SteveOH

In the age where most of society has to make a living (including me; I started working when I was 13) I continously find myself in the conversation of whether someone in the IT field should go for their certs or go to school.  This especially became the issue while I worked as a teacher at a certifcation ‘school’ (and I use that term loosely), where my students expected the world upon graduation, only to find out that they simply moved up a notch on a very long ladder.

 I once read in a magazine about 4 years ago “An MCSE without experience is like having a submarine with screen doors”, and to this day I think it’s brillant.  It encapsulates the idea that, either way, experience rules above all else (when it comes to getting a job, not advancing, which is a totally different story all together.

To get a job, I say get the Certifications.  Why? Because they train you in a specific task on a specific software set on a particular system (say, an MCP in Windows XP).  You become a specialized robot, and therefore, are perfect for a specific task.  I said task, not tasks, because again you’re a working robot, not someone who can readily advance into management (unless you have tons of experience and/or tons of certs [ie. knowledge]).

To get a career, definitely get the degree.  Why? Because degrees don’t expire.  The market for an MCSE in NT Server is dwindling and long overdue for a certification upgrade.  Not so for a Bachelors in Computer Science.  The assumption that comes with the degree is the ability to learn new things, to critically think, problem solve, and to understand the inner workings of computer systems, programming, computer architecture, etc.  I, having experience in management, would more readily give new and challenging tasks to my college graduate, than to my cert holding employees.  When was the last time you saw a robot learn something without having to be manually programmed?

So the market for IT professionals with certs is huge, and degrees equally competative.  How do you get ahead?  Either you get really lucky, have a good resume and do awesome at your interview.  Or you know someone who’s in the industry already and has some pull, or you know the boss and get an entry level position.  Or, you blow them all out of the water and you show your resume with certifications and degrees (and if you have less experience, you accept a lower pay than expected to build your resume, because of course, experience is king [I can't tell you how many times I've seen IT directors and managers with no degree, no cert, but with 10 years experience in the same position with the same company]).

In summation, the answer to the question all depends on what you want to do.  Certs are great for people who are looking for a career change, but at the end of the day I would have to say that a degree is worth it’s weight in gold, many times over.

Added: Not exactly on the same subject, but an interesting read.

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