Mcse

[octalpus]

Originally posted by EeeekPenguins
What certs would you suggest then?

I prefer wintergreen, personally. They make sparks in the dark!

[astcell]

I recommend a college degree. BA or better. It may nt be in the field you want, but it shows that you can start, perform, and complete a 4 year project.

[highwizard]

I see everyone talking about the CompSci degree. Here is my advice. Make sure CompSci is exactly what you want to get into. Research CompSci and figure out exactly what it is and what will be covered (it does vary by University). If there is a school that Offers IST check into that, the same goes for Engineering.

Though I will say this: On the Undergraduate level, you may know all the material covered there. If you do, then you are a step ahead of the game. But just because the classes are boring, still do your best in them. Many of my friends and I had one philosophy: We are going to school to learn a little, but really to get a piece of paper.

I personally think many Universities are overrated. However, Bachelor Degree's are quickly becoming the equivlance of a High School Diploma a number of years ago. To many people they have already become that.

And whatever degree you are going for; pick the right school for it. Research, Research, Research. If you have to travel across the country just to goto the school that you want, then do it.

[EeeekPenguins]

Originally posted by highwizard
I see everyone talking about the CompSci degree. Here is my advice. Make sure CompSci is exactly what you want to get into. Research CompSci and figure out exactly what it is and what will be covered (it does vary by University). If there is a school that Offers IST check into that, the same goes for Engineering.

Though I will say this: On the Undergraduate level, you may know all the material covered there. If you do, then you are a step ahead of the game. But just because the classes are boring, still do your best in them. Many of my friends and I had one philosophy: We are going to school to learn a little, but really to get a piece of paper.

I personally think many Universities are overrated. However, Bachelor Degree's are quickly becoming the equivlance of a High School Diploma a number of years ago. To many people they have already become that.

And whatever degree you are going for; pick the right school for it. Research, Research, Research. If you have to travel across the country just to goto the school that you want, then do it.

Well I plan to go to OSU and they have the 6th best engineering in the nation so i have alot of options there. Well I want to get into internet security mainly. I either want to become a security analyst or script firewall or anti-virus software. Should I still go for that CompSci degree?

[murakami]

Originally posted by EeeekPenguins
Well I plan to go to OSU and they have the 6th best engineering in the nation so i have alot of options there. Well I want to get into internet security mainly. I either want to become a security analyst or script firewall or anti-virus software. Should I still go for that CompSci degree?

Ugh, get an EDUCATION , not a degree. I rarely hire people with just a compsci degree, mainly because I have found them to be lacking imagination or the ability to think laterally. Make sure you get experience through internships and such.

Certification is fine if you want to be a technician and maintain stuff for others, it pays a living wage if that's what you want to do. If you want to create and get paid for it, then at least get a degree.

[astcell]

My degree is in business administration. If it was in CompSci I would wonder about the value of it today. A lot of that information gets dated. Look for something a little more timeless. But have fun. If you hate the classes you'll have your job.

[highwizard]

Originally posted by EeeekPenguins
Well I plan to go to OSU and they have the 6th best engineering in the nation so i have alot of options there. Well I want to get into internet security mainly. I either want to become a security analyst or script firewall or anti-virus software. Should I still go for that CompSci degree?

My Recommendation would be to attend a University with a Co-Op. Maybe one like.. Oh I don't know.. Drexel.

[Kry0NiK]

Originally posted by jetforce4004
i'm planing to take computer science in coledge too and then getting some kind of computer job of what yet i'm not sure

Id take spwelling and engrish first you plick.....and if i may be so bold, I suggest you keep your day job.

[astcell]

Originally posted by Kry0NiK
Id take spwelling and engrish first you plick.....and if i may be so bold, I suggest you keep your day job.

Day job: Foltune Cookie Ploofleader

[Verruckt]

Originally posted by EeeekPenguins
What certs would you suggest then?

A+ and Net+ would be great ones to start with.

[Kry0NiK]

Originally posted by Verruckt
A+ and Net+ would be great ones to start with.

Those certs are fine if you want to work as a pc technician or similar. My company made me get those certs mainly to say to clients "our engineers are such and such certified". Your best bet to know what cert's you should go after would be to find your ideal job, and then make sure you have the certs/experience they are looking for. The hot certifications change so often its almost pointless to go nuts getting certs in place of relevant work experience.

[Verruckt]

Originally posted by Kry0NiK
Those certs are fine if you want to work as a pc technician or similar. My company made me get those certs mainly to say to clients "our engineers are such and such certified". Your best bet to know what cert's you should go after would be to find your ideal job, and then make sure you have the certs/experience they are looking for. The hot certifications change so often its almost pointless to go nuts getting certs in place of relevant work experience.

I agree that experience is the best path. Those two certs I only mentioned because ANY job nowadays, epsecially "entry-level" asks for at least one of those. I am talking about foot-in-the-door help-desk type jobs. From a no experience start, he is looking at probably a job at a computer store doing minor repairs or what not, getting those particular certs would be a foot in the door for a some type of support gig, which leads to... so on and so forth.
At least that is the path that *I* took(***).:D


***WARNING! Your results may vary. :D :D

[pezz]

I know this is an old post but I am still gonna put my 2 cents in.
Looking at resumes my hiring preferences follow this order:

1. Degree and Certs
2. Degree
3. Certs
4. Nothing

Commonly we know ahead of time what type of person we need and pre-define the exp level.

Certs are always impressive, as well as education and experience. Rarely do we hire people already trained on internal programs, unless they move from within the company. We like to see that a person has self-motivation and higher education.
I also feel that if you have an excellent screening committee who knows the right questions to ask, you can weed out the paper degree/cert guys and gals. We also require transcripts.

We never ask if a person knows something, we give them scenarios to solve.
I also look at the type of certifications. Ex. If 2 persons apply for a position 1 with a B.S. degree, and 1 with a MCDBA, if both are knowledgeable I will hire the MCDBA if the job is on SQL.

[pezz]

I really dont think thats justified. If you take a pc hardware course at or near the beginning of a 4yr degree do you really retain that information. Its about like most things, if you dont use it, you lose it. BTW most cert classes are boot camps and they are not intended to train someone from scratch. Alot of "professional" companies proclaim miracles such as "MCSE in 5 days" etc.. Everyone looks at the devaluation of the certifications, and the dime a dozen syndrome. Perhaps you feel it shouldnt be this way, but IMHO I haven't had the luxury of meeting a prospective employee who minus a degree and minus certifications really knew what they were doing. I think that high level certifications and higher education give people the desired skills needed to be well rounded.

In fairness you must remember that not ALL certifications are based on regurgitated information. If they were, then we would have many more people than your standard crowd completing them.

I must include that typically we seek generalized individuals rather than a person who might have one centralized skill set.

Then you run into creatures like myself who self-study individually across a broad range of topics, and collect certifications to create interesting wallpaper.

[astcell]

The main thing a degree shows is that you can be taught, and you have the patience (4 years) to learn.

My brother wants to learn Adobe Illustrator but he does not have the patience to read the back of the box.