Let's discuss college degrees

[GeorgeG.]

I'm curious who all here has a college degree. Specifically a Bachelor's. I'm in the beginning stages of going back to school to get my degree. When I say "back", I really only have less then 12 credit hours so it's more like officially starting.....again.

The issue I'm finding is I don't know what track to take. Being in IT, I gain my technical knowledge via training courses, self paced books, conferences, etc, so a degree in Information Technology just doesn't seem to be a good choice. Plus, this seems like a track for someone with no "IT" knowledge and plans to be on the configuring side of things. I don't plan on, nor do I want to be on the admin/engineer side for too much longer. With technology always changing and always having to learn something new, it's time to let the young talent handle that shit.

So if that logic rules out IT focused degree plans, what are some good directions for someone with a "director" goal? Business Administration? Philosophy, lol?

So, thoughts?

[jewozzy]

Goto www.degreeforum.com look around there and digest all of that. With your certifications and experience you should still look at a tech degree. Or at least a Business Degree in CIS or something related. Western Gov University which is completely self paced grants a lot of credits for your certificates.

I had roughly 55 credits in Jan when I started at Thomas Edison State University from various colleges and converted credits from the police academy. I am on pace to finish my final class in Feb for my degree. I personally didn't care what the school name was on my diploma because I mainly wanted mine for all of the job opportunities I was missing for "not having a degree". So far this year I've knocked out 49 credits almost exclusively through testing out of classes after studying similar to what it sounds like you do for your IT certs. The school is regionally accredited so it's not like ITT Tech or anything like that.

I could earn my bachelors degree and then go for a masters with a more prestigious university if I wanted to. A lot of people go for the TESU Comp Sci degree and then go for a masters at Georgia Tech which is supposed to be pretty good.

[Strychnine]

Disclaimer: I know shit about IT.
Would a tech degree help solidify all of your other certificates into a more attractive total package? Wrap it all up with a bow on it, so to speak? If that value isn't there then I would look more toward a business track. Like you said, your industry education is not classroom based to this point, and it seems that's working just fine, so why not diversify your skills? Titles like "director" will naturally be less in-the-trenches and more broadly focused. You would generally need some financial knowledge, management/leadership, etc.

Are you looking at specific schools yet? Different schools will have different programs available, and even differences within programs that have the same name.

To the first question, I have a BS Engineering Technology and MS Global Energy Management.

[Big A]

I work with a couple MBA grads, that hired on at Microsoft straight out of college making 6 figures. We're all on the sales side, but certain roles do have to get pretty technically specialized. It's pretty well understood when they come on board that they are to learn and perfect their craft while here. The degree merely showed the hiring managers that they are teachable.

I, on the other hand, don't have a degree, but was able to leverage almost 18 years experience to get hired on, and then was put at the helm of our Edu business which I knew little about before starting.

You have to be able to prove that you are dynamic and can learn, not already know what they are hiring you to do, in many cases.

[Ruffdaddy]

Undergrad in Mechanical Engineering (minor materials science)

Graduate in Engineering and Technology Management

So through my natural bias I recommend a technical undergrad. It just holds more weight. Then get a masters in some management degree...itll be a cakewalk after the technical undergrad.

I think the masters really helped me separate from my peers as I'm the youngest manager in the department. It also helped me break through the 6 figure barrier almost immediately (I was only 26 at the time). However had I not had the technical background I'd never had made it this far.

In many HR systems...a technical degree is valued higher than a non tech. But as Aaron points out...you can get to a certain level where degree doesn't matter

[Ruffdaddy]

What is your reason for going back btw?

[BMCSean]

I have a BBA in Marketing, I run a company with my best friend. I went to school on the GI bill and figured with a degree and military background I would have a good leg up on the competition. In the end I think it made it more difficult because for the marketing field I didn’t have enough specific experience for the mid level positions but I was over qualified for the entry level. I took a desk job at a well established small business as the director of marketing. I hated being at a desk and left to take a break and find something else. Now I run a landscaping/fence company and my office is a big diesel truck.

[Chas_svo]

I have a BS in CIS, but also most of a degree in Aerospace Engineering. I've never been in a position where a masters would benefit me in my career path. It would have if I had changed paths, which I almost did several times.

I would get a technical degree and see if you ever "need" the advanced degree. Pay attention to your business classes as many will help you in a director or higher management level.

