I'm thinking about going for my masters in computer science.
I have 7 microsoft server and network admin certs, with experience in the IT field and a bachelors in religious studies.
I would be excepted in to the program with the requirement of taking a few additional adv math courses. Is it worth it for long term future.
I want to give my family the best life possible. Thank you.
yeah its definitely worth it if you can meet the requirements which are tough for the CS programs you can get experience doing projects yourself but to go through the program is worth it and your degree means you are capable of program
From the sounds of it you want to go down the IT engineering route (MCSE, MCITP already I assume?), if so then why on earth would you want to get your masters? To try and find a better job?
I'm the Head of Professional Services for one of the big Managed Service providers here in Canada. We are permanently recruiting for Engineers, Consultants, Lead Consultants, Project Managers, Project Implementation Engineers etc. Trust me when I say this, your degree means NOTHING. No one gives a shit what you did in college or university, all that matters is your skill set and experience. Obviously there are exceptions (MIT grads who are going into the coding realm), but these are very very rare cases.
The amount of people who apply for jobs with a degree or masters from a top school, yet have no real world experience, is pretty humorous. Do you know what these guys get job offer wise? Level 1 positions @ 35k/year.
Do the right thing, get back in the work force and move up the chain. Level 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> Consultant -> Lead Consultant -> Project Engineer -> Project Manager -> Middle Management -> Head of Department -> CIO.
I don't mean to hijack your thread. Can I get some advice for someone who is currently studying CS. 
soliak -
From the sounds of it you want to go down the IT engineering route (MCSE, MCITP already I assume?), if so then why on earth would you want to get your masters? To try and find a better job?
I'm the Head of Professional Services for one of the big Managed Service providers here in Canada. We are permanently recruiting for Engineers, Consultants, Lead Consultants, Project Managers, Project Implementation Engineers etc. Trust me when I say this, your degree means NOTHING. No one gives a shit what you did in college or university, all that matters is your skill set and experience. Obviously there are exceptions (MIT grads who are going into the coding realm), but these are very very rare cases.
The amount of people who apply for jobs with a degree or masters from a top school, yet have no real world experience, is pretty humorous. Do you know what these guys get job offer wise? Level 1 positions @ 35k/year.
Do the right thing, get back in the work force and move up the chain. Level 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> Consultant -> Lead Consultant -> Project Engineer -> Project Manager -> Middle Management -> Head of Department -> CIO.
OP Listen to this man
Soliak how do you take an applicants word when they say they are capable of software programming in different languages without a Master of Science degree
As i said in my post if you are capable of getting that skill set by starting entry level (can you get hired entry level with your current experience? are you looking at software or hardware production? (these are questions for you to ask yourself)) or by studying yourself you can do that but there is no real proof for someone taking a look at your application to look and say - Yes, I know this is a credible institution with good standards, and this individual must have passed courses requiring them to demonstrate their ability to perform at a high level using these skill sets. Just putting down that you are capable of coding makes you a much weaker applicant in reality.
Don't do it because Jinx says masters degrees are worthless in that other thread
Oh those other certifications are really a whole other world from what a masters in CS puts you at, those are like how to operate software.
Depends on what you want to do. If you want to be a hardcore Engineer/coder, a professor and/or an exec at a tech startup at some point, it is worth it. If you are more interested in managing technical people in a larger shop, a business degree is probably a better choice. In my case, I have a strong technical background but I started to get burned out with always having to keep my technical skills up to date and chasing the next technology so I chose the MBA route. For me that rounds out the technical with the business.
I guess it depends if you want to be more of a very capable professional in two areas or a guru in a single area.
Emperor Nero - Soliak how do you take an applicants word when they say they are capable of software programming in different languages without a Master of Science degree
As i said in my post if you are capable of getting that skill set by starting entry level (can you get hired entry level with your current experience? are you looking at software or hardware production? (these are questions for you to ask yourself)) or by studying yourself you can do that but there is no real proof for someone taking a look at your application to look and say - Yes, I know this is a credible institution with good standards, and this individual must have passed courses requiring them to demonstrate their ability to perform at a high level using these skill sets. Just putting down that you are capable of coding makes you a much weaker applicant in reality.
Two different worlds bromigo.
OP said he had 7 Microsoft certs in Server Administration / Networking. Considering you need 7 certs in this field to get your MCSE(now called MCITP), it's a pretty safe assumption he is going down the Engineering route, as opposed to being a developer. Working for a Managed Service Provider we deal exclusively with the server infrastructure side of IT, not development, so I never deal with programming applicants.
Coding is a very interesting field when it comes to career progression. I have a few buddies who are very high up in the coding game and none of them went to university/college, however I do understand how a top degree from college can work in your favour in this industry. The #1 question in IT, as you somewhat alluded to, is whether or not you can get the same skill set (or higher) from real world experience, as opposed to going down the formal education route.
