IT Career vs. Programming (BCIS) Career

Luke Skywalker is spot on. You really need to get the degree.

Yeah, a few years of real world experience might get you through the right door. Might.

But, the degree...

...or even better, the degree plus some experience, will likely get you through a more promising door.

And even years down the road, the degree will ALWAYS look good on your resume.

I'm under 35 years old and have a chance to go back to school this fall and take some courses and get some certificates, even a degree if I plan to stay the next 2-3 years in school. (Already have 38 hours, mostly basics and electives)

My question for people who know both IT (networking) and Computer Science (programming, writing code) is: HOW do I know which may be best for me?

My question for folks who have only done one of them and not really too much of the other: Why did you choose your career path and what do you like/dislike about it?

What I've heard so far is: Most friends told me to go for a CCNA certification if I go into IT (to start with that at least to get my foot in the door) and if I do Comp Science, learn the languages as much as possible and start writing code and get a bachelors in BCIS.

I know both of them CAN pay well, especially writing code, but of course I hear how stressful these jobs are. But I'm used to stress so I don't think that will be much of an issue.

My next step after I hear what you all say is to go see an advisor at my nearby community college and talk to them about it.

THANKS for everyone's help in making a decision on what to do. Originally Posted by slims099

Don't bother with coding - they do it much cheaper in India.

Either stay on course for Security Certifications such as Checkpoint, Cisco, Juniper, CISSP and get you PMI Certification. With this you should not be unemployed very long.

Send me a PM and we can walk through it. Originally Posted by TexasCowboy

Pm sent

If you want become a programmer, realise that not having a degree in Computer Science will be a non starter. The days that they would hire someone that learned on their own but have no experience on their resume are long gone. True, if you have 5+ years of resume experience, you will be hired. But it is a catch 22.

I will hire a college graduate from computer science with zero experience depending on his / hers knowledge. I will not hire a tinkerer with zero experience. And i know a lot of software executives that think like me.

But dont trust a bunch of Johns on a hooker board; go get advice on the right place: college. You can get started and make the decision a little later. You will never regret going to college. Originally Posted by Luke Skywalker

There's a lot of truth in what you're saying, but having made hiring decisions myself I'd go for the person who's more likely to be passionate about the subject matter that their job duties cover as opposed to someone who looks good on paper. That could be either end of the degree spectrum.

But yes, experience is key and that's why I will always tell someone to chase experience before they chase any degree or certification, regardless of the tech job.If you're someone who is past your 20's and is looking to change careers, then take your job experience to date and start learning how to apply that experience to your chose career path. And start using the massive data store that is the Internet to provide you with as much training material as possible.

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Also, guys, suggesting CISSP to someone who is clearly green is sadistic. The requirements for covering all the CISSP criteria may as well be the equivalent of an MBA program (more, actually). On the other hand, most CompTIA certs are something of a joke or resume padding material (a decade ago it was MS certs... these things run in cycles), but if someone wants to waste the time (and money) on them it might get them a shitty junior admin job.

And please, for the love of all that's holy, the term "devops" is a buzz word. Here's a good piece to read that speaks truth to power on the subject: https://lionfacelemonface.wordpress....do-it-anymore/

Learn. Learn everything you can about programming in general (and a few code examples in specific), about how computers and web browsers and mobile devices work from an electronics/engineering standpoint-- but don't worry about learning so much you can make one from a few pieces of copper and wire. Just understand the fundamentals. Learn the OSI model ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OSI_model ) and what it means to technology, though again don't expect to learn it all so specifically you can build all of the layers on your own from scratch. Again, just the fundamentals will get you on your way.

Then go find yourself a successful freelance coder and offer to do some of their shit work for cheap and for some professional vouching. Step that up to some part time work and eventually some full time work. Build your credibility through work and experience. If you want to do some schooling then just keep in mind that an Associates degree is the new HS diploma to businesses, and bachelors degrees are mostly useful when you're in your 20's. If you've been in the job market for 10+ years then you'd better already be able to translate your work experience to something relevant to a potential employer.

Also, I might be the bad guy for saying it, but if possible set up an exit strategy or backup plan if tech doesn't work out for you. Tech work can be a pain in the ass for some people, and it's not for everyone (just like any career). If you don't love it as a career you're going to plateau pretty quickly. On the other hand, if you're really freaking passionate about it (and, admittedly, lucky) you can go from patching CAT5 cables as weekend grunt work to being the tech director of web based and software products for a company in less than 15 years (and having doubled your salary at least three times in the process).

consider the field of BI/analytics. There are a lot of analytics tools out there. That might be a path that is somewhat similar to coding, but not quite the same as cranking out code all day.

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