General bachelors degree vs. a specific certification? (skills, master degree, graduates)
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Something I have been hearing from many bachelors and master degree graduates, more specifically in general science fields, is that the jobs to get with these degrees are more geared towards graduates with specific certification to the job vs. general broad education.
I have been considering getting some certification for some time now but there are a few issues that prevent me from going down either road. For one. With certification, the job potential may be higher, but there is a lower range of job possibilities. You are specifically geared for one job with little flexibility to switch over to other careers with wanted or needed be.
Going the degree route is the opposite however the pros of getting a degree is that you are trained to many things vs. being just trained to do one specific tasks, which means if you need a few credits to obtain certification here or there, switching over is easier to do vs having a certification.
Both options have their pros and their cons. I guess at the end of the day it all comes down to your personal preference. With a degree it is still possible to go back for a certification, and it may be easier this route to get multiple certifications with a degree then without one. At the same time, with a certification, it still may be possible to go back and get your degree and it may be easier to do that as well.
Again it comes down to preference. Which do you prefer? To be a well paid, in demand, job secure 1 trick certification pony, or to be something of a low job secured, low paid jack of all trades with a degree, more or less with both.
Unless someone knows a way around either so that either a degree or certification is tailored to his own preferences, I think it seems to come down to these two options.
Personally for me, I rather be low paid, and insecure with my job possibilities, but trained for a broad range, then to be stuck for possibly the rest of my life running on the same wheel. But of course thats just me. If I had the time and money on the other hand I would have hundreds of certifications and 0-1 degrees.
OP, are you talking about pursuing professional certifications rather than a BA/BS degree or are you talking about taking specialized coursework within your major while getting your BA/BS?
Certifications in place of a college degree will probably not get you in the door. Many employers won't even consider you without a degree no matter how many certificates you have.
The article that cpg linked makes an excellent case for not over-specializing at the BA/BS level. You will be working for 40 or more years, and the world will change during that time. That's about the only thing you can be certain of.
When I was originally in college, I didn't major in computer programming because it wasn't a course of study at my college. The math department offered a few courses in it, mostly for the truly weirdo nerdy guys. When I started as a computer programmer 25+ years ago, I programmed in COBOL and worked with ISAM files. I moved on to relational databases, gui interfaces, and various proprietary toolsets. Now, I've moved on to the world of object oriented programming, which didn't exist outside of academia, when I started my career. If you are in the sciences or a technology field, you are going to be constantly learning and adapting to new stuff for your entire career. The chances are that the skills you learn now will be obsolete in ten or fifteen years, and you'll likely be working in a specialized area that barely exists today. IOW, I'd go general.
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