Yes. Get the degree. Get an associates, then go back and get another associates. You can do them in 18 months. Then take a couple of gen-ed classes on top of it, and turn it into a Bachelors.
@damonaniton it accomplishes the most important part of an information technology career which is also the main thing missing from today's Young professionals. that being temperament and aptitude.
@@princemarkied8071 im an old man in this field. next year is year 28 for me. unfortunately nothing will teach this thing temperament. the internet has almost bread it out of them. as far as aptitude. this absolutely will not teach anyone aptitude. these degrees are full of fluff. especially at the associate level. and any actual technical aptitude they have comes from a vendor certification that they made part of the curriculum.
Degrees are for ATS systems. Projects and Certs for recruiters. That means if you plan to get into this without going back to school for a degree, you better be networking both online AND offline meaning if there's a meetup somewhere you can travel to or a convention with known recruiters, your chances of getting an on-the-spot interview and getting hired are much better than dealing with algorithms designed to say no to you. With that said, later if you want to get one you can. It doesn't harm you, it only helps in that you no longer have to put as much effort into networking because your entire background will speak for itself and both algorithms and recruiters will see that. Know the nuances, know how humans work, know how machines work, and you win.
@@TechTualChatter it depends on the recruiter sure but in large part no. You have those that need the degree as a check list item, some that look at your portfolio and call it a day, some look at your Network+ cert and maybe a CCNA if you were gun ho and then can also call it day, and some look at how long you've been in the industry period without any of that. That means in most of these scenarios, there a small segment out there that make it that way but that's not everyone. The ATS is a system that going off of keywords which is very easy to fool if you wanted to make yourself look like an all-star but didn't do anything you put on a resume. That's why you will find more success if you want it by networking on and offline because even if you run into a person that makes it their business that you have a degree, they're a minority these days.
@infini.tesimo ehhh it's moreso contingent on company policy Plus I've had enough recruiters and hr peeps on the platform to dissect the talk about ATS systems
@@TechTualChatter the truth is many if not most rejections are never from a human. It is almost always the ATS system. There was a report about a month ago where a company fired their entire HR department. The manager sent them a req to fill and they had not sent him a single candidate for like 5mo. He changes the name on his resume and application and he applies for the job himself. He gets an immediate rejection from the system. Why might you ask. Because the HR team put in the wrong requirements for the job. And the system was blindly auto rejecting qualified candidates.
I want to get into cybersecurity. I do not want to go back to school? I was thinking because im in dc and tech events. I work in hotel near capital hill. I deal with government workers some in tech. Yea i use that network. I will go back if have to but i dont want to.
I wouldn't say WGU is "easy" and my wife just graduated from their Cyber Sec B.S degree and she also had to do a capstone and/or projects as well but she also has a bunch of certs now. Now she can add all this to her resume BS Degree, Certs, and projects and she's also in IT so Im sure that'll help her job search as well. I do agree with 2 things, if you get a chance to get a Degree you might have better chances of getting hired over someone like me that while I have 4-5 years of experience in IT I have no collage degree, no certs. Currently working on my Sec+ and contemplating to actually get a degree. I also agree with her that us "minorities" have to work a little extra and even tho Im hispanic and we don't go through what black ppl go through (cause there are levels) my parents always told me that. Gotta make sure your resume looks good to entice them and look past the name. Love the content. All the best!
When you say minorities have to work a little harder, can be specific as to what it is that a company would actively discriminate against you for having the same qualifications as another person like yourself? Because that doesn't sound accurate and a convenient way to cast doubt in your own ability to sell yourself which is a taught behavior by listening to other people repeating the same.
@@infini.tesimo just look at the data. It's not even about casting doubt for example Bloomberg just reported that cognizant had a bias to tend to hire Indians over everyone else
@@TechTualChatter is that because of country where it's cheaper to hire or is it actually race based though? That sounds like the dollar goes further there. I'll look into it.
If you get a degree and apply yourself you really put yourself in the best case scenario. Also degrees can be super affordable if you got the community college to affordable state university route.
In Michigan they have a program that will pay for you to get your associates if you’re 21+. I’ll have my associates after the spring. Maybe look out for programs like this in your state. I had no intentions on going to school until I heard about that program.
I really appreciated your insight! I’m currently pursuing a degree, but I’ve felt discouraged at times by hearing negative experiences from others in the field who already have degrees. Expressing we don’t need a degree to break into the field
watching this opened my eyes a little more, as a 20 yr old I wasn't sure which route was the best especially with me being out of school now but definitely after watching this I am definitely 100% pursuing a degree ASAP, as of the moment right now thoo... I really cant because of circumstance so my focus has been shifted to certs , but this video has made me open my eyes and shown me that the journey im walking doesnt have to be so hard just gotta open my eyes a little more lol. Glad I came across this video
I agree get a degree especially with schools like WGU and they are cheap. I spent too much money on an associate art degree that I can't even use now. (Oh you just said it).
First certs expire but degrees are lifetime. You can't compare both. Certs are commercialised pieces of papers by software vendors. They don't upskill you but still endorse during the recruitment process. You need a minimum of 2 to 3 years to understand some of the IT ecosystems either with software applications, database systems, Network etc. certs may tell you need a week or even a month to be ready to pass a cert exam. I wrote a cert exam and I passed it with no experience in cyber security tools. But the person with experience in that field with an expired certificate, attempted to write the same exam again but failed it. We write these exams just to bypass the recruiters requirements. But we are already skilled and well equipped software tools.