I was a non-traditional student like you will be, taking several years off to play with race cars, guns, and jet skis. Probably cost me ~ $1.5M in retirement, if not more.

Good luck!

[kingjason]

I have a BBA in Marketing, I run a company with my best friend. I went to school on the GI bill and figured with a degree and military background I would have a good leg up on the competition. In the end I think it made it more difficult because for the marketing field I didn’t have enough specific experience for the mid level positions but I was over qualified for the entry level. I took a desk job at a well established small business as the director of marketing. I hated being at a desk and left to take a break and find something else. Now I run a landscaping/fence company and my office is a big diesel truck.

I know lots of folks that have dumped the ole 8-5 grind to run lawn and fence companies.

I have no degree. I have a few hours of actual and a shit load of LE training and schooling but that doesn't really count. Although, the higher I move up the food chain, the more the schools are similar to college stuff. Writing papers, statistics, human resources, labor laws, law shit, you name it. I watched my ex wife get her online degree and was not real impressed with college. Like it was an expensive joke, but it was a bullshit degree. There are several avenues for LE to get a degree and they actually will let you save some hours depending on your LE experience.

Sometimes I kick myself and think maybe I should just knock one out. Considering I have ten years retail, two years in sales/brokerage shit, and eighteen in LE, I think it would qualify me for some interesting jobs. Plus I have been flipping cars since my teens, I mean that requires some sales work. The flip side is I have made enough of the right connections in this gig, and I am recognized for being a fairly decent mentor and motivator, that I may be lined up to take the helm one day and make decent money with out a degree. If my ex boss takes over a large city like everyone expects, then I will be fairly set up there also I think. Hell, three of us had houses picked out on the beach a few years ago, but he missed it by one guy................

So, probably a hard no for me, and not sure it would of helped me in the path I took. Honestly, the really intelligent, highly degree'd guys I have know in LE over the years, have not been spectacular cops. Not all, but a lot. They over think shit and have a hard time in fast paced environments. Also they will be the first to break it square off in your ass. All black and white with those guys and missing the big picture common sense stuff at times.

[Ruffdaddy]

I have a BBA in Marketing, I run a company with my best friend. I went to school on the GI bill and figured with a degree and military background I would have a good leg up on the competition. In the end I think it made it more difficult because for the marketing field I didn’t have enough specific experience for the mid level positions but I was over qualified for the entry level. I took a desk job at a well established small business as the director of marketing. I hated being at a desk and left to take a break and find something else. Now I run a landscaping/fence company and my office is a big diesel truck.

I am specialized in design and analysis and the biggest drawback is how much time I have to spend behind a desk. I love what I do, but i definitely miss the opportunities to be hands on more often.

I'm focused more on rapid product development so that means I also work a shit ton of hours during design cycles. So I'll work 10 hours at the office and come home to start back up at about 830 to whenever I'm too exhausted to focus. Usually around midnight.

The saving grace of being a manager is I get to take a mental break to visit with my team and mentor junior engineers and it's actually a job requirement.

[Broncojohnny]

Definitely get a technical degree. Shit like underwater basket weaving will not do a fucking thing for you.

[svauto-erotic855]

I had to get a full frontal lobotomy to be successful in my chosen career.

[32vfromhell]

A degree in computer science would do you well because its educationally different enough than "an IT degree".

"director" is such a broad goal that it doesnt even really help narrow anything down. You could be director of delivery,content management, technology, networking, Security Operations, DevOps, Applications, etc etc and each of those requires specialty skills.

I would recommend as a "generalist" you take heavy computer science courses, learn basic programming or networking to let you talk the talk and then work on getting some Agile certifications from Scrum Alliance.

I have a CSM and working on ACSM and CSPO certs right now. My PMP cert is on hold because they hold a lot less value nowadays than they used to.

[garycrist]

What makes you happy?

Go for that and the money will become secondary.

I would rather be happy and "poor" than miserable
with money!

[Sean88gt]

BA in Applied Economics (business but I had other hours I needed to graduate) and a JD.

I use the first more so than the latter, but the latter changed the way I think and approach thing, and the company likes having the horsepower of that. I end up doing our in-house stuff, HR, contracts, etc., but that isn't my main function.

The degree won't hurt you, and it may throw you down a path you didn't anticipate.