I'll give you guys an example. In my case I started working in IT after finishing high school a few years early. My school employed me to work with the inhouse IT team as they had a legal obligation to keep me in school. This gave me a huge amount of exposure to concepts such as Active Directory and Microsoft Exchange very early on and concluded with me getting my MCSE by ~17. From there, despite the numerous suggestions from friends and family to go to university, I entered into the workforce for a Managed Service Provider. By 19 I was scouted by a top firm in the UK and had all relocation costs paid for. I was back in my home country by 22 and straight into a Lead Consultant position. At this point in my career my friends from highschool, also IT nerds, were just graduating university and looking for a job. They found they couldn't even get the most basic of Level 1 positions, as they had extremely limited exposure to corporate IT infrastructure (AD etc). By then I was on close to 6 figures a year and had all the benefits and freedom that wage brings, minus any debt.
Making the choice to avoid university / college and go down the route I chose was the smartest decision I will probably ever make. I'm now in my mid 20's, living overseas again and absolutely killing it, while my bros back home are still working in mid level helpdesk positions. There is huge pressure around going to university / college in America, which I feel really pushes people down the wrong route if IT is their career path. People end up underskilled, with a shitload of debt and no real career opportunities, it's quite sad.
Trust -
A masters in CS is not the same as a "professional masters" degree.
Schools are creating these 10 month "professional masters" programs in computer fields that will take anyone with any background, and basically teach you about a third of an undergrad degree in CS, without the math. I know two people who did that, one had an undergrad degree in psych, the other in economics. Neither had any experience writing code, or math beyond what was required for their undergrad degree.
A genuine CS undergrad degree requires calculus1, 2, and 3, physics with calculus 1 and 2, discrete math, and other math classes, plus all the CS stuff like programming 1 and 2, data structures, compiliers, algorithms, numerical analysis, etc. You need that kind of undergrad degree to start a MSCS degree.
They also have professional masters programs for engineering management, IT systems, and other things.
Those 10 month professional masters degrees are a joke. They are nearly as bad as these IT tech colleges. So many people getting scammed.
In for education
fuck it, im gonna be a plumber.
turns out most of the og is successful with no degree.
i knew post grad was just a big scam to be a loser.
dbl
DomenicVelluso - fuck it, im gonna be a plumber.
turns out most of the og is successful with no degree.
i knew post grad was just a big scam to be a loser.
Most of the OG are fat cunts who live in their mums basement.
If you genuinely have a MCSE/MCITP already you are well on your way to killing it. Get a mid level job, take the 50-60k a year and start progressing through the ranks. There is no reason why you can't be on 100k+ within 3-5 years.
Good luck bromigo.
NHBDaddy -soliak -From the sounds of it you want to go down the IT engineering route (MCSE, MCITP already I assume?), if so then why on earth would you want to get your masters? To try and find a better job?
I'm the Head of Professional Services for one of the big Managed Service providers here in Canada. We are permanently recruiting for Engineers, Consultants, Lead Consultants, Project Managers, Project Implementation Engineers etc. Trust me when I say this, your degree means NOTHING. No one gives a shit what you did in college or university, all that matters is your skill set and experience. Obviously there are exceptions (MIT grads who are going into the coding realm), but these are very very rare cases.
The amount of people who apply for jobs with a degree or masters from a top school, yet have no real world experience, is pretty humorous. Do you know what these guys get job offer wise? Level 1 positions @ 35k/year.
Do the right thing, get back in the work force and move up the chain. Level 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> Consultant -> Lead Consultant -> Project Engineer -> Project Manager -> Middle Management -> Head of Department -> CIO.
OP Listen to this man
Listen to him!
As someone who has one, learn from my mistake.
Instead, do an MBA with a concentration in information systems--unless you want to be grinding out code for the rest of your life.
The management side is where the real money is.
soliak -
From the sounds of it you want to go down the IT engineering route (MCSE, MCITP already I assume?), if so then why on earth would you want to get your masters? To try and find a better job?
I'm the Head of Professional Services for one of the big Managed Service providers here in Canada. We are permanently recruiting for Engineers, Consultants, Lead Consultants, Project Managers, Project Implementation Engineers etc. Trust me when I say this, your degree means NOTHING. No one gives a shit what you did in college or university, all that matters is your skill set and experience. Obviously there are exceptions (MIT grads who are going into the coding realm), but these are very very rare cases.
The amount of people who apply for jobs with a degree or masters from a top school, yet have no real world experience, is pretty humorous. Do you know what these guys get job offer wise? Level 1 positions @ 35k/year.
Do the right thing, get back in the work force and move up the chain. Level 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> Consultant -> Lead Consultant -> Project Engineer -> Project Manager -> Middle Management -> Head of Department -> CIO.
This. If you know the programming and can do the job, get experience. You can show you have the knowledge through work experience, and get an MBA for your graduate degree b/c that applies anywhere not just in the tech field
Gforce - As someone who has one, learn from my mistake.
Instead, do an MBA with a concentration in information systems--unless you want to be grinding out code for the rest of your life.
The management side is where the real money is.
i think this might be the route im looking to take.