I want to return to school... but I'm not sure which direction to go.

[AFurryReptile]

Alright, so I've got a pretty cushy 9-5, working as a SysAdmin in the healthcare industry. We're across 9 states, we have 300+ employees, and I've grown the network from 1 to 8 servers. The circumstances of my hiring were... rocky... but I've really proven myself, and I've gained a lot of experience in just the two years I've been working here. Having survived a HIPAA audit and several other large projects, I'm pretty confident in my technical skills.

My problem is that I only have an associate's degree, and if I ever want to move on - this will be a dealbreaker no matter how much experience I have.

That said, I'd like to 1) finish my degree and 2) get Cisco (and maybe Microsoft) certified.

My thinking is that going to college for a technical degree would be largely wasted on me, since I already have 6+ years of relevant work experience in the field. Because I would one day like to own a business, and because I want to have meaningful input for the C-Level execs at my current job, I'm thinking a standard business degree would be sufficient. And probably cheaper. The technical certifications will help my current job, but the business degree will be for the future.

What do you guys think? Is there a more specialized form of a "business degree" that might help me out more? Ideally, I want to end up in technical consulting.

 

[Tweak155]

If you're into networking, the certs are the way to go.

 

[AFurryReptile]

If you're into networking, the certs are the way to go.

That's my thinking too. It's pretty well known in the IT-world that certifications/experience mean more than a degree.

But for actually landing a job, a degree can only be beneficial.

 

[BlitzPuppet]

That's my thinking too. It's pretty well known in the IT-world that certifications/experience mean more than a degree.

But for actually landing a job, a degree can only be beneficial.

Experience+Certs > Degree for quite a few jobs in the IT world.

Ask me how I know.

 

[jaedaliu]

That's my thinking too. It's pretty well known in the IT-world that certifications/experience mean more than a degree.

But for actually landing a job, a degree can only be beneficial.

right, so do both. Get the certs because they'll be nice for bidding contracts in the future.

and the business degree will help while you try to climb the ladder, and hopefully also when you're running your own.

 

[SheHateMe]

Ask me how I know.

How do you know? 😛

 

[BlitzPuppet]

How do you know? 😛

Lol that was more of a rhetorical question, but I know you're just teasing 😛.


I'd much rather hire someone with vast sonicwall experience, SQL/Exchange certs, or even basic networking certs over someone who has a Bachelor's in CS.

Since you talked about consulting the most important things are:

A. Having the experience/product knowledge in what you are consulting on
B. Having a gross understanding of what the company does and how the company works.

That said general business may help, but also may be overkill.