My son wants to go into computer something for a career.

[lynn]

Is his future better with a 4 year computer engineering degree or just a 2 year degree from a school like ITT tech?

[G5052]

Parts of the country vary, but in our area, government contractors look for traditional college degrees, and they and the federal government have most of the jobs, especially now. Of course ITT graduates do get jobs, but long-term those with 2- or 4-year degrees have more opportunity. I have two brother-in-laws in the IT field in other states who went just the certification route without a college degree, and both are finding their opportunities more and more limited.

 

Some CC's do the same industry certifications that ITT does, or at least provide review classes. At least in this area, the CC's are very in tune with the employers and our graduates haven't had problems finding jobs, even in these economic times.

 

If he's interested/capable, a four-year degree is even better.

Edited March 3, 2009 by GVA

[Tess in the Burbs]

My dh has a 4 year degree in Computer Science and honestly has worked with MANY people who had no degree at all! His current company was started by two guys with no degree. But it shows now....the company is struggling.

 

He has been interviewing lately and his degree isn't enough. One company was headed up by a staff with all Master's or PhD's! He had 2 interviews but did not get an offer. He wanted to apply for a job this week but the description required a Master's degree and experience AFTER getting the degree!

 

My dh is a senior level now and suddenly his BS degree isn't enough???? He is always asked about his education in interviews where before they couldn't care less.

 

I think your son should get a degree. I think doing the community college route into a 4 year school is great. Then he gets into those nitty gritty classes early and knows if he really likes it.

 

I think a degree is getting more important in a tightening economy. Dh's cousin had an interest in computers but did nothing. And he hasn't been able to get employment doing what he wants. Sure people get jobs without one but it's not as common anymore IMHO. It's who you know and the employer. Dh's current employer doesn't care. But all the degreed guys are watching the non degreed guys run it into the ground ;-)

[Pamela H in Texas]

That is a hard one. *I* think it makes the most sense to have a degree in computer something or another :) However, a lot of times, people in computer careers don't have a degree at all or they have a four year degree in SOMETHING, but not necessarily computers. For example, my uncle was a physicist before taking a government computer job.

 

Anyway, my daughter is getting her degree with wgu.edu. That will give her nine certifications as well as a four year degree. That way, also, she can do it her own pace and on her own timing so she can take care of other things she feels she needs to. She can also, with them, go on to get her Masters if she so desires with the same great flexibility.

 

HTHs a little,

[TXMomof4]

I'd say cc with the additional certifications. DH has a 4 yr degree, but his counterparts in his civilian job have no degrees, just Cisco, MCSE and various other certifications that I don't know about. DH had his MCSE, but not Cisco when he started at this company and that was the first thing they wanted him to accomplish - getting his CCNA done.

[KatieJ]

We asked that same question when our oldest son was graduating and deciding on college. My DH is a non-degreed engineer who is now also the IT support for his company. When he can't figure it out, he has a computer support company he calls in. That company rep told him to have our son get the 4 year degree in Engineering. The guys with the 4 year degrees tend to get better jobs as the job market has tightened up.

[plimsoll]

What aspect of computers is he interested in? For hardware design, I think engineering and CS degrees are probably necessary. For software design and development, you don't need a degree in CS or engineering, but you do need a degree.

Generally, after you have had one or two jobs, nobody cares what you majored in, only what you can do as evidenced by your work experience and interviewing skills.

Here are some things that will help differentiate a job candidate from the rest of the computer software work force:

1) ability to write and speak eloquently

2) "people" skills, especially some management experience

3) experience in whatever field the company offering the job specializes in

Additionally, you need to develop the ability to be a lifelong learner, not just in technology (which is always changing), but in business as well. As you move from company to company, you must be able to learn how different businesses function to effectively develop software for them.

So, you do need to learn the technology. But you don't need to get a CS degree. I majored in history, eventually decided to become a programmer, took a 6-month intensive training course to prepare me for my first job, and the rest of my technical training (ongoing through an 18 year consulting career) was done via books and job experience.

