Skip Uni and get certs?

[KirbyTech]

Recently my dad has been pushing me to skip going to university (to get a masters in software engineering and a ba in business) and to just get some certifications as he says they will get me a job quicker than university will. Something about that just seems off but then again he did 2 years of community collage (transfer from cooking after 12 years of working) then got a bunch of certs once he was done since he learned more on his free time. 

 

The ones he wants me to get are MCTS (then MCPD), A+, Network +, Security +, Project +, C++ Cert and he said maybe go for the C# one as well. I know most of the material for all of these other than network + and I am missing the networking parts of the rest of them but that is something I can learn in less than 6 months or so. What do you guys think? I have the rest of this year to figure it out since I am going back for a single course since I didn't know I needed it for software engineering. 

 

I am thinking university but open to certs if that is the best route. 

[Paralectic]

Why not decide yourself on your future path?

[ImBleu]

A BA is the new Highschool Leavers Certificate. 

 

Go to Uni.

[DarkBlade2117]

A degree is something no one can take from you. Once you have it you have it. It's the way out. Anyone can walk,up to anyone and say they are certified.

Unless I read this whole wrong..

[WestcoastPCBuilder]

If you have a chance to goto Uni, you goto Uni. imo. You can do certs in your downtime.

[XxTechdude37xX]

I think you should go to Uni because employers will definitely look into you if they see you are studying in the topic they want to hire you for, they might even hire you and pay for your studies.

[KemoKa]

Go to university. Anyone who tells you not to is a moron at this point. It doesn't matter how many certifications you rack up, it doesn't matter how much work experience you have, if you go into the IT field without a degree, most likely your salary will be capped. This happened to one of my uncles and he's feeling the strain even now, in this exact field. Getting certs is good and it will help you get low level jobs for now, however it is worth far more to companies if it comes with that nice little sheet of paper saying that you went to a university.

GO TO UNIVERSITY.

[KirbyTech]

Why not decide yourself on your future path?

I already have a good idea of what I think is best but more opinions is rarely a bad things. Plus I have seen my father take the route he has and it seems to have worked well since he is currently looking for a job and has his resume on job sites and we get maybe 4 calls a week for him and most of what he has is certs. I think he only has 7 years experience in his current job. 

 

A degree is something no one can take from you. Once you have it you have it. It's the way out. Anyone can walk,up to anyone and say they are certified.

Unless I read this whole wrong..

Huh? Explain better please. 

 

If you have a chance to goto Uni, you goto Uni. imo. You can do certs in your downtime.

I think the point of him saying that is because of the cost of uni and once you figure it out the money I would save is a good amount. Figuring 60k+ debt and that is after I use what money I have saved for it. 

[Nasty Pirate]

Well Uni provides you with a more appreciated profile on your CV. It shows you actually spent time learning that which you decided to learn and that you are dedicated to it. Certificates are just a bonus and you can do them on your spare time while working in order to get "specialized" in the respective fields. Besides, University degrees "open doors" which certificates won't. Go to University.

[KemoKa]

 

I think the point of him saying that is because of the cost of uni and once you figure it out the money I would save is a good amount. Figuring 60k+ debt and that is after I use what money I have saved for it. 

so rack up certs and job money for now and use it to pay off a university. You don't have to do it now, and you don't have to be eyelid-deep in debt. So long as you get the degree at some point, you'll be grand.

[KirbyTech]

so rack up certs and job money for now and use it to pay off a university. You don't have to do it now, and you don't have to be eyelid-deep in debt. So long as you get the degree at some point, you'll be grand.

Well if I am ever going to get a degree it will either be now or never. I am not too worried about the 60k+ debt since as long as it is less than 1 years salary after 3 years working I think it should be fine considering how much I like to spend on things currently where I have limited bills (I pretty much save everything I get). 

[KemoKa]

Well if I am ever going to get a degree it will either be now or never. I am not too worried about the 60k+ debt since as long as it is less than 1 years salary after 3 years working I think it should be fine considering how much I like to spend on things currently where I have limited bills (I pretty much save everything I get). 

then get your degree. You'll be kicking yourself in the head for years to come if you don't.

[You_are_a_cunt]

Why not both?

 

I've gotten about 18 certifications while I was still in Uni (although I may or may have not dropped out, senior year, because of a nasty case of one of the professors harassing me)

[KirbyTech]

Why not both?

 

I've gotten about 18 certifications while I was still in Uni (although I may or may have not dropped out, senior year, because of a nasty case of one of the professors harassing me)

How do you find time to get that many though if you are working full time at some shit job and going to school full time? Seems like that would be hard as hell to manage.

[You_are_a_cunt]

How do you find time to get that many though if you are working full time at some shit job and going to school full time? Seems like that would be hard as hell to manage.

 

I wasn't working full-time at the time.

