Which Degree is right for me?

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Stupid question and I haven't done much research but I'm hoping someone with experience can answer my question.

I'm starting college in August and I'm thinking of becoming a systems administrator. Which degree would be right for me?
 
Well, I am a Sr. System Administrator and I graduated with a Degree in MIS (Management and Information Systems). So, you could try that. Then again, I found/find my major rather useless, as I learned more about network and technology *outside* the classroom. Lame.
 
abudhu said:
Well, I am a Sr. System Administrator and I graduated with a Degree in MIS (Management and Information Systems). So, you could try that. Then again, I found/find my major rather useless, as I learned more about network and technology *outside* the classroom. Lame.
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Well what I mean was should I go after a bachelors, or just associates? Sounds stupid but I really don't know much of anything about college yet. I went and had a chat with the college councelor that I'm going to next year but she didn't know a thing about the computers major so she didn't answer any of the questions I asked related to my career.

And by useless you mean just knowledge-wise, or do you mean employers won't give a damn if you have a degree in MIS or not
 
Go for you bachelors. Hands-down. Don't read too much into that last line I wrote. To me, MIS was "useless" in terms of knowledge gained. The best thing about MIS to me was the business portion of it. Having the ability to tell a recruiter you understand accounting, finance, and how to invest wisely makes the world of difference in an interview.

If you plan to pursue MIS come to the University of Arizona, and apply to Eller. /plug. :)
 
If you want a shot at doing any type of management (department manager, etc.) then go for your bachelors. Personally, I'd say get your bachelors regardless of what or where you want to study because it's pretty invaluable to have.

Each school will be a little bit different on what type of CIS degree they offer so you'll have to check with the school to see what best fits what you want.
 
Gott said:
If you want a shot at doing any type of management (department manager, etc.) then go for your bachelors. Personally, I'd say get your bachelors regardless of what or where you want to study because it's pretty invaluable to have.

Each school will be a little bit different on what type of CIS degree they offer so you'll have to check with the school to see what best fits what you want.
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I don't know if manager is what I want to be.

Does administrator count as a manager? The imagine I have in my head that I want to be in the future is just sit in an office and troubleshoot networking, hardware and software problems a company may have. Would associates be enough?
 
Tylerdurdened said:
I don't know if manager is what I want to be.

Does administrator count as a manager? The imagine I have in my head that I want to be in the future is just sit in an office and troubleshoot networking, hardware and software problems a company may have. Would associates be enough?
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Eventually you'll want to pawn things like printer troubleshooting off onto someone. And thats when being a manager is great :)

I'd recommend bachelors as well, it's a great experience and having that degree could possibly open more doors.
 
booyaa said:
Eventually you'll want to pawn things like printer troubleshooting off onto someone. And thats when being a manager is great :)

I'd recommend bachelors as well, it's a great experience and having that degree could possibly open more doors.
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There's one problem. I am terrible at math, I can't do anything past Adv. Algebra 2, not even that. And every bachelor program I looked into for IT related things all suggest that calculus+ is needed. Is there any hope for me?
 
Tylerdurdened said:
There's one problem. I am terrible at math, I can't do anything past Adv. Algebra 2, not even that. And every bachelor program I looked into for IT related things all suggest that calculus+ is needed. Is there any hope for me?
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Most of the MIS degrees will require some math higher then algebra as well as some basic programing. If you want to stay away from that, get something like a business degree. Prob/Stat, econ and accounting will be the most math you have to take. You can always get some certs while your at it or do an internship to get some real work experience.
 
Tylerdurdened said:
There's one problem. I am terrible at math, I can't do anything past Adv. Algebra 2, not even that. And every bachelor program I looked into for IT related things all suggest that calculus+ is needed. Is there any hope for me?
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I'd suggest that you keep trying, spend more time studying and take advantage of the resources available, tutors, etc.
Atleast take some statistics, it really helps with data analysis.

Your problem might be the way you're studying (or not studying) I know that when I was in HS I had no study skills at all. I had to develop them in college which was rough cause my grades suffered.
 
get MCSE CCNP...


Forget college, it is a waste. I'm so tired of interviewing college grads in ISYS who don't know what the registry is. "Yes, i will trust you to fix all our windows server boxes... oh snap, you are useless."
 