Some of the best programmers and software designers I've worked with came from music, art, and other liberal arts backgrounds. This, in my view, helped them develop ways of thinking and looking at problems that were beneficial to software development. However, once they became programmers, they studied programming, algorithms, computer science and all the rest quite thoroughly. The important skills to develop for programming are, in my opinion:

1) the ability to hold many complex things in your mind at once and model their interactions and relationships

2) the ability to simplify and abstract general priciples from a mass of details (derive a design from the business requirements...)

3) the ability to design things simply and robustly

4) the ability to write well - writing programs is writing, and many of the same principles apply

5) the ability to work with abstractions

6) the ability to keep learning and improving

7) the ability to talk to people, especially non-techies -- finding out what your software is supposed to do requires talking to non-technical people about how the business works

But, as they say in Jonathan Livingston Seagull, "Let's begin with level flight...." You have to start by learning enough technical skills to get your first job. After that, you learn as you go, taking classes and studying books. You must have a 4-year college degree. Many companies view this the way a HS diploma was viewed years ago, i.e., it's the bare minimum education level they will consider. A 2-year program specializing in programming skills is, however, a viable option for post-graduate education.

There are also various “certification†programs available from major vendors (Microsoft, Oracle, etc.) that provide training in their particular technologies. These certification programs may help differentiate you if there is a particular technology you decide to specialize in. However, once you have a number of job experiences on your resume, the employer will be looking at what you have done and what you can do. It’s possible to be “certified†in a technology or platform and still not be able to solve real-world problems. Note that many employers will pay for this additional training if it is work-related.

So if it's the software side that your son is interested in, I would recommend taking a four year college program. Major in anything, but take courses that help develop the above-mentioned skills. Make sure to also take programming classes and hang out with the computer geeks, since they might someday invite you to interview or refer you somewhere. Develop a cool website so that when you go on interviews, you can show off your work. Try to participate in some sort of internship program during college, which will provide exposure to the corporate world and provide an opportunity to learn about a particular business and how it works. Try to also do some computer-related work during college or over the summer, even if just for a relative’s business. The internships and other work you do can be put on your resume as real-world job experience, so when you try to get your first full-time job, you will not have a resume that shows only college courses.

And read Dilbert. Everything in Dilbert is true. But you have to hide this knowledge when you go for a job interview.

[hornblower]

You know what? I honestly strongly discourage this career choice. I think the competition in this field from China and India are too great & many of these jobs can be outsourced overseas.

 

Have you heard about Two Million Minutes?

http://www.2mminutes.com/

"Computer engineer" is a very desirable career choice for kids there .....

 

Of course if someone has a true passion for this subject that's different. But then it'll be someone who will pursue all academic options to the highest possible level and will be developing their career in their private time as well. I'm not saying it's something our kids can't succeed in anymore...just that if there's any ambivalence about the subject, I'd steer them in a different direction.

 

disclosure: My dh was CEO of an internet startup during the 90's - this is how we know this field.

[Rosie_0801]

My dh has a 4 year degree in Computer Science... He has been interviewing lately and his degree isn't enough.

 

My hubby had the same problem and has had to go back to uni to do a post grad diploma since he finished his degree 8 years ago and has spent three of the years since out of the computer field. Whatever you go for, make sure he builds a strong resume otherwise he'll end up in the same boat. When dh finished his degree he did tech support, because that's the work that was available. Now he can't get work doing that, and has nothing else computer related on his resume so can't get work doing that either. Studying programming languages at home doesn't seem to count for anything, you have to have workplace experience or a specific qualification. The wider the course of study for your son, the better. I'd even go so far as to say when he's finished his qualification, two different part time jobs would be better for him than one full time for resume building purposes. Until he has a family to support, anyway.

 

That's our experience.

Rosie

Edited March 3, 2009 by Rosie_0801

[st_claire]

It depends what sort of computer job he wants.

 

Research? PhD in CS.

Software used by professionals? Comp. Eng.

Code monkey? College

Web-design? Highschool.

 

Hope that helps. If you narrow down what he wants to do, I can offer some more. Also, he should consider a minor in CS with a complimentary degree. Such as Business, Music/Art, Math, Science, etc...