $10K a year.
We always look for strong UNIX and Networking skills, but inter-communication skills, both verbal and written, still matter a lot. Programming (for many of us) is both fun and challenging, but it won’t get you nearly as far as it used to…