Verge said:
get MCSE CCNP...


Forget college, it is a waste. I'm so tired of interviewing college grads in ISYS who don't know what the registry is. "Yes, i will trust you to fix all our windows server boxes... oh snap, you are useless."
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That's probably the worst advice I've seen anyone give to another person regarding their education. If he has the opportunity to go to college and better educate himself, then he should definitely go. Not only will he learn about the basics of systems administration, basic programming to higher level admin work, but he will also learn critical thinking skills in a more advanced environment.

To Tylerdurdened, go to college and learn as much as you can. I was sort of like you in that I didn't like math in high school - never really got it nor cared to get it. The light switch in your head will turn on and you'll want to understand it and learn. Take advantage of any and all tools accessible to you that the college offers. Professors are there to help you succeed so don't be afraid to ask them for help.

Take the opportunity to go to school and get an education. Don't ever sell yourself short when the means of accomplishing the task can be done with work and effort.
 
College is a great experience, you will not regret going, and having a degree in anything is good. Having a degree shows that you are able to learn, adapt, manage time and be trained to do whatever your future employer needs you to do.

I am graduating in may (yay!) and I have started sending my resume around for Network Admin jobs, a few network engineering and one Database administration job (don't like it, but the money is good :) ).

My degree is in computer science with a minor in management information systems and from the responses I have been getting from companies it seems like that combination is in demand.

(also, if anyone knows a place thats hiring in indianapolis let me know ;-) )
 
I have a bachelors in Music Education. I'm also the Network admin at my company.

Having a degree is more important than what it is (except Psychology majors. Most people assume they just went to college to party (like Liberal Arts))

Robert
 
This is not intended to knock MIS majors, but this is just my opinion from what I've seen. My friend is in IST (basically MIS at Penn State) and he literally does nothing all day. In fact, he's been to class once since spring break which was 5 weeks ago. Despite this, he still manages to pull in A's and B's (his GPA is around 3.7/4.0). He's still incredibly happy with his decision and I respect it.

Honestly, I don't see the point of coming to school for 4 years just for a piece of paper -- I'd rather learn something. Even though I wasn't very good in math (got a C in Geometry in high school and no calc) I still chose computer engineering and I have learned an incredible amount. Despite some hard times, I'll still be graduating in 4 years (come May).

However, instead of playing around with circuits all day, I will be doing MIS-like work (network engineering) for a worldwide firm in a few months since I find the work more interesting. The difference is that the foundations in CS/CMPEN will present themselves throughout. For instance, when I first learned subnetting, I thought it was extremely easy since I was already used to binary operations.

It's your decision. CS/CMPEN will be almost too much work sometimes and has a 66%+ drop out rate (at least here). Our senior robot project has taken 400 hours of group work so far. My dad was an MIS major and worked for some good places, but he tells me frequently that doing something a little more involved would have been better. He hates looking at a lot of technologies as black boxes; especially when they break.

Again, before I get flamed, this is strictly my opinion. Best of luck to you.
 
I would agree that MIS is easier (its pretty much "computer science lite"). Insted of focusing on area of study (my emphasis with my Comp Sci degree is netcentric computing / parallel processing) you cover a broad array of topics. The downside of this of course is that you don't really get very good at anything (jack of all trades, master at none).

Comp Engineering or Comp science are the way to go, comp engineering is more hardware & electronics, and comp sci is more programming & theory.

If I was doing it all over again I would major in Computer engineering & double minor in MIS and Comp Sci.

I really enjoyed my comp sci degree and there were a few really challenging classes that took many hours, but keep pushing through and doing the best you can.

As far as math goes, there is no way around that if you want any kind of science degree. Calc I & II and discrete math are pretty much required (or should be) at any reputable university.

The great thing about college is the amount of resources that are available to you, if you are struggling in a course there are TA's , Tutors, professor office hours and classmates that are more than willing to help you succeed. Just make sure to take advantage of all the offers and opportunities.
 
MIS is a business degree so it's less math intensive than computer science, but it will put you in the field for systems analyst, systems administrator, etc.

Experience is more valuable for doing your job well, but not for getting paid. A degree will get you in over people who don't have them, and you will flat out get a higher salary than someone without one. Experience matters, but if you have experience and no degree you will find other less competent people getting hired on at more than you make.

