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Higher Learning, Online?
provell writes "An ad for the U of Phoenix online education program caught my eye the other day. I know the concept of online education isn't a new one but it seems to be growing more prevalent with each passing year. As an IT consultant at the age of 18, I didn't give myself much chance for college and I don't get much time in town to take part time courses. With the burst of the E-Bubble, I'm starting to notice an increase in hiring standards. Is a BS a necessary bargaining chip for the IT industry and are online undergrad programs widely accepted/adequate? Any thoughts/experiences would be much appreciated."
From my experience, the most important thing you can have is a personal reference at the company you are trying to get a job with. Let me explain.
I don't have a degree and have had a very difficult time getting a job. My friends with degrees have had just as difficult time finding a job. The job market is tight right now and basically no matter what's on your resume it's going to be hard to find a job.
However, if you know someone in the company at the very least you will get an interview (try sending resumes to various companies and see how many get back to you) which is a big step and more than likely you will get a good recommendation from someone the hiring person knows. I can't stress the personal reference bit enough. All the jobs I've gotten comes from knowing someone in the company (except the bookstore job but that was not computer-related and only $7.25 an hour).
So, my suggestion: contact everyone you've previously worked with and find out where they're working. Ask them if the company is hiring and even if they aren't contact them again in a few months. Things change quite quickly in the job market.
Finally, good luck and I suggest at some point you get a degree anyway. Pay scales are often based on degrees. I plan to get mine starting next year.
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I go to a commuter college and don't feel like it's a real college experience. Sure I'll have a degree from a decent state school when I'm done but I don't have the dorm experience. Some might argue that I'm ahead of the game there but I feel like I missed out. I definately notice a difference in alumni spirit between my school and say a school like Umass Amhearst. Most of my peers I won't miss when I'm gone because they're more like coworkers. We never had the late night bonding/speakers-out-the-window kegger. We share no particular intimacy that comes from close quarters living. Again some may argue that I'm ahead of the game further still.
I do have a more independant method of problem solving. I have more science and computer toys and reference books at my home because the library isn't a walk across the quad. But every step of the way has been something of a struggle having to figure things out myself b/c I can't ask someone down the hall.
Now multiply what I've said by a factor of 10 as you won't know who your peers are in an online class. You won't even have the kind of social life a night school student gets. I don't mean social life as in party. I've learned a lot working through problems with my peers, some problems cannot be solved on your own.
You may think that the social aspect isn't important. It's not if you're trying to get a technical degree in as little time as possible. In which case as an employer I'd probably lump you in with the Devry Tech grads. Not someone who's earned a BS Degree. If I was hiring I'd want someone who can work out problems with a group.
Having earned my BS (I graduate in 8 weeks) I know that most kids who can't work out problems together don't graduate with honors, many don't graduate at all. In other words the BS Degree represents a certain measureable amount of technical skill as well as implies a grasp of certain intangeble skills.
I had a career out of highschool before I decided I wanted a college degree. It was weird at first but it got better. I'm 32 now I don't look, feel or act it. I think it's from being around 20 year olds all day long. This has turned out to be a longer rant than I intended but I guess my bottom line is you're better off biting the bullet and living in poverty for 4 years and get the traditional degree.
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Not having finished my degree yet has certainly held me back in more than one job. I'm a network admin with a strong *nix and NT background, but even with certification from Cisco, it is difficult to progress. One can always land a job based on what you know, and how well you present yourself in the interview, but my experience so far has shown repeatedly that the lack of degree will dampen your chances of rising beyond the daily grind. I work for a large utility now as the prime network admin for my department, but I will not be able to make the leap into management without a degree. My advice to anyone who jumped into the IT business too early (for whatever reason) is to make the time to get the degree from a respectable establishment. It'll cut into your personal time and, in my case, family time, but the ends will justify the means. No one really wants to retire a packet-jockey. Certainly not me. Thus I am making the economic and social sacrifices to get my degree. Even if it takes years, it's worth it.
I think you hit the nail on the head. Many people, and that unfortunately includes people in Human Resources, see the online degree as something that gets banged out during lunch. Until people really do get out into the workplace with such a degree and prove themselves this is probably always going to be the case.
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No, I think the BS you already have will do nicely. "IT consultant" my ass.
As someone who found a very good paying job in IT at the age of 16 (and graduated from high-school early) let me give you some advice.
Forget about the IT consulting for now unless you can do it part time, and spend the next 4-6 years in college.
I'm now 29, married with a 2 year old and working very hard to get a degree (ie. up all night doing homework). Not having the degree hasn't prevented me from getting a good paying job, but I know I could have done better with the degree. At this point in my career I don't think I can progress much more without it. I've sort of hit the "no degree ceiling".
When I was your age I thought "who needs a degree when people are willing to pay me this much without it". Don't give in to that reasoning, it's short term thinking. I don't care how smart you are, a degree is a must. You might not miss it 5 years from now, but I know you will wish you had gotten it 10 or 15 years from now if you don't. If for no other reason, because 90% of those you will be competing with for salary and jobs will have it.
I don't care if you have to get a loan and live poorly for the next few years, it will be worth it!