MCSE or a degree ?

In the US job market, a degree is ALWAYS a plus.

At many firms, you need a degree just to get in the door for an interview.

Part of this has to do with the MBA mentality of many managers.

Another factor is supplier survey audits that firms do when they select new suppliers.
One of the standard questions compares the ratio of degreed to non-degreeded staff.
Thus, many firms are unwilling to hire non-degreed individuals if a degreed individual is available.

Add to this the earning potential differences between having and not having a degree.

Basically, if you have the time and funding, get the degree.

Chas

I would recommend only getting a CS degree if you are wanting to get into programming. If you want to maintain a career in Support/Administration then, in my opinion, the CS degree is not necessary but would be to your benefit.

I would suggest getting the CS degree if that is really what you want to do because if you decide to remain in Support/Administration then pursuing a CS degree would probably make you frustrated and hostile towards IT. If you are in a good location and want to remain in Support/Administration then I would suggest only getting certifications to compliment your experience. The next question would be do you want to remain MS focused or perhaps Cisco... but that is another topic.

I to have pursued a degree in computer science. I'm almost finished with only three classes to go. Problem is this, they dont teach you troubleshooting well, everything is lecture and reading about the hows and whys, but they stray from the how to due to time constraints and class size. This makes me and everyone else paper smart not proficient. I can pass the certs through trick study methods and understand the principles but now I'm in the field and it's confusing due to in house issues ect... The degree is there for you to make more money and get the job, it's just a pedigree paper like you have for your dog. The certs only compliment your knowledge to the employer. Recently corporations are becoming savy to paper champions like me who can get all these papers but cant fix the problem. Employers want the self taught due to their proficency but have to take the degree person due to qualifications. Either way our field is stuck in the catch22 situation. Get the papers to make the money and the job is the only way, but dont take too much stock in it if your thinking that your going to learn and be proficient by having them. Good luck.

I'd go for the degree as a long range project. A degree, unlike many certifications, doesn't have an expiration date.

At the same time, you probably could sneak in the MCSE 2000 as a part time project unless you feel that you need to take special classes. Given the number of books available and the fact that you have the MCSE NT 4.0, doing this on the side would be feasible.

Of course, do consider that the MCSE 2000 will be replaced by something else in the not too distant future and that will in turn be replaced. It is an interesting treadmill.

I Got My degree in Broadcast Journalism, I thought I wanted to be in radio. I realized this was not at all what I wanted to do and went into sales. I hated that and decided to get into computers. I now have an MBA in Computer Science. I have peers who do not have a degree, I have peers with Associates, I have peers with BS and Phd's it is all in your perception. If you want to go for a degree then you will not be satisfied until you achieve it. However, if you want the certs then they will come in handy, hell I went for the certs while I was in school to increase my market value. I must say that the other ppl in the thread are right, it only matters in the course of money. However there is also the thought of advancement. YOu willadvance if you do not have a degree, but it will take longer. If you have the means then I would say go for the degree, any degree. I have never regretted that I went for the education, but I also think I could have made do without it. If you area strong IT Pro it will make little difference if you have a degree or not. Like I said it is all about perception. Good Luck, it is all about taking steps and risks. You gotta take a little risk to make it up the front steps.

1. Both a degree and MCSE

2. Degree

3. MCSE

(This is just my opinion, of course.)

The certifications are the bricks and the degree would be the mortor that would build a solid foundation for your well rounded experience. There are other benefits of a college education, e.g., the enrichment of ones self. Learning history and how to write, meeting people and self satisfaction.
Good Luck!

Technology in and of itself is really useless.

Applying technology towards an end, and in this context, presumably a business end, is the real deal.

Having the technology smarts, an MCSE with experience, for example, and a business degree would, in my opinion, open more doors and take you farther than any other option.

But I suppose it all boils down to your goals. Do you aspire to be the CIO (or CEO), or work for him/her?

Good luck.

This is simple. A degree is far more valuable than a time limited vendor cert.

However, after nearly 400 college quarter hours myself I caution you that even a degree can be limiting. More importantly, the financial return on an education is non-existent. No employer will automatically give you an increase in pay.

With the degree you can become quickly overqualified just as with the cert. Employers pay what they want and either you are over qualified or lack qualifications. Its just so happens that both get the same salary and it boils down to your ability to sell yourself and negotiate. You got to be convincing.

A degree is better for one reason, suppose after 20 years you can say that you have a bachelor's degree in CS, but, on the opposite side can you say that you are certified in DOS 2.1 ?

Computer Socieities for many countries need degrees for immigration assessment and certfication only count if your experience is more then 6 years see (www.acs.org.au)

On the other hand certification help you get the job done.

Been in this same dilemma myself, hands down - and NO IT DOESN'T MATTER ABOUT THE DUTIES OF YOUR JOB (its just silly when people says "depends on what you do with your job") ... if you enjoy and plan to be working in the IT field for your entire "employment life" its a NO BRAINER decision -- go for the degree in CS. Trust me on this one, I've wasted more time milling this over in my head this past year myself.

I've talked to HR departments of prospective employers, I've talked to fellow IT department heads both on forums like this and in real life conversations....the OVERWHELMING response was pointing to the degree.

Look in the employment ads, 4-year degrees are STANDARD requirements in the IT field (except for low level jobs like data entry or low level help desk) these days.

Your certs also say that you probably are knowledable on networking already and that's good.. get the degree the opportunities will be more plentiful then. Trust me on this.

later.

Good luck.

I know it sounds over the top, but having both would be an advantage. Many universities in Australia offer MCSE as part of their degree program now. Maybe you should also look at Cisco certification.
Regards,
Chris

I agree with tom on this, it is hard enough to get your foot in the door right now so limiting yourself is just going to make it harder. Trying to get an education with a wife and kids and job and dog and cat is not easy (Believe me I know This to be true) But you will, in the long run, be better off with diversification if you can do both a degree and the certs I say do it, if you can only do certs then I say spread the around a little, be more well rounded. It is hard starting out to know what you want, but you can dabble in a lot of things until you find your niche, it just makes you look smarter to have a broad base.

Over the long haul you'll be VERY glad you did. :)

I was happy to see everyone recommending a degree. The answer is easy: a degree doesn't expire, and employers look at it because it shows that you can complete projects (in school they are assignments), you can follow directions (you need to pass),and you can accomplish goals. If you are apprehensive about Computer Science being too focused, then look into something more general that interests you - a liberal arts degree (Communications or Business). My degree is in Political Science/Communications and then I was employed by a company that paid for my Masters in Computing Management and Telecommunications. Keep in mind that what you decide now doesn't have to last you forever - just until you can find someone to pay for your next step!

I take courses for a Business Administation degree with a focus on MIS. Along with my classes I do take a minumum of one cert every two months. I get the skills set for my current working skills, and I go to school for my long term skills. In the end, I win both ways.

hi i think its depending on your job since your a network engineer i think you must go for MCSE its more into networking thing unlike the computer science which is used for other thing so go for the MCSE