Go to college, get a BS degree, and do an internship for experience while you are in school. Get the job that you want, but get it for more money than if you had an AA.
 
I'll agree with most of the above posters, you definitely want to get a bachelors degree, it doesn't matter so much what you get (although business is probably the best option) but just that you have it. Use your teachers to get internships and experience wherever and however you can, that is where the true learning comes from and will give you a leg up on the competition when you graduate.

get MCSE CCNP...

Forget college, it is a waste. I'm so tired of interviewing college grads in ISYS who don't know what the registry is. "Yes, i will trust you to fix all our windows server boxes... oh snap, you are useless."
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This is terrible advice. Provided you do get a job with no degree, you have essentially zero chance of moving up without one.
 
^^

"Does administrator count as a manager? The imagine I have in my head that I want to be in the future is just sit in an office and troubleshoot networking, hardware and software problems a company may have. Would associates be enough?"


sounds like helpdesk work to me... i'll reiterate, don't waste money on college if this is all you wish to do.
 
Verge said:
^^

"Does administrator count as a manager? The imagine I have in my head that I want to be in the future is just sit in an office and troubleshoot networking, hardware and software problems a company may have. Would associates be enough?"


sounds like helpdesk work to me... i'll reiterate, don't waste money on college if this is all you wish to do.
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Umm.. damn, it really is more of helpdesk than anything. I mean, it's what I like to do, figure out software and hardware problems. I don't care one bit about programming or learning how to fix some random broken piece of equipment, nor I do I see the use of math in what I want to do... which is "help desk", but the pay is extremely low for that
 
I will toss my two cents in on this one. While an Associates or no degree will probably get you a net admin job; eventually you will want to either move up or get paid more. For this it would be EXTREMELY beneficial to get a four-year degree. Talking from a bit of my own experience although I don't think I am that old...going to school when you do get older is not going to be appealing especially when you have a family or have other things you would rather be doing. And while I am rambling a bit...do what my father did with me...go look at the job boards for what you want to do in your area and what they require to get those positions, that will give you your start.
 
Tylerdurdened said:
Umm.. damn, it really is more of helpdesk than anything. I mean, it's what I like to do, figure out software and hardware problems. I don't care one bit about programming or learning how to fix some random broken piece of equipment, nor I do I see the use of math in what I want to do... which is "help desk", but the pay is extremely low for that
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It may want to be how you want to start out, but I've only met one person that was content to just stay in a helpdesk position. Most people want to move up. Any 4 year degree for the most part will help you do that. There's no systems admin degree, it's all about prior work experience and problem solving abilities. School won't get you the prior work experience unless you do an internship or work for the school, but it will help your problem solving skills as well as teach you time management and prioritization. Businesses look for degrees when hiring because they see it as you've put the time in and you have the ability to learn. All a cert means is that you have the ability to memorize. Anyway, my 2 cents.
 
I agree. I am the last leg of my MIS degree with a concentration in Security. I am looking to become a systems Administrator. While I wish there was more hands on in the networking and infrastructure side of things, you get alot of good broad information is Accounting, management, Finance, Supply Chain, Administration. If you are a technical the networking will come, but all the other stuff is something that is more difficult to learn on your own. What ever you do get a BS/BA in something. Most big employers will not even look at you without one. The key is do as many internships as you can. Experience + a degree is what employers want.
 
So what do you guys think will suit me best as a bachelor degree job?

Like I mentioned before my biggest and pretty much only passion right now is fixing computer related problems, both software and hardware. I know nothing about programming and I'm not one bit interested in it, and network security, while isn't exactly my thing, I don't mind.

I don't want to handle mass people, I sort of want to be my own boss in a corporation, make most of the important decisions when it comes to hardware and software upgrades, things like that.

From a description I read, it sounds like that is Systems Analyst, is this right?

If so, there is one part that scares me about the description, it mentions I will be the communication layer between the business and the business partners (such as ordering large shipments and this and that, I suppose), is this right as well?

Just read another description for something similar, Information Systems Manager/Information Technology chief, the descriptions are rather vague and sound very similar. Would that suit me better, perhaps?
 
