Reader Opinion: Degrees and Colleges
August 12th, 2008 | by wadew |
Not really a security related post, but I’m interested in gathering some opinions about colleges and degrees. The reason being is that I’m becoming more and more interested in going back to college to get my bachelors (and maybe a masters).
I was in an interview some months back where the group of gentlemen interviewing me were really grilling me about not having a degree. This is not the first time, of course, but this one really struck home, because I had the chance to catch up with one of the gentlemen who informed me that if I’d had a degree, then I would have been a perfect fit for the job. WHAT?! This was particularly odd for me since I don’t feel like a lack of degree has hindered my career advancement, in fact I’m very happy with what I have accomplished thus far.
I understand the arguments from both sides, and can’t really say I disagree either way, but in a market where new players are jumping in every day, wouldn’t it be wise to have as much weight on your side when competing for jobs or contacts? My thought is YES.
So here’s where I’m soliciting your input (please leave a comment):
- Do you feel that degrees are important for career advancement?
- How do you feel about colleges like Strayer or UMUC that are not your typical 4 year institutions and cater largely to working professionals?
- Are you or have you been in a position where you want to continue your education, but have a full time job and a family to contribute to? Can you share you experiences?
I thank you for sharing your opinion.
By ses5909 on Aug 12, 2008
1. It depends. I don’t think having a degree equates to technical proficiency but I do believe it can have an impact if you are trying to climb that career ladder within corporations. In the DC area, having a degree is a huge advantage as when companies bid on jobs, they need to include resumes of people who have degrees. To me, a degree tells me more about a person who is a “returning adult” than someone who got their degree right after high school. I went back to school and graduated when I was 27. I didn’t go to school because my mom and dad said I had to. I went to school because I WANTED to. I WANTED to learn and WANTED to improve myself. Companies like people who want to improve themselves.
2. I have no issues with colleges like that. When you work full time and have to go to school, you have to balance what works with your schedule and your family life as well. Schools like these usually cater to returning adults.
3. I was in this position when I got my bachelor’s degree. I worked about 30 hours a week and went to school. At times it was tough, but it was also very rewarding.
By Lesley on Aug 12, 2008
1. I feel that in today’s society a degree definitely has weight when applying for jobs. It shows that you not only have the practical life experience when doing a job, but it also shows that you have the discipline to go through the program and enrich your own knowledge by outside means.
2. I feel that colleges like Strayer are great - I for one am currently attending American Military University, which is an online degree program. Education is education whether you are sitting in a classroom and learning or doing it online. I will tell you however, I do miss the one on one interaction with a professor, to me that was something very valuable that you do not get with online courses. However, at the same time, as a working professional who literally does not have time to go to a class, I appreciate the fact that I can learn on my own time.
3. I first started attending grad school in Sacramento, where I was working 40+ hours a week and going to school full time. After one year I was completely burned out. Since attending AMU, I have been able to work full time and take 1-2 classes at a time and not feel the burden of having to trek to the classroom and I am able to do my homework and research papers on my own time. Being a working professional, especially in the Washington, D.C. area, I highly recommend going the route of alternative universities in order to persue higher education.
By Socbum on Aug 12, 2008
Wade -
1) I feel that degree’s will get the door to open and experience will get you a seat at the table. Also, once you are in a position getting a new degree has minimal impact on the current situation. You basically have to go get a new job to take advantage of the new degree.
2) I’ll repeat a previous comment ‘an education is an education’ I started my education at Ohio State. I did not like the environment and dropped to rethink my life. I ended up going to a smaller university (Franklin in Columbus Ohio) and excelled. The smaller schools will cater to the local employers to make sure they are putting out a quality product that can be hired. Schools are constantly evolving to improve and change their eduction delivery. What would you think of a school that delivers classes using Second Life?
3)After dropping from OSU I got married and my wife was going to school. After she graduated I went back to school for my degrees while she taught. We had one child on the way at this time and I was working full time and going to school. I received my first degree (an associates in computer science) and changed jobs to take advantage of the new degree. I continued on with my education as I worked as a programmer (mainframe & pc assembler). I went to school at night and completed my BS in computer management in three years after which I changed jobs to take advantage of the new degree (still programming). I still continued on with my education and picked up my MBA in 2 years. I spent over 10 years going to school to receive the 3 degrees at the same time I was supporting a family, working fulltime and was a member of the Army Reserve. We had 2 children and built a new house during that timeframe as well. I did give up a lot of things but I put what I thought was important first and lived with a short term inbalance for a long term gain. And, yes I would do it again
By wadew on Aug 12, 2008
Thank you guys for your comments. I think that even though I posed the question, I already knew that I wanted to go back to school. Now becomes the seemingly daunting task of selecting a university which will give me the most credit for on the job experience while still offering a respectable program. If you have any suggestions on good programs in the DC area, I’d love to hear from you. Thanks again for the comments!
By Shawn on Aug 13, 2008
Good questions… Ones I wonder about often… Here are my thoughts:
1) It depends where you want your career to go. I don’t think it’s too much of a problem to get a technical engineering job that pays well and gives you challenging work. You and I are examples of that. If you want to move into management, well that’s another story. Lack of a degree might hurt significantly there.
2) I don’t think there’s really anything wrong with them. However, if I had to choose between two people who were otherwise equally qualified and one went to Strayer and the other to a more traditional school, I’d likely pick the traditional school. I don’t know why and it may not be fair but I’m willing to bet a lot of employers are like that.
3) There is really nothing preventing me from going back to school except a full-time job. But, I have someone who would be willing to help support my decision to go back to school if I had to cut back on working or contribute less financially to the household. My main problem.. I’m lazy… I’ll admit it. And, if I go back it won’t be for IT stuff so, realistically, I’d probably have to go to a more traditional school instead of an online school that specializes in IT and Business.
One other thing I should add… I’ve been thinking of getting out of the IT industry and going full-time into photography/photojournalism. You know what one of my main fears is? If it doesn’t work and I have to return to the IT industry, my lack of degree might make me less competitive and I’m afraid of not being able to return to the pay scale I currently enjoy. So it does impact me in more indirect ways rather than a direct liability to my career thus far.