Is a Masters degree in IT worth it? (statistics, medical)

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by dark_knight08

I've been debating whether I should go back to pursue my MBA or not. Is it worth it, or is a combination of experience, bachelors, and a couple of certs enough?

For management roles, it certainly won't hurt to have any Masters degree (and it might even be mandatory depending on your organization), but "IT" covers such a large scope that it's hard to say without knowing your long term career goals. Most of the time, I think an MS is an extravagance in IT, not a necessity.

I received my BS in CompSci in 1987, and I've had a lot of fun and success in my career as a software developer in the airline industry, but I've always been interested in staying hands-on with the code. I also don't care if I'm on call, though I'm not anymore.

Some organizations appreciate technical experience and provide a parallel senior technical track alongside the management track, so even techies won't hit a dead end in those places.

[dark_knight08]

I had no idea that cloud computing is cutting demand for the hands on sysadmin positions. Will it be wise to stay in networking or something similiar?

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by dark_knight08

I had no idea that cloud computing is cutting demand for the hands on sysadmin positions. Will it be wise to stay in networking or something similiar?

Things will certainly be networked for the foreseeable future, and most is IP based these days, so that tech isn't going away any time soon. I think we've gotten rid of most of our X.25 stuff, but I'm not sure.

A diverse skillset is always a good thing. Even if you specialize and become an expert at something, the world may shift away from the tech you know to something quite different. It's best to have something else as a fallback.

[CashmereEsquire]

In todays day and age Degrees and Certs are only Gate Keepers. Experience Trumps all, and Degrees and Certs can help make up for experience you may not have. The days are over of being able to be a HS Grad get 1-2 Certs and go from Help Desk to a Director role. Nowadays Help Desk jobs are asking for Bachelors and Senior level/leadership Jobs are "preferring" Advance degrees.

IMO Get Certs/Advance Degrees because you want to learn more to help you in your career (ie.learn new technologies in a structured setting) and not just to "get a job".

[dark_knight08]

I guess I have a lot of figuring out to do in my career. I'm just trying to absorb as much knowledge as I can in my current entry-level position. I've been told that consulting is a good way to go, but I prefer being more hands on.

I'm currently about 5 months in with my first job. How and when should I go about networking with IT professionals for bigger opportunities in the future?

[CashmereEsquire]

Originally Posted by dark_knight08

I guess I have a lot of figuring out to do in my career. I'm just trying to absorb as much knowledge as I can in my current entry-level position. I've been told that consulting is a good way to go, but I prefer being more hands on.

I'm currently about 5 months in with my first job. How and when should I go about networking with IT professionals for bigger opportunities in the future?

lol man understand Life is a grind. You're not going to be a 6 figure hotshot in 6 months. In All Honesty in the Tech World your first 1-4 yrs will be a grind of working sucky jobs or being under paid (or a mix of both). During those years you should be meeting people and learning skills and how to handle different situations. You should set a 2-4-6 yr goal for yourself. Ie. In 2-3 yrs go from Help Desk to Sys Admin, 4-6 yrs go from Sys Admin to Sr Sys Admin or Sys Engineer.

I wouldn't think about a masters until your 3 yrs or so in the game and solely for the purpose of picking up new skills as tech changes fast, and then that Masters could give you some edge for being able to get into a Senior role with less than 5-6 yrs experience.

[flamadiddle]

Originally Posted by dark_knight08

I had no idea that cloud computing is cutting demand for the hands on sysadmin positions. Will it be wise to stay in networking or something similiar?

Cloud is huge right now (AWS leading the way with Azure a distant second), but don't despair, you can become AWS certified too! https://aws.amazon.com/certification/

Cloud will slowly eat away at the demand for corporate sys admins, but it will also create new positions such as Cloud Admins, Cloud Developers and Cloud Engineers/Architects.

IMO, stay focused on Networking (including Cloud), Virtualization and Security and you will have your pick of jobs for the foreseeable future. Many paying $100K+

[OldDocKat]

Masters in Computer science, yes, MBA, no, unless you have been with same company many years and advancement requires.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by OldDocKat

Masters in Computer science, yes, MBA, no, unless you have been with same company many years and advancement requires.

I'm curious what an MS in CompSci would buy someone. I'm sure it gives you a chance to delve into an area of interest to some extent, but what is the practical value?

Serious question. I've been in IT in three large corporations over a 28 year period, and I'm not sure I've met anyone with that degree. Unisys might have had some in Roseville, I guess, but nobody I knew.

[JL]

Masters degree is not worth it. Just get certified in cloud computing, but you need experience also. Our company is going with Azure right now....pre-production at this point, but around Summer it will go live. If you want to get into management, then getting some experience leading projects and then get certified for PMP.

http://www.businessinsider.com/faste...-110000-2016-4