Well, you're always going to have to answer to somebody and in most cases your going to start at the bottom and work your way up. If you want to interface with the business side and make purchasing decisions as well as help design and influence the infrastructure, I'd go with an MIS or Business degree. You're going to need to understand how the business works if you want to start making the decisions that pertain to it. Still, you're a ways off from doing any of that when you're starting your career.
 
Right but I'm going to a community college for 2 years to up my GPA and get an associates or at least gen eds until I transfer to a 4 year and get my bachelors. My college doesn't offer many PC related things so I need to make sure what I am taking will be able to transfer off to the college I want to go later on, and to pick what college I want to go later on I need to pinpoint what I want to do for the future - right now
 
Tylerdurdened said:
So what do you guys think will suit me best as a bachelor degree job?

Like I mentioned before my biggest and pretty much only passion right now is fixing computer related problems, both software and hardware. I know nothing about programming and I'm not one bit interested in it, and network security, while isn't exactly my thing, I don't mind.

I don't want to handle mass people, I sort of want to be my own boss in a corporation, make most of the important decisions when it comes to hardware and software upgrades, things like that.

From a description I read, it sounds like that is Systems Analyst, is this right?

If so, there is one part that scares me about the description, it mentions I will be the communication layer between the business and the business partners (such as ordering large shipments and this and that, I suppose), is this right as well?

Just read another description for something similar, Information Systems Manager/Information Technology chief, the descriptions are rather vague and sound very similar. Would that suit me better, perhaps?
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In my experience, it doesn't matter what the exact concentration is, as long as your degree relates somewhat close to what you want to do. I would just say take all the classes you can that interest you.
 
berky said:
In my experience, it doesn't matter what the exact concentration is, as long as your degree relates somewhat close to what you want to do. I would just say take all the classes you can that interest you.
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True that.

Also to the OP
I know nothing about programming and I'm not one bit interested in it, and network security, while isn't exactly my thing, I don't mind.
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If you don't know anything about programming then I don't see how you could say "I have no interest in it". It's not like heroin.. take a programming class or two, you might be surprised how much fun it is. I recommend a php class or something, you get semi-instant results.

If you're ever going to climb above helpdesk (make decisions on your own instead of being a lackey) you'll need a wide range of experiences.
 
berky said:
In my experience, it doesn't matter what the exact concentration is, as long as your degree relates somewhat close to what you want to do. I would just say take all the classes you can that interest you.
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Ah, that sounds much better.. glad employers don't just look if you took class X if you want job Y, awesome.

As far as programming.. I'm really not interested. If it's anything like website building it's not for me at all.

Also, how would that help me with my career? Not trying to degrade your post or anything, but I don't see how it would relate to what I am interested in working in. It's not like I can modify Windows code so it fits the companies needs or anything, and it's not like a company will let me write applications for them because I took one programming class :p

explain please
 
I would also say go for your bachelors. I graduated last may with a degree in Business Computer Information Systems.

Like a previous poster, I didn't learn one thing new about IT in class, though it was very beneficial to have the accounting, management, and business background. My first interviewer was blown away when I combined business and IT into my answers.

I am now a Network Engineer for a large non-profit organization. There is no way in hell I could have landed this job without self-educating myself. I learned everything I know about computers on my own. I really feared for some of my CIS classmates who's only learning came from the classroom. Either they will have trouble getting a job, or they will work some low level helpdesk with no room for promotion.

My advice is get the 4 year degree, but never stop learning on your own.
 
Tylerdurdened said:
Ah, that sounds much better.. glad employers don't just look if you took class X if you want job Y, awesome.

As far as programming.. I'm really not interested. If it's anything like website building it's not for me at all.

Also, how would that help me with my career? Not trying to degrade your post or anything, but I don't see how it would relate to what I am interested in working in. It's not like I can modify Windows code so it fits the companies needs or anything, and it's not like a company will let me write applications for them because I took one programming class :p

explain please
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Programming presents a unique way of approaching problems. Personally I think it changed the way I troubleshoot things, computer related or not.

