[OT] Re: Does a degree matter?

[David Graham <dg...@hotmail.com>]

A university degree is important for employers even though you have 
experience.  If nothing else it might be fun to go back to school!

David



>From: "Brandon Goodin" <ma...@phase.ws>
>Reply-To: "Struts Users Mailing List" <st...@jakarta.apache.org>
>To: "Struts Users Mailing List" <st...@jakarta.apache.org>
>Subject: Does a degree matter?
>Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 13:09:11 -0700
>
>Hey all,
>
>I'm trying to make a decision as to what I am going to do. I am sucking 
>wind on profitable work. So, I was thinking about going to school and 
>getting a BA in Comp Science to make myself more attractive in the job 
>market. Is it really worth doing? I've been doing development for 5 years 
>professionaly. 2 years Perl and ASP, 3 years Java. Prior to that I was 
>hobbying in those languages on my own. My knowledge is competitive with 
>anyone else in my realm of experience. Anyways, I was just wondering how 
>important you all think a BA in Computer Science is for a family man trying 
>to give his career a boost.
>
>Brandon Goodin
>
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>To unsubscribe, e-mail: struts-user-unsubscribe@jakarta.apache.org
>For additional commands, e-mail: struts-user-help@jakarta.apache.org
>


_________________________________________________________________



---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: struts-user-unsubscribe@jakarta.apache.org
For additional commands, e-mail: struts-user-help@jakarta.apache.org

Re: [OT] Re: Does a degree matter?

[Becky Norum <bn...@coe.neu.edu>]

Brandon,

What I've been hearing more and more from my friends at larger corporate
institutions is that a degree does matter, especially in these difficult
times.  It is reflected in your pay as well as potential for
advancement, let alone employment.  It seems to be less important at
smaller businesses and academic institutions.

This is the perfect time to go back to school if it is economically
feasible for you and your family.  

Another thought is that many employers, especially Universities, will
pay for you to take classes.  My system admin is working on his B.A. -
our boss actively encourages us to pursue higher education. I finished
my M.S. while employed here, and my boss gave me some work time to work
through my courses.

Getting a CS degree at this point in the game may seem redundant to you,
but there is a lot you can gain from pursuing a degree.  Many
non-traditional students excel when they return to school because of
their interest in the field as well as the wealth of knowledge they
bring with them.  Even if you hated high school and traditional
classroom environments as many of us did, the experience can be
completely different as an adult student.

I would look into local universities and colleges and at least check out
your options.  

Best of luck,

Becky Norum  (BS Biochemistry, MS Information Systems)


> >From: "Brandon Goodin" <ma...@phase.ws>
> >Reply-To: "Struts Users Mailing List" <st...@jakarta.apache.org>
> >To: "Struts Users Mailing List" <st...@jakarta.apache.org>
> >Subject: Does a degree matter?
> >Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 13:09:11 -0700
> >
> >Hey all,
> >
> >I'm trying to make a decision as to what I am going to do. I am sucking 
> >wind on profitable work. So, I was thinking about going to school and 
> >getting a BA in Comp Science to make myself more attractive in the job 
> >market. Is it really worth doing? I've been doing development for 5 years 
> >professionaly. 2 years Perl and ASP, 3 years Java. Prior to that I was 
> >hobbying in those languages on my own. My knowledge is competitive with 
> >anyone else in my realm of experience. Anyways, I was just wondering how 
> >important you all think a BA in Computer Science is for a family man trying 
> >to give his career a boost.
> >
> >Brandon Goodin



---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: struts-user-unsubscribe@jakarta.apache.org
For additional commands, e-mail: struts-user-help@jakarta.apache.org

RE: [OT] Re: Does a degree matter?

[Mark Galbreath <ma...@qat.com>]

Or you can try what one of my best friends did several years ago.  He was a
self-taught wizard with no college and could not even get an interview.  So
I "manufactured" a resume for him awarding him a CS degree from a
highly-regarded state university.  He waltzed into the next job that came
along (a matter of days) and ended up writing Lockheed-Martins health
benefits application.  For the past 5 years he has been working for a very
highly-regarded West Coast firm and is now a departmental VP for software.
My experience has been that IT departments and recruiters are much more
concerned about proven experience than a degree or certification.  The
degree only gives them a sense of security, and in over 10 years in the
business I have not known a single employer to check the educational
credentials of a candidate. It's the technical interview and experience
that's important.

Moral: Don't let artificial and superficial barriers stand in your way - be
creative!  

Mark

-----Original Message-----
From: David Graham [mailto:dgraham1980@hotmail.com] 
Sent: Saturday, March 29, 2003 3:29 PM
To: struts-user@jakarta.apache.org
Subject: [OT] Re: Does a degree matter?


A university degree is important for employers even though you have 
experience.  If nothing else it might be fun to go back to school!

David



>From: "Brandon Goodin" <ma...@phase.ws>
>Reply-To: "Struts Users Mailing List" <st...@jakarta.apache.org>
>To: "Struts Users Mailing List" <st...@jakarta.apache.org>
>Subject: Does a degree matter?
>Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 13:09:11 -0700
>
>Hey all,
>
>I'm trying to make a decision as to what I am going to do. I am sucking
>wind on profitable work. So, I was thinking about going to school and 
>getting a BA in Comp Science to make myself more attractive in the job 
>market. Is it really worth doing? I've been doing development for 5 years 
>professionaly. 2 years Perl and ASP, 3 years Java. Prior to that I was 
>hobbying in those languages on my own. My knowledge is competitive with 
>anyone else in my realm of experience. Anyways, I was just wondering how 
>important you all think a BA in Computer Science is for a family man trying

>to give his career a boost.
>
>Brandon Goodin
>
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>To unsubscribe, e-mail: struts-user-unsubscribe@jakarta.apache.org
>For additional commands, e-mail: struts-user-help@jakarta.apache.org
>


_________________________________________________________________



---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: struts-user-unsubscribe@jakarta.apache.org
For additional commands, e-mail: struts-user-help@jakarta.apache.org




---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: struts-user-unsubscribe@jakarta.apache.org
For additional commands, e-mail: struts-user-help@jakarta.apache.org