Most of the certifications were possible through the Uni itself, since they related to the disciplines I was studying (a few of them weren't, but they were somewhat related to them) and the professors showed some leniency in course presence while I was studying for the certs.

 

IMO, and from personal experience, having certifications could land you a job far easier than a Uni diploma can, but you still need to have something to fall back on. I for one have electronics and metal/wood-work to fall back to if my career in CS/IT decides to jump off a skyscraper

[KirbyTech]

I wasn't working full-time at the time.

Most of the certifications were possible through the Uni itself, since they related to the disciplines I was studying (a few of them weren't, but they were somewhat related to them) and the professors showed some leniency in course presence while I was studying for the certs.

Ah okay that makes sense, I know if I go to uni I will be working full time if I can so I can live and hopefully keep my debt down. Good that your profs were nice to you.

 

IMO, and from personal experience, having certifications could land you a job far easier than a Uni diploma can, but you still need to have something to fall back on. I for one have electronics and metal/wood-work to fall back to if my career in CS/IT decides to jump off a skyscraper

That is my dads opinion other than he has not mentioned a plan b. He thinks that I should be able to easily (relatively) get a job with just certs as that is pretty much what he got his because of and the 2 others before his current. His collage he says did nothing so after the first job he stopped using it on his resume. 

[watts300]

I went to a tech school.  In hindsight, it would have been better to get a degree. 

 

A lot of the time, with the knowledge you get from going to a university or college, you've learned enough to get certified as well.  But it doesn't go vice versa. 

[TheSLSAMG]

Go to university and get your degrees. Certificates may mean work opportunities come faster, but university can help you develop lasting business connections and open up more positions and better paying positions.

[You_are_a_cunt]

Ah okay that makes sense, I know if I go to uni I will be working full time if I can so I can live and hopefully keep my debt down. Good that your profs were nice to you.

 

That is my dads opinion other than he has not mentioned a plan b. He thinks that I should be able to easily (relatively) get a job with just certs as that is pretty much what he got his because of and the 2 others before his current. His collage he says did nothing so after the first job he stopped using it on his resume. 

While I fully agree that mainstream education is utter crap, I'd still like to have a plan B, even if that just turns into a hobby further down the line. Would rather be safe than sorry. My mum, for example, is a Silicates Chemist at base, but after losing her job a few years ago she had to go through unemployment, a temp job and after a couple of years on minimum wage and hard work (she was in her mid 40s, it's kind of hard to learn organic chemistry at that age) she finally became a Chemistry teacher. She never thought of a plan B but got lucky. Others don't get lucky like she did

[Thony]

Only skip Uni if u have a plan, a determination, a vision and a big goal in your mind on which u cant give up on.

Not to mention how great Uni life can be.

[KirbyTech]

Only skip Uni if u have a plan, a determination, a vision and a big goal in your mind on which u cant give up on.

Not to mention how great Uni life can be.

I do have a general plan of working for a few years then trying to start a software business. Likely doing custom software for people with side projects that I would ideally be able to sell. But that is not super likely it will be successful so working for a company is pretty much the back up plan. Uni life would not be that great for me. Other than meeting a few new people I don't really see the appeal to it. I won't party with people I don't really know, the idea of having to go sit in class is not super appealing to me either. 

[blackadder]

If you go don't drop out, the debt can be crushing if you dropped out at like year 3,then you're stuck with mostly crap jobs with a extra bill to pay.

[TheConverter]

Skip uni and get a job, get dough, get booty, get house, get kids

[KirbyTech]

If you go don't drop out, the debt can be crushing if you dropped out at like year 3,then you're stuck with mostly crap jobs with a extra bill to pay.

Just because you don't have uni does not mean you are left with a shit job. If you really think that is the only option to get a decent paying job you are really wrong. Fuck out west they are still taking lots of people with 2 years collage for tech work in the oil fields and anything oil pays well mostly. 

 

Skip uni and get a job, get dough, get booty, get house, get kids

If only it worked that way lol but reality is a bitch. 

[blackadder]

Just because you don't have uni does not mean you are left with a shit job. If you really think that is the only option to get a decent paying job you are really wrong. Fuck out west they are still taking lots of people with 2 years collage for tech work in the oil fields and anything oil pays well mostly. 

 

If only it worked that way lol but reality is a bitch. 

depends on the conditions in your area, oil fields has cut 30% of their labor force here, noticed the price of gas isn't as high as it once was. the chances of you finding work you love and pays well, is greatly decreased compared to someone with a degree in a field they wish to work. the avg college debt in the us is around 30k, its also one of the only things you can't get cleared during a bankruptcy. it's worth the risk if you don't screw around, by all means go to college, i hope everyone has the chance too and, gets student aid or some kind of help. 

everything is cool till you get to end of last year and q1 this year. http://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag211.htm