This is the type of job I want to get a degree for:

People keep asking my what I want to do. Well here is a job in my current company that I would really love to be able to do someday:

http://www.trimet.org/jobs/06041.htm

I would like a Bachelors degree. Something that would help me train for this type of job. What should I be looking at? Where should I be looking?

 

An IT degree of some kind? Network emphasis. What do you currently do now, Xarick?

BReady

PS. I saw the pay... I don't blame you for wanting that job

 

Other organizations call this a "system administrator" or "network administrator". Vendor and program management certs are what is required to qualify.

FHSU offers a baccalaureate programs that specifically prepares you for certs. The OIT program may be useful as well.

 

Assuming you have a budget, the local community college may be your best bet.

 

..a degree alone won't get you that job, they are also asking for experience to go along with the education.

I do agree with the poster that mentioned FHSU - part of the BS that I am enrolled in ( see sig ) requires that I take the CCNA; after that I can work towards CCNP or take security focused courses as well as prep courses for Certs such as CWNA.

I have a few CompTIA Certs and some other IT Certs - and my bonus is that I worked in the IT industry for 10 years before switching gears

I suggest you also visit www.techexams.net and www.mcmcse.com - a couple of excellent Certification sites - and brush up an get cracking

Some of the CompTIA Certs that would help you in that a job posting such as that one would be A+, Network+, Server+ and Security+ - and since they're also looking for fiscal responsibility, don't discard a minor in business admin or the like... in order for the degree to be worth more than it's weight in gold, I'm doing a double major (INT and 2nd major in Organizational Leadership).

In terms of experience - you'll have to get some IT related education first and then start volunteering your time to build up your resume.

The old adage "You've got to spend money to make money" rings especially true in education.. you have to invest time and money to get a degree, but it'll pay for itself in the long run - esp. in this world where just about everyone has at least one degree...

 

So what about the Western Governors IT degree. It seems to include a bunch of certs..

Western Governors Newest Program

I like OIT a lot, but it has no certs included.

 

I agree. Where I teach programming, we also have an Associates in Computer Network Engineering. Graduates of this program get gobbled up immediately. I am told that these programs are not uncommon in community colleges. Since this is a very hands-on field, I think that if you can do the brick-and-mortar approach, it may be your best bet.

 

okay.. well yell at me if I am thinking wrong here please, but I already have an associates in an unrelated field. I really really want a Bachelors. I feel like I am being held back in life without one. So I was kinda hoping to go that route instead of another associates.

am I thinking wrong here?

 

Yes. I think you are thinking incorrectly.

If you had that Assoc. degree, with all the cool, hands-on lab work - I am sure you could land a good (and good paying) job. You just have to be passionate about what you are doing.

If your only goal is to get a BS, then go get any BS, but if you have a chance at a good Assoc degree (as spmoran was sharing with us) - hook up!

Do your analysis, list what it is you want, set dates, choose a school and get at it. Quit farting around.

 

Depends on your associates components. You should be able to leverage the associates (at least the Gen Ed portion) into a some part of BA/BS at one of the Big Three. And a BA/BS carries far more weight than 2X an associates.

Here's your problem: You have to DO this. No one can do this for you. And it will take 1-3 years IF you stick to it.

 

Thanks for the confidence and faith jim.

 

A distance B.S. degree in a field that requires a lot of hands-on ability, and that usually has an A.S. as a bar to entry, won't be as valuable. I watch the folks here that do what you want to do. Not much theory going on. They know the system and components inside and out. They are capable of doing what is needed and thinking on their own.

I am certainly not trying to deter your eventual B.S. plans, but I want to make sure you have some sort of accurate picture for the field that you aspire to join.

 

And I'll also mention that you'd definitely do well to get some sort of documentable experience, either through volunteering or running a home network (which may not be enough -- I'm a software type, so I don't know specifically how much they look for). I finally got my foot in the door at a small company here in the past week, and although my BS was a factor, the main thing was that I was able to show that I've done programming for personal benefit outside of school -- that carried a lot of weight and got them to offer the job on the spot instead of waiting for some of the other candidates who hadn't shown anything but a degree.

All I can suggest is that if you think this is what you want to do, do whatever it takes to do it. Some of the fine folk here can give better ideas than I as far as how to get that experience, and the value of the BS (which I think would be worth it), but the main thing is get a plan of attack and stick to it.

 

Documentable experience is as simple as vounteering at a local non-profit - a church for example. Everybody uses computers. Even better, you can cclaim the donated labor as a charitable deduction