certificates or degree?

Discussion in 'Training & Development' started by tas121, Feb 18, 2007.

  1. UCHEEKYMONKEY
    Honorary Member

    UCHEEKYMONKEY R.I.P - gone but never forgotten. Gold Member

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    Thanks for the Feed back Zimbo and Sparky.

    My nephew had the same question about Certs vs Degree and it has help put his mind at rest.

    Cheers:thumbleft
     
    Certifications: Comptia A+
    WIP: Comptia N+
  2. UCHEEKYMONKEY
    Honorary Member

    UCHEEKYMONKEY R.I.P - gone but never forgotten. Gold Member

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    Thanks for the Link Gav:biggrin

    Interesting read, actually it's a shame Flex has been banned,
    his threads are a Crowd puller and sense of humour is very sharp.
     
    Certifications: Comptia A+
    WIP: Comptia N+
  3. Indo77

    Indo77 Nibble Poster

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    I have a Bachelors degree with a bad mark and am now considering doing a post grad cert or an MCTS to make up for it. In my last year at Uni I failed my Project/Disseration and had to resit the damn thing where my marked was capped at 40%. I was doing a full-time job on top of my final year just to support myself and pay for a car to commute and my living costs. It was crazy and ended up having to pay out a futher £500 for the resit to get a crap mark at the end of it. I don't know but Microsoft Certification might help me in the long run to make up for it.
     
    Certifications: BSc (Hons) HNC
  4. NetEyeBall

    NetEyeBall Kilobyte Poster

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    I feel that my Degree BS in Psyc has helped me along with my certs and work experience. It is one more check mark that makes you more employable then the next bloke.

    But if I was able..I would go back and get a masters/phd. If I was 24 again...

    Not that 33 is old or anything, but I got a car note/house note/student loan note...life catches up with you.
     
    Certifications: CCNA, A+, N+, MCSE 4.0, CCA
    WIP: CCDA, CCNP, Cisco Firewall
  5. UCHEEKYMONKEY
    Honorary Member

    UCHEEKYMONKEY R.I.P - gone but never forgotten. Gold Member

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    It's very difficult having to balance a job while studying a Degree. Before going down that road of going back to uni mate I would seriously think about getting some hard cash behind before you go back!:blink

    Otherwise you might find your back where you started, juggling a phd with a full time job to pay the bills is not easy.

    Second, don't look at your mark as crap one, a degree is a degree at the end of the day, an employer will be impressed when you tell them you were doing a full time job and a degree.

    It shows dedication, and now you have time management skills.

    They say, a degree opens many doors, but I found out that you have open another door to a room full of people with the same degree title as you. The employer then asks what makes you different, what did you do while study your degree???

    It's then you realise that if you had done some voluntary work in that field you would of been different from the rest. 8)
     
    Certifications: Comptia A+
    WIP: Comptia N+
  6. Dan Ballance

    Dan Ballance Bit Poster

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    hello good people of the forum !

    i'm wondering what about hnd's ?

    my fiancee and i just found out yesterday that we have a baby on the way! so whilst being over the mooon in some respects, i i've really gotta start moving towards earning some money.

    i've completed the first year of a degree in buddhist studies with buddhist languages, but i'm really not sure about finishing it off - work-wise or job prspect-wise.

    i have two years funding left available to me through the student loans company, and i'm wondering about transfering to an hnd in computing. then over the next 2.5 years, i'd also try to get some kind of current certification under my belt.

    so what do people here think of hnd's ?

    and also, like in the world of degrees (the degree from one uni is worth more than the degree from another) - are all hnds of a more similar value? or would an hnd from this institution be worth more than an hnd from that? (i'm thinking f doing the hnd at a uni near where my fiancee will be living, but it's not a famous uni by any means) whereas i definitely would not look to study an academic subject, like history or politics, at an ex-poly, they do have a long history of more vocational type training, so maybe doing a computing hnd might be something they're quite good at?

    my reason for doing the hnd would be to get some formal training in programming theory and methods. the prof.cert. to show i can use current technology.

    ideally i'd like to get a junior web programming job...

    dan
     
  7. simongrahamuk
    Honorary Member

    simongrahamuk Hmmmmmmm?

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    Hi Dan,

    If you are seriously thinking about academic study, but don't want to go for the whole Honours Degree then why not take a look at a Foundation Degree. I did mine and really enjoyed it, plus it covered the MCSA 2003 and Cisco CCNA Syllabuses, so I could relate what I was doing to my everyday role at work. Simillar Degrees exist which incorporate the MCSD route.

    Definately worth a look at your local college or Uni.
     
  8. laup

    laup Byte Poster

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    BT will put u through a foundation degree under there apprentiship. and u get payed 14k not much but u cant argue really.
    i myself have signed up and seems i got through initial sift :>
    so hopefully ill be off to them as network designer or data/network tech after im done at cisco academy.
     
    Certifications: IC3,A+, N+, 70-270, CCNA
    WIP: CCDA/Job :>
  9. Dan Ballance

    Dan Ballance Bit Poster

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    ok, thanks for that, i'll investigate :-)
     
  10. Dan Ballance

    Dan Ballance Bit Poster

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    only problem is, i'm 30 years old, 31 this august. so getting quite long in the tooth in career terms. i'm not sure a company would train me up as a junior, they're looking for fresh young talent my guess is. i think i gotta walk this one on my own, but i will investigate further,

    cheers,

    dan :-)
     
  11. hbroomhall

    hbroomhall Petabyte Poster Gold Member

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    Well - my company have sent me on training courses - and I'm over 50! But their view is that anybody can benefit from training.

    Harry.
     
