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help the inspiring student?

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by quaribc 1 view

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Hello,
I have delved into HTML and web design and I love it. However, right now I am attending community college near my area studying bussiness admin in hopes later going to a 4 year university with an associates degree.
My question is...is it better to go to a technicaal school and learn web development and related technologies and find work w/ an associates degree or go for the full BS in Bussiness Admin or MIS? I don't mind Bussiness Admin, but I rather be coding web pages and be a manager for a web development team than a full company or department. What is the better choice and how will either 2 Associates or 4 BS weigh in the world when I am being hired? I mean the associates degree in web development will give me the immediate skills I would need, right? Please help me and let me know the pros and cons of both. Thank you.

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by quaribc

Thank you for trying, but it appears that the link you provided has been deleted from the database. Thank you again.

by quaribc

Thank you for the link.
The discussion in general was quite intriguing, but I did find one comment very interesting. The fact that experience counts more than a degree in the IT field really got me interested. But I bet, it doesn't hurt to have either an Associates or Bachelor's Degree handy...right?
Thank you again.

by ma_q

I would say I agree... experience definitely weighs a lot more, because, as you'll find, what you often learn in the classroom either doesn't apply, or its outdated in the marketplace.

It really depends on what you want to do. I'd say, if you're interested in Business Admin, keep going that way. Even get your MBA, and do a minor in computers, concentrating on Project Management. That way, your options are open, and more geared toward a management position.

I hold an web management position originating in marketing, and its all experience based. But then again, I got lucky. A lot of doors were closed to me because I didn't have a degree.

by single - hiveminds.info

I continued on to go for a Masters of Science in Software Engineering at the University of St. Thomas and am very happy with my classes.

Remember though that if you decided to take a MIS, you will mostly be on the business side of things. And MIS is intended for managers of IT departments and those poeople are senior mostly. I would not expect going straight into a positino like that witout many years of technical experience before hand. Thus, taking an MIS degree can be of no use to you without experience becasue and MIS degree won't teach you really how to program and it wont land you a IT management job right away either so you will be somewhere in between. I would recommend doing a technical degree like CS if you dont have a lot oftechnical experience already. I would recommend against the Web development degree becasue more and more web development is becoming a hard core programming job and the webmaster skills of yester year are quickly becoming absolete. I have been struggling now for quite a while becasue I am not a CS major and am trying to get into highly technical jobs with a Econ background which would pretty much equate to a business degree.

Get as technical as you soon as you can and then go into business rather than the other way around. People will doubt your technical skills if you come from a business background.

by quaribc

The last post actually makes sense. Especially if one wants to impress the big boss with their technical skills. I spoke to a family friend and they supported my plan into web development program, but they also mentioned that I should get a BS no matter what. He works in the industry as an Oracle developer in UNIX. He mentioned that there are people that have enormous experience, but w/out the BS I won't be able progress high into the ranks. I actually believe that is true. Also, what theprevious said about getting more technical skills first rather than business first does make more sense to me. Thank you again for your time.

by smorty71

While a degree may help you get in the door (often it is a prerequisite), it is your experience that will keep you employed.

My advice would be to try and figure out exactly what path you want to take (i.e. become a developer, become a dev manager, etc.). Then find out what those positions require in terms of education and experience.

I had friends in college who actually called local companies and asked to speak to the manager of the specific department they were interested in. Instead of asking for a job, though, they simply explained that they were interested in getting into that field and asked what that manager looked for in job candidates. In the majority of cases, the managers were very willing to share that kind of information.

Hope that helps.
sm

by jmcquilling

I also recommend getting a BS. Specific technical skills can have a short life span. In two years, the web designer of today may be obsolete. Get a good foundation in Computer Science and if possible the basics of business such as accounting. Some places won't hire non degree canidates and it can restrict promotions etc.

by quaribc

Now that you mention yes...it's aspiring. Thank you. You are also right about getting a BS. I have spoken to several people within the industry who have received employment thru an Associate's Degree that have mentioned that they still need a BS to move ahead in their field.
How does a BS in Bussiness Admin with some emphasis on E-Commerce and IT hold up in the real world?

by Member 26574874

I am currently attending a community college, working in the same direction. BA Business Admin/AA Network Management. What I have found is that experience goes farther than an Associates. Not to say you shouldn't achieve that (your Business Admin will definately work towards your advantage as you climb the ladder---and get older--). Technical School will give you an accelerated education, but definately cost you more. My company doesn't pay for education, so I am being patient.

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