Finish degree or get more real-world experience?

[TBone202]

Hello all. I am working as a DB admin and network assistant at a biotech firm. I had to drop out of college at the beginning of my senior year for various reasons. Right now I am finishing up my CCNA and will start on the CCNP. My question is, do you think it would be more beneficial to stay at my job and get more industry experience or go back to school full time and finish up my degree? I don't think I really want to work full time and take 1 or 2 classes, especially since if I finish my degree, I'll want to go back to UCLA where I started it. Go Bruins!!

 

[spidey07]

So you only have one year or maybe even half a semester?

GO BACK TO SCHOOL AND FINISH YOUR DEGREE...THERE IS NO DEBATING THIS POINT!

That degree will help you more then you can possibly realize at this time in your career. Get a loan, do whatever it takes.

 

[cipher00]

Agreed. GO BACK TO SCHOOL. FINISH UP.

If this is your chosen field, make sure you stay up with it. But heck, if you're like every other senior I ever knew, even me, you can take whatever flaky course you want since your requirements were probably over with years ago. So there you have it: Basket Weaving and advanced TCP/IP.

 

[sohcrates]

seriously, the degree is VERY important. you may be doing allright now, but who knows what the future will bring.

i have a friend who dropped out of college to become a sys admin. he's got made skills mind you, but no degree. he may be making decent money, but chances are that 10 years from now he'll still be only making decent money. it's very difficult (with a few exceptions) to go very far w/out at least a BS in something.

while one can argue about what having a degree really means, there's no way of arguing that it isn't one of the most important things for a resume.

 

[TBone202]

Sigh...That's what I knew, anyway. I just needed a kick in the pants to get motivated again. God, I don't know if I can go back to that stinking lab for 6 hours a night again. I was hoping all you guys would say; "Degree? You don't need no stinkin' degree!! You can become a millionaire as a dropout just like Bill "Gestapo" Gates!" Of course, I would probably have to sell my soul to Satan (or Seattle Computer Products, I forget which was first), just like he did.

 

[Garion]

I'm typically the one that says that a degree isn't 100% necessary, but in this case, yes, go for it. I've hired a lot of network guys and a degree is a good thing to have. Most hardcore techies consider it a piece of paper, but it's an important one that says you've got a good foundational understanding of what makes things tick and that you're smart/persistent enough to stick it out through four years of school.

So, go for it. It might take you a few years, but it'll be worth it in the long run. Probably net you about an extra $10-15K per year. Doesn't sound like much now, but add that up over the years and you're talking about some serious dough.

- G