    Certifications: ECDL A+ Network+ i-Net+
    WIP: Server+
  12. UCHEEKYMONKEY
    Honorary Member

    UCHEEKYMONKEY R.I.P - gone but never forgotten. Gold Member

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    Dan, which University are you looking to attend?

    Have you tried Work Circle?

    Is there anyway you can do this HND part time, so you can do a part time job with it?

    Have you tried Freelancers net?
    Junior Webmaster
     
    Certifications: Comptia A+
    WIP: Comptia N+
  13. Dan Ballance

    Dan Ballance Bit Poster

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    over 50 - and already in work. if you weren't with a company already i doubt you would get a look in anywhere (sorry to be blunt).

    but honestly, i heard a whole nunch of business big-wigs on radio4 a few years back saying how if someone is not in a career by the time they're 30, then something has gone on in their past which doesn't make them a good bet. they don't know what it is/was, but they assume there is some reason. could be drugs, mental health, physical health, politics, religion, laziness, i dunno, whatever!... lol

    anyways, it's what your up against in today's world i think. oh how i wish i could be 23 again, sigh lol
     
  14. Dan Ballance

    Dan Ballance Bit Poster

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    hello u cheeky monkey ! lol

    hmm, depends, i might or might not have to move, not sure which way to jump yet, but i'm looking at these so far:

    hnd at tvu in reading (nearest to my girlfriend's place etc)
    foundation degree at london met
    foundation degree or hnd at kingston
    foundation degree at london south bank

    do you know any of them?

    nope, but it's bookmarked now ! thanks :-)

    it's an option, and i'm looking at it, but i wouldn't qualify for student support,so it would be difficult to find the tuition fee abd i'd need to earn enough to live on with the part time job.

    no, and again, thankyou :biggrin

    i have seen one similar company. i'm just putting some finishing touches to my small portfolio of sites i have built before i start contacting people, cheers !

    dan :-)
     
  15. BosonMichael
    Honorary Member Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    I disagree - I was 28 when I got my "official" start in IT. Wildcat Dude on CertCities started from scratch in his 50s - he used to be a police officer. Doesn't matter how old you are... it matters how intelligent/dedicated/knowledgeable you are.
     
    Certifications: CISSP, MCSE+I, MCSE: Security, MCSE: Messaging, MCDST, MCDBA, MCTS, OCP, CCNP, CCDP, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CNE, SCSA, Security+, Linux+, Server+, Network+, A+
    WIP: Just about everything!
  16. onoski

    onoski Terabyte Poster

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    Age factor is just a lot of excuses, life is tough so just keep working hard and a break through would come.

    It did for me as I got my first IT job role when I was 31 yrs old. Cheerio and keep on keeping on.:)
     
    Certifications: MCSE: 2003, MCSA: 2003 Messaging, MCP, HNC BIT, ITIL Fdn V3, SDI Fdn, VCP 4 & VCP 5
    WIP: MCTS:70-236, PowerShell
  17. UCHEEKYMONKEY
    Honorary Member

    UCHEEKYMONKEY R.I.P - gone but never forgotten. Gold Member

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    These big wigs on radio4, need to stop living in the fantasy world and live the real world. That statement might have been right, back in the 80/90's but today there is no such thing as a stable career.

    Companies such as Marconi are folding or expanding, there is no security in jobs now. People of all ages and backgrounds are finding themselves retraining in order to be employable.

    Have you heard of Marconi? They were a huge IT firm, that just grew and grew until one day they made a bad investment in dot.com and then closed their UK branches. A lot of those people I work with, they were told you have a job for life??

    But what does that actually mean?

    You've got to stop thinking your age is a problem, it not!
    It won't make any difference if you applied for a job when your 23 or 53. What does make the difference is showing an employer that you are commited to IT, this can been seen through part time study in the subject in your own time while doing any full time job. Also work experience, this can be achieved through voluntary work. It might not pay the bills, but it gets work experience onto your CV and a foot through the door.

    Good Luck Dan8)
     
    Certifications: Comptia A+
    WIP: Comptia N+
  18. Dan Ballance

    Dan Ballance Bit Poster

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    hey chaps, thanks very much for the encouragement :biggrin

    i'm just about to complete my first freelance web design project (html/css/php),so i have made a good start, i just need to keep building on it. maybe the self-employed / small-business route might suit me ? i'm investigating ;-)

    keeping on topic, has anyone tried this series of courses at the ou?

    http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?Q01C39

    reading the comments on the student review bit, people seem to think it is quite tough - even with prior knowldge - but i'm not sure how to evaluate this. i have a solid grounding in x/html and css, am proficient and learning more all the time in php and i have a basic grasp of javascript - so i think i could cope with it and would also learn a good deal from it too. anyone done this course by chance or had a look at it?

    best wishes,

    dan :)
     
  19. Sandy

    Sandy Ex-Member

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    I did the TT280 and found it a tough 10 points, in OU terms and am 2/3 of my way through my degree. It does give you a good grounding in X/HTML. I'd encorage anybody to study with the OU as their teaching is very good.
     
  20. dmarsh
    Honorary Member 500 Likes Award

    dmarsh Petabyte Poster

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    I'd definitely reccomend a HND if you can spare the time and money, they tend to be more industry focused than your average degree although it sounds like this may have changed since i was at college ;)

    You can do the part time HNC if this is a problem.

    OU is other route as people have said but much harder in my mind to do a whole degree based on home study alone.

    You could do HNC/HND and a few certs then probably convert to a OU degree with a few modules.

    If you do a degree i'd definitely consider one that gives you a couple certs along the way. Sponsorship or day-release would be a good option, hard to find though used to be BT and IBM would do it, or maybe mail shot alot of local companies offering your services at knock down rate for a day release position ?
     

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