Associates degree or Bachelor's degree?

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kthulhu-x

New Member
Hello everyone. This is my first post, so I will try not to make it too long. Here's the story...right now, I'm in my first year in college, majoring in Information Technology. I'm just taking some basic computer building/repair courses right now.

Anyway, I am getting the GI Bill for this whole year, so my school is paid 100%. After this year, I will still get it (not sure for how long yet), but it will only be 60%. This means that I may or may not have enough money to stay at this senior college, and may have to transfer to a community college in my home town to take some courses for an associates.

I could get loans and such to be able to stay in school at the senior college, but that brings me to the main question...in a career field such as the one I'm majoring in, is an associate's degree enough to get a decent paying job in the outside world? Or should I stay in the college I'm at now and continue on with a four year degree?

I wanted to ask here because I know there are a lot of experienced people out there and I don't personally know anyone that I could ask. Well, any help or insight on this is greatly appreciated.
 
I'm more than happy to help you out with that! I was in the same situation as you - if you're looking to pursue IT as a career, here are the facts:

Nowadays, companies seeking IT professionals are more involved in seeing what you can do vs. what you know. They want proof that the knowledge you learned, you can apply in real-life settings. In other words, it's important to focus on certifications. I personally have my A+ and Networking+, which is a good start, but to pursue more advanced career positions, you're going to want to look into more certifications (CCNA, MSCE, etc.) Combine that with a two-year technical degree and you'll be pretty set for a decent job. Certifications show the employer that you have the knowledge, are capable of applying it, and you know what the heck you're doing!

At the same time, having a Bachelor's degree in IT or CS, depending on what field you want to go into, will also help you a lot. Since most employers nowadays seek at least someone with a bachelor's degree (in any field), it can almost be a safety net for you, in case you decide not to pursue IT.

I was never really into IT until my junior year in college, where I've already applied and got accepted into my major (Sociology and Communications) when I began getting a huge interest in it. After working at a tech bench from like 2005 up until now, I realize that IT was what I wanted to pursue. I wish I had known this sooner, otherwise, I would've gotten my certificates, get a two-year technical degree and go from there. It's nice to have a bachelor's degree to supplement your other education and experience, but at the same time, it's not necessarily really required to make it well in the world of IT - focus on certifications, tech bench experience, and a technical degree through some technical college.

Hope that helps you a bit in deciding what to do.
 
Alright great...so it would be better to just get a tech degree at a 2 year college and then get some certifications to back that up. Where exactly do you have to go or what do you have to do to get certified on stuff like CCNA after you get your 2 year degree? I know after I get an associate's I will be A+ certified, but I think that's all they offer. I'm sure I can learn skills while on the job, but I'm just a little unsure as to where I need to go or what I need to do to get other certifications after I graduate. This is what I was hoping to hear though, and thanks a lot for the help.
 
If I had to do it over, I would not have gone to college for the arts, and would have gone for technology. However, I do have over 10 years experience which is a high plus.
 
It is true - more education is never a bad thing and you can always go back to school, that's for sure.

The best course (I think) is while going for a two-year technical degree, study things on your own (A+, Networking+, etc.) and work on preparing for those exams. Depending on which school you go to though may already certify you when you complete your degree.

By the time I got done with my associate's degree, I already had my A+ and Networking+ and thus, started my part-time career at Geek Squad while going to the University of Washington, working on my bachelor's degree.

I did feel like I would've been fine with my two-year degree and my certifications, but like what everyone said here, a bachelor's degree will definitely get you more and get you farther and open up more doors to better opportunities.
 
I agree with everyone else, a bachelors is basically your foundation. You will more than likely need it if you have big plans. Now, you may or may not have to get your masters depending on your major.
I'm in school for telecommunications and networking. I could get my masters, but I will see a bigger benefit if I focus my time on my CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE certifications.
Bachelors is a must now days, anything beyond that is strictly how you feel.
 
Any monkey can read a book and take a test. I have many many certifications and they get me in the door for interviews, but really every job I have ever interviewed for they are mostly concerned about two things

1) can you preform the duties of the job you are applying for

2) can you work well with others

That is pretty much what they want out of an employee. Experience is better than an education, but how you look on paper is what gets you the interview. That is mainly because HR, which is dumb, thumbs through applications and resumes and picks out the most qualified on paper and hands those to your would be manager.

I've been in IT for 10 years now. I've worked my way up, and I am a life long student who is very able to self educate. I also however, work on many things to prove that. I send people links to my personal website which has a collection of script and tech documents outlining what I can do.

Oh and good luck on your CCIE. I've met a few CCIE's and they are a strange breed. The lab test is like $10k, so hope someone will pay for it at least twice since it has like an 80% failure rate for first timers.
 
Good conversation and may be helpful to others if they find it. started out with two year degree and took off from there. Then you can always go part time. Have a life, go to school and some money coming to your pocket. Get a little of both worlds worked for me. Experience and getting along a must. Know your job.
 
Undoubtedly, you’ll learn a lot more with a bachelor’s degree than you would with an associate. However, it won’t be a bad idea to first complete your associate degree and get some hands on experience. You can boost your employability further by getting some professional certifications. Once you have all of this, you can go back to school to earn your bachelor’s degree. You can choose from a range of computer science degrees at that point. This will help you get ahead in your career.
 
Another aspect to consider is that you might not actually continue the IT field in the future. It's really hard to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life at a young age. Thus if you get a bachelors degree you'll have a wider field of opportunity and you'll have time to figure out what you want to do with your life.

Right now I'm on course to double major in Environmental Engineering and Economics, but god knows what I'll actually do in the future.
 
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