IT Professional Furthering Education
Posted by Guilty-Image-7942@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 27 comments
hi everyone! I am a young, female IT professional (SysAdmin) in North Carolina looking to grow and retain my position at a healthcare facility that is rapidly growing.
I currently have an AAS in Information Technology, but I believe I will need a BS at the minimum to continue progressing. if nothing else, I would like to have one to be more marketable elsewhere.
I looked into the NC Promise program, but I am having issues that are off-putting and making me want to search for other programs. right now, my best bet looks like WGU. alas, i have applied for FAFSA and I do not qualify for grants, but I am going through financial hardship currently. I applied to many scholarships on their portal in January, but they have not been reviewed. I desperately want to go ahead and start my journey in continuing my education, but finances are holding me back. it's worth mentioning that I also would be transferring many credits from my previous community college...almost all Gen ed and a lot of IT courses... if I go through WGU. that said, the $3500 or what have you cost per term is still a bit steep currently.
does anyone have any suggestions or experience with a different program? it would have to be fully online. I was really excited about WGU, especially with the prospects of scholarships, but it does not seem I will hear back from anyone about them. thank you all so so much in advance! excited to hear from you all!
TLDR: Young woman in NC trying to further education in IT online, but financial issues are preventing. looking for advice.
Nakenochny@reddit
You don’t need a degree to continue progressing, that’s something they tell you so you feel less than and don’t even bother applying. It narrows down their field of applicants for them.
I’m a 38 year old woman, been officially in the profession for 14 years but had worked for 10 before that doing IT work casually. I never graduated from college, but did do a couple years of college work in the major.
The job I’m in now also listed a BS as a requirement, but since I knew the majority of what they listed under requirements, and my (also a woman) boss saw my potential, I got the job as a help desk analyst. 8 years later and I’m now the (only) senior systems administrator and kicking ass.
TLDR is to focus on the knowledge, not the piece of paper. Find what things are needed to progress to different levels and start working with/quizzing on those things.
You’ve so got this! 💚💪🏻
ElectricOne55@reddit
I have a bachelor's but it's in a seperate field. Do you think I would need to go back for a tech specific bachelors? I've been in tech for 6 years and have a lot of certs, my degree was in kinesiology.
Nakenochny@reddit
In my experience, if you have and can demonstrate the knowledge, you don’t need the degree. If you have certs, that also lend credence to you having the knowledge.
I’ve had bosses undervalue me because of the lack of degree (and/or the fact that I have boobs) but they generally just want people who know what the hell they’re talking about.
The biggest piece of advice I have is to apply to things you think you might not even be qualified for (within reason). The worst that can happen is you get more interview practice. I almost skipped my current job interview because I didn’t think I was qualified, and I honestly think I could retire from this place. Maybe even end up CIO if I work for it.
ElectricOne55@reddit
I'm currently in cloud migrations, but have been wanting to switch to data analytics. It's hard to get responses from anything in this job market compared to 4 years or so ago.
bertoIam@reddit
Contrary to what others are saying, not having have a BS will halt your growth at a certain point. I was in a similar situation as you, a sys admin that wanted to move into a management position and I wouldn’t have been able to do so without a degree. No matter how skilled you are, who you know, or your years of experience, you sometimes still need to be able to check that box. I went the WGU route and I have no complaints about my experience. It was affordable and easy to attend while working full time. You can also check out the WGU subreddit for advice, it’s very active. You can also attempt to accelerate, even if you take one additional class each semester you might end up saving yourself one whole semester.
ElectricOne55@reddit
I have a bachelor's but it's in a seperate field. Do you think I would need to go back for a tech specific bachelors? I've been in tech for 6 years and have a lot of certs, my degree was in kinesiology.
phileat@reddit
Why do you believe you will need a BS to continue progressing? Because in my experience, SysAdmin experience, home labbing, and professional networking can get you quite far in this career.
Guilty-Image-7942@reddit (OP)
I was pretty adamantly against anything more than an associates and thought it was a waste, but it has been expressed quite a bit by my employer and managers that I need it to continue. I am currently a SysAdmin, but would eventually like to get into Director status or something along those lines.
I am also only 24 and a woman, so perception of me in a leadership role is already stunted. I would like the education to back it up
topher358@reddit
Some employers require a Bachelors to move up the ranks. I have not found my bachelors to be a hard requirement but it has certainly opened doors that would be closed or much harder to open otherwise.
Highly recommend getting a bachelors if you can even at the expense of experience. At some point in your working life it will come in handy, and you’re only 24.
To get into management like you want is going to need at least a bachelors if not higher.
I have friends that went through WGU and you could certainly do worse
ElectricOne55@reddit
I have a bachelor's but it's in a seperate field. Do you think I would need to go back for a tech specific bachelors? I've been in tech for 6 years and have a lot of certs, my degree was in kinesiology.
MedicatedDeveloper@reddit
Do you really want to go into management though?
