Question about a particular database admin style degree

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Xarick, Feb 6, 2006.

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  1. Xarick

    Xarick New Member

    I am considering this degree:

    Baker Bachelor of Computer Science - Database Technology

    I have some concerns:

    First off it is a Bachelor of Computer Science not a Bachelor of Science in Computer science.

    Secondly I am worried I might be just going to a trade type school with no hope for a masters.

    Thirdly I wonder a bit about lacking the theory.. now I don't want to design compilers or do embedded systems.. I am much more interested in doing business CS type work so being a DBA seemed like a decent idea.

    Finally since I am lacking any real database experience I am wondering if this is really even going to work for that type of job.

    Now some have said just get oracle certs then get a degree, but I really want a bachelors and eventually an MBA.

    Thoughts? by the way I have an associates of applied Science in Water Quality Technology. This allows me to operate water and wastewater plants, but doesn't tranfer well at all.
     
  2. Daniel Luechtefeld

    Daniel Luechtefeld New Member

    Start narrow, end broad.

    For IT paraprofessional roles vendor certs open more doors than degrees. A DBA is paraprofessional; DBA jobs typically require detailed understanding of a particular vendor's DB - tablespace, file system management, SQL variations, etc. The scope of study is narrow.

    Get the cert you want, find the job you want, and then pursue a broader CIS or MIS degree that prepares you to map complex business processes to specific DB design tasks.

    Down the road you may need to decide between an MLS and MBA, so consider how your baccalaureate prepares you for one of those.
     
  3. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    I work in the information technology field and can unequivocally say that a Bachelor of Computer Science (BCS) and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BScCS) are essentially the same thing. Some universities which formerly offered BScCS changed to BCS once the computer science faculty was separated from the science and/or engineering faculty. From personal experience, this occurred at the University of New Brunswick sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s.

    As for the courses in the program at Baker College they seem to cover most of the theory you could expect at other schools with the exception of compiler construction and advanced operating systems concepts. Since you want to work as a database administrator the degree looks to be a good match. Work towards vendor certification along the way.
     
  4. Pugman

    Pugman New Member

    As a Oracle, IBM, and Microsoft certified DBA - I would not recommend the Baker program (very general). Technical undergrad degrees are great - but if you got an Oracle OCP, the technical competence is assumed.

    For what it's worth, you may want to consider leveraging your existing associates degree via the 'big 3' just to get the BA/BS quickly. Then look at an Oracle or MSDBA cert to see if that is what interests you. Whether you become a DBA or not, a 'big 3' degree would be a adequate springboard fr an MBA.

    Just my 2 cents...

    Greg
     
  5. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    The Big 3 BA/BS degrees can be very general in nature as well depending on the course/examination selections made by the student. In that regard I cannot agree that the Baker College degree that is the subject of this thread is automatically more general than a degree earned from TESC, COSC, or EC.

    Additionally, at TESC an applied technology degree requires the courses being transferred into the degree be relatively recent due to the changing nature of technologies. If the AAS in Water Quality Technology meets the currency requirement, then by all means it should be used to leverage prior education towards a BA or BS.

    I am completing a BA at TESC but all my computer science credits came from transfer courses taken years ago at a brick-and-mortar university.
     
  6. Xarick

    Xarick New Member

    Personally I am not fond of the big 3 because I do not like the idea of piecing together a degree from many different locations. I prefer to get one school and stick with them.
     
  7. B.N.

    B.N. Member

    You don't have to "piece the degree together." Excelsior offers many courses. If you really wanted to, you could probably complete a degree (also in IT or CIS) using just their classes. The reason most people on this forum decide to use various sources of credit is because it's cheaper, it's faster and it usually get's them to their goal: 1 RA degree.

    Brandon
     
  8. Pugman

    Pugman New Member

    Sentinal : You are correct that Baker's program is more specific than the big 3. I guess where I was going is that it is more general than an Oracle cert (that is, the only tools I saw mentioned on their course listings are Java, VB, and C++ - I did not see the database courses listing Oracle).

    Given the current IT environment, you may be better served (arguably) with a quick 'general' bachelors degree (say 6 months of testing out), an Oracle OCP (~150 hours), and an MBA - than spending years getting a CS degree at Baker.

    Of course, many may disagree. I'm just thinking about maximizing what you have (AS degree) as well as focusing on a few niches (Oracle & MBA). Moreover, it gives you more flexibility if you later decide that the IT thing doesn't appeal to you (investing hours rather than years).

    Hope this helps.

    Greg

    BTW...keep in mind that with outsourcing, the MBA is increasingly important in IT.
     
  9. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I already had credit from half a dozen sources, so Charter Oak was an obvious choice for me. However, one can complete a degree from them without going elsewhere, just like Excelsior, although so far Charter Oak only has a Business program.

    -=Steve=-
     
  10. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    Any business or management background coupled with a technical degree is arguably a wise decision these days.

    A good quality and inexpensive MBA is available from Aspen University - a DETC accredited school. dys.funk.sh.null graduated from Aspen University in 2004 or 2005.
     
  11. Pugman

    Pugman New Member

    Sentinal, I like the way you think!

    I was actually thinking about throwing in Aspen's MBA-Project Management as a recommendation.

    More specifically, one could go to a 4 day PMP bootcamp (company pays of course) - get your PMP on day 5 - get 9 credits from Aspen towards the MBA.

    BS, MBA, PMP, and OCP is a nice combination...and likely do-able in < 2 years. Of course, that assumes that someone likes this stuff ;-)

    Greg
     
  12. rtongue

    rtongue New Member

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