Postbaccalaureate Computer Networking or MS Information Technology

Hi All. I'm looking for some advice as a 30 year old career changer. My undergraduate degree is in Chemistry/Biology and I have been working in the food industry for my entire career. For various reasons, however, the IT field affords a considerable amount more opportunity than my current skill-set provides.

Reviewing against my list of interests and the jobs/careers I'd enjoy, I have narrowed my list to two schools.

Regis University BS in Computer Networking (with the optional MS in Systems Engineering that can be obtained by mixing the two programs in the final stage): Regis University - B.S. in Computer Networking Degree

or,

MS in Information Technology from Nova Southeastern University Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences

The plus side to the Regis program is that I'm quite infatuated with network architecture and engineering. It doesn't hurt that the program is ABET accredited. The downside is that another bachelors given their 1-2 class at a time schedule will take approximately 3 years--which I realize isn't enormous in the grand scheme of things.

The MS in Information Technology seems more practitioner oriented and would afford a Masters level education on my resume; though this new program is only accredited via the schools regional listing--which is still important and necessary, of course. The downside is that curriculum is slim in networking material and programming languages. I don't want to be a computer programmer or software engineer, but I do like that the Regis program provides a fairly robust foundation of programming material with which to round out the edges.

Does anyone have any experience with either of the above two programs. I know Nova recently changed the curriculum for the MS in Information Technology from a much more programming based one to a more systems administration oriented perspective, but it still seems like a decent option for a career changer. Any opinions on the strengths or weaknesses of either program would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

I have worked in IT since 1996 and can offer some advice.
You need marketable skills. Sometimes degrees don't provide those. Get the degree that is cost effective but if you want to get into IT you really need to actually have some skills.
My company has the following positions:
java programmer, c# programmer, Oracle DBA, info sec analyst, scrum master, project manager, business analyst, qa analyst, network engineer, open systems engineer, product manager, architect, lead developer, development manager, web designer, SEO specialist, LAN administrator, help desk, technical support and many others.

Take one of those jobs and determine if you like it. Then find the job and see what skills are required. Find a program or better yet, spend the time yourself to acquire those skills. As a chemist you are intelligent and will be able to build these skills if you invest a few hundred hours in focused study. Want to be a C# programmer? Download Visual C# Express and buy some books. Lock yourself in a room and write some programs.

PM me if you need help getting into this field.

FYI, Western Governers has low cost MS ITM and MS IA careers. Information security is a hot field with all of the terrorist and communist countries continually attacking private and public enterprises in the US so I would recommend learning that if it interests you.

 

I agree with ryoder, you really do need marketable skills and experience in the industry that those degrees may not provide.

There are many entry-level certifications that would provide you more marketability than the degrees above. I also think WGU is a great option if you are interested in a 2nd Bachelor degree. Their college of IT offers several undergraduate IT degrees that require you to successfully pass numerous IT certifications, which enhance your marketability:
Earn Your Online IT Degree at WGU | Online IT Degree | WGU College of Information Technology

 

I really appreciate the advice and think the Western Governors option would allow for a reasonable dive into this without a deep financial commitment. I have talked with their advisers regarding entry level requirements. They recommend at least one entry level certification to gain admission--which seems reasonable to me. Their recommendation was to go with the MTA Software Development Fundamentals as it allows for a nice survey of several areas of IT and would check off one of the certification requirements for their BS level degrees. I'm wondering if any of you can recommend a study resource for this certification? I've crossed the Ucertify option off my list because it looks poorly designed and for a $120, I'd rather have a textbook or other tangible resource available to me.

Thoughts?