If you do look into a business degree like IT management instead.
phileat@reddit
This is a fair and well thought out answer. I just wanted to say that it’s not the only possible path.
Chaucer85@reddit
So, just to clarifying promotions within COMPANIES might have those kinds of requirements (and I can say from experience there are absolutely pay caps tied to that, it's not just about job titles), but that's not necessarily true of the industry at large. You'll hear plenty of stories about people building successful, well-paying careers with only hands-on experience and self-driven learning, but they did probably job hop to keep their pay going up consistently.
Scatter865@reddit
If you’re going through a financial hardship….id correct that first before you decide to spend MORE money right away. Also since WGU is self paced certs are way cheaper than $3500 and will save you time on the back end.
Divide and conquer homie. Also including your sex is irrelevant. Sorry dude
unstopablex15@reddit
I'd just get a meaningful cert, since that's basically what you'll be doing anyway in WGU. Get something like a CCNA, possibly even a Sec+ if you don't already have them. That'll open up doors for you, along with your experience of being a Sys Admin. Good luck!
Celanna192@reddit
I got my BS through Champlain College online. It's an accelerated program, so semesters are 8 weeks long. It's through Champlain College in Burlington VT. Their prices aren't too bad. If your org is part of the TruED program, you get an extra discount.
unknwnerrr@reddit
I was in the same boat as you thinking I wouldn't qualify for jobs in the future due to lack of degree. Enrolled in wgu and everything. Let's just say that if you're a seasoned IT professional WGU might not be for us. I'm not down playing the degree or certs you gain but more along the line of getting burnt out for what. We got the sauce already and if we need more knowledge we should hit up certifications. Id argue that even the wgu IT management degree or business degree might carry more weight.
HankMardukasNY@reddit
I am also in a similar position as you. Only had my associates plus a bunch of certifications. The K12 district i work for has been pressuring me to advance my degree so they can promote me to Director (NYS requires directors to have an SDL certification, which requires basically two masters degrees). I went to SNHU to get my Bachelor’s, and i recently completed the MBA ITM degree at WGU in one term
InnerBank2400@reddit
You don’t have to rush into a BS. A lot of people move up in IT through experience + certs. If WGU is too expensive right now, focus on building skills and certs until the timing makes more sense. You’ve already got a solid start — you’ll be fine. 🙌
PaleSecretary5940@reddit
Does your current employer offer tuition reimbursement? I am a System Engineer for healthcare and they offer that.
Guilty-Image-7942@reddit (OP)
Unfortunately, we are a startup company that blew up a bit, so not currently.
PaleSecretary5940@reddit
Have you checked out NC Assist? I have a child that is about to go to college and a coworker recommended them. From my understanding, they offer school loans (which we will have to do for her to go to college).
nitroman89@reddit
You should check with your current job. My current and past employers have offered continuing education programs where you would get school reimbursed to a certain amount every semester.
halmcgee@reddit
FWIW I got my MBA and Post Masters at UNC-G. The MBA was an evening program, and the Post Masters had a few courses I had to leave work around 4 pm to be able to eat and make the class on time. Since UNC-G also has a nursing program, they may also have some medical and IT related classes. Mind you all of this was pre-COVID so on-line was not an option back then. I would think any large corporation such as Novant or Atrium would have a work-related compensation program for continuing education. While it may not pay all it would help. Also, UNC-G was reasonably flexible about scheduling courses, but they do have a minimum requirement, and I knew a few people who dropped out of the MBA program because they were working excessive overtime. Also a few in the Post Masters program as well. Both of those programs have pretty intensive coursework, reading and group projects. Since you already have an associates, I would think you could get a BS in IT from there.
One evening we were talking to our instructor and someone joked that they must hate working in the evening. The instructor said the opposite was true. Since we were mostly adults and working professionals we were serious about the coursework and did our homework and the reading. Not only that, but many of us were also working in the field and could bring real life experience to the class. The instructor said they actually fought over who got to teach the evening classes.
Hopefully they have a program to fit your schedule and budget. The way mine worked out was I funded my first semester and then use the company reimbursement to fund the next and when I finished the company reimbursement was my bonus.
Good luck
Samatic@reddit
I would not recommend to anyone on getting aBA degree in IT. It is a total scam and all I would do instead is have a few certs that you are interested in. Even though a job requires the degree just apply for it regardless. DO not go into 40k+ debt on a bachelors degree it is not worth it no matter what school you attain it from.
coco_shibe@reddit
I have a BA in linguistics and been doing IT for 5 years now and am a Network/Data Security Consultant; dont really need a bachelor's but more so learning new techniques and certifications. Got a buddy of me contracted with a gov agency making 200k cause hes smart and has worked in alot of different systems. Just keep deep diving into the things that interest you. I used to be a sysadmin prior and found auditing and architecting so interesting and thats where I went. For yourself just keep learning things that peak your interest
AtomicXE@reddit
NC based infrastructure and security engineer I’ve gone through WGU bachelors and Masters programs in cyber security if you want to discuss