Having more experience (programming, math, etc) can ONLY benefit you, if you have have difficulties in these classes then challenging yourself and succeeding will be rewarding. Right now I think you have your sights set too low.
 
sounds like you just want to setup your own PC repair shop.

no education needed for that- just go for it!
 
thats what I was thinking ^

however going to college is still good, I pay for my beer / wine by fixing other people's computers around campus. If you hang up a sign and offer cheap prices people will come. There is one local computer shop in my college's town that I know of and I see their van around campus all the time. maybe setup shop near a large university and attend while running the business.

I can assure you that you will get tired of building computers, installing windows and doing minor upgrades, which is why it is great to have the BS/BA to fall back on.
 
compslckr said:
thats what I was thinking ^

however going to college is still good, I pay for my beer / wine by fixing other people's computers around campus. If you hang up a sign and offer cheap prices people will come. There is one local computer shop in my college's town that I know of and I see their van around campus all the time. maybe setup shop near a large university and attend while running the business.

I can assure you that you will get tired of building computers, installing windows and doing minor upgrades, which is why it is great to have the BS/BA to fall back on.
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Exactly. I don't know of anyone that is in the field that wanted to be a bottom feeder in a company.

It sounds like he does want to have his own repair shop or just go to a job from 9-5 and not care about moving up or anything like that. He's still young and he'll eventually see that being a bottom feeder isn't really the best job to have for 30+ years.
 
evandena said:
I would also say go for your bachelors. I graduated last may with a degree in Business Computer Information Systems.

Like a previous poster, I didn't learn one thing new about IT in class, though it was very beneficial to have the accounting, management, and business background. My first interviewer was blown away when I combined business and IT into my answers.

I am now a Network Engineer for a large non-profit organization. There is no way in hell I could have landed this job without self-educating myself. I learned everything I know about computers on my own. I really feared for some of my CIS classmates who's only learning came from the classroom. Either they will have trouble getting a job, or they will work some low level helpdesk with no room for promotion.

My advice is get the 4 year degree, but never stop learning on your own.
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couldn't agree more. self-education is essential to moving up. a good degree can net you a good job, but without the ability to adapt and continue your education yourself, it's much harder to amount to anything.

also, as far as programming.... i actually graduated with a BS in Comp Sci, software engineering. i am now a network engineer. you may not think the two are relevant to each other, however, i use my programming knowledge all the time, and even when I don't realize it. like mentioned above it gives you the ability to think about problems in different ways and gives you insight into how that software you are fixing may work.
 
I hear what you are saying when you don't have any desire to learn programming. I was the same way. As a network engineer, my life would suck if I didn't know even the basics of scripting languages (perl, VB). Automation is key.
 
ND40oz said:
Most of the MIS degrees will require some math higher then algebra as well as some basic programing. If you want to stay away from that, get something like a business degree. Prob/Stat, econ and accounting will be the most math you have to take. You can always get some certs while your at it or do an internship to get some real work experience.
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Im in the midst of getting my bachelor of business admin and I had to take calculus...
 
If you hate math, my suggestion would be to go down the business administration track. You would not believe how often business admin and IT coincide. Information Technology work is 45% technical, and 55% political.

Get the BS in Business Admin. I'd even go back for your postgrad MBA.

Either degree + certs = gold for the short and long term.
 
If you hate math then to be honest you probably are not that good with computers. Computers are all math. The better you are in math the better you are at computers, its that simple.

As for MIS/CIS/Informatics/IT degrees, simply they are a waste of time. Usually these programs capstone technical class is the first or second class a Computer Science or or Computer Engineering student takes. Its all just very Elementary. The rest is Business garbage. Business in the undergrad is 100% common sense and utterly useless. While these majors look interesting, just man it up and take a real engineering curriculum. There are to many Americans who don't like math and this is the reason American innovation is on the decline and thus the economy is on the decline. Computer Science has a drop out rate of close to 80% among colleges in America. While the other majors mentioned above are around 10%.

The Idea that Managers are getting sick of CS or CE students not knowing enough is BS. Most likely they know more than the manager about the given field. Usually the manager wont hire a CS or CE student due to him being pissed off as he couldn't handle it in school.

Even if you want to just do basic IT work, do yourself a favor. Go to school and Study Engineering or some Math or Science. You will learn so much more about computers than you can believe. There is so much more to do with computers than putting them together, this forum maybe accounts for 5% of all technical knowledge.
 
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