Oh this is interesting my background is medical billing & coding before switching to tech. This may be the answer I was looking for because I find WGU cybersecurity program redundant in the amount of required classes to gets certs that I do not want
My point learn the skills do labs and even if you start at helpdesk you’ll make it faster by gaining real skills. Schools I think do a bad job on teaching you technical skills and focus more on theory.
I don’t have a degree but have had a 9 year very successful, impactful, and lucrative career in tech so far. I’m considering the degree but idk… seems a bit pointless this far in.
I work for an ISP in a help desk role for 3 yrs now. I’m also enrolled at WGU’s Cybersecurity and Assurance bachelors program expected graduation date 12/26. Should I just self study like bootcamps or continue. I’m on the fence because I currently have an associates in criminal justice
It's better to grt the degree. People know you will have a more well rounded knowledge in your degree and you get to have internships, job fairs, professors from the industry, building with students who have ideas, etc. Take yall buts to school. Also you can then get higher degrees in something that will help you look waaay better.
Job descriptions read "Degree OR............." No, you dont need a degree. Does a degree help, very rarely. Does it hurt, never. Unless you are looking to focus on something coding heavy the degree is the way to go. All these "projects and capstones" are about showing hands on. But you dont need a degree to do hands on projects. People need a structured learning plan. Companies dont care where or how you learn it. Just so that you do.
@@damonaniton I agree but disagree with you simply because I've seen companies say verbatim they don't care for certain labs courses and bootcamps for example
@@TechTualChatter you are right. there is no blanket answer. it honestly all comes down to a particular company hiring philosophy. there truly are some, a small few, that will not even talk to a person without the degree. the million dollar question is what is the best way for someone to get into tech. or in this video cybersecurity. and there will never be 1 answer, or absolutes. the field and options are just too varied.
@damonaniton from my experience education tends to hold some people back from progressing in their career faster than the people that have it. So if you can find an affordable way to get a degree along with the other work it takes to get into the game I say go for it
@@TechTualChatter im all for education. Everyone should be educated. I just question the "education" many of these so called degrees offer. Most are selling a for profit education for them but offer little in the way of practical education for the individual. And somewhat in their defense it is not their fault. Relevant technology changes too fast for curriculum to stay relevant.
masters degree in data science I want to become an data engineer, then I want to work my way up to become an data Scientist, I graduate with my undergraduate in business February of 2025
@@TechTualChatterThats the idea though, you cannot expect to get high earning roles in IT without a degree especially as far as internships are concern. You have to work your way up. It also teaches you the necessary problem solving skills and grit that you get to be exposed to in academics
The biggest reason for degrees now- and all of see it. The push for merit based talent and skills sets. The attack on diversity and inclusion. Is driving everyone, including the government to prep of education requirements. Your skills and knowledge is going to have to speak louder
Yes. Get the degree. Get an associates, then go back and get another associates. You can do them in 18 months. Then take a couple of gen-ed classes on top of it, and turn it into a Bachelors.
@@princemarkied8071 interesting strategy
and what exactly does this accomplish?
@damonaniton it accomplishes the most important part of an information technology career which is also the main thing missing from today's Young professionals. that being temperament and aptitude.
@@princemarkied8071 you know the Gen z kids are the microwave society
@@princemarkied8071 im an old man in this field. next year is year 28 for me. unfortunately nothing will teach this thing temperament. the internet has almost bread it out of them.
as far as aptitude. this absolutely will not teach anyone aptitude. these degrees are full of fluff. especially at the associate level. and any actual technical aptitude they have comes from a vendor certification that they made part of the curriculum.
Degrees are for ATS systems.
Projects and Certs for recruiters.
That means if you plan to get into this without going back to school for a degree, you better be networking both online AND offline meaning if there's a meetup somewhere you can travel to or a convention with known recruiters, your chances of getting an on-the-spot interview and getting hired are much better than dealing with algorithms designed to say no to you.
With that said, later if you want to get one you can. It doesn't harm you, it only helps in that you no longer have to put as much effort into networking because your entire background will speak for itself and both algorithms and recruiters will see that.
Know the nuances, know how humans work, know how machines work, and you win.
Degrees are for HR
Somebody will still reject your resume no matter how much people propagate information about ATS systems
@@TechTualChatter it depends on the recruiter sure but in large part no. You have those that need the degree as a check list item, some that look at your portfolio and call it a day, some look at your Network+ cert and maybe a CCNA if you were gun ho and then can also call it day, and some look at how long you've been in the industry period without any of that. That means in most of these scenarios, there a small segment out there that make it that way but that's not everyone. The ATS is a system that going off of keywords which is very easy to fool if you wanted to make yourself look like an all-star but didn't do anything you put on a resume. That's why you will find more success if you want it by networking on and offline because even if you run into a person that makes it their business that you have a degree, they're a minority these days.
@infini.tesimo ehhh it's moreso contingent on company policy
Plus I've had enough recruiters and hr peeps on the platform to dissect the talk about ATS systems
@@TechTualChatter the truth is many if not most rejections are never from a human. It is almost always the ATS system.
There was a report about a month ago where a company fired their entire HR department. The manager sent them a req to fill and they had not sent him a single candidate for like 5mo.
He changes the name on his resume and application and he applies for the job himself. He gets an immediate rejection from the system. Why might you ask. Because the HR team put in the wrong requirements for the job. And the system was blindly auto rejecting qualified candidates.
I want to get into cybersecurity. I do not want to go back to school? I was thinking because im in dc and tech events. I work in hotel near capital hill. I deal with government workers some in tech. Yea i use that network. I will go back if have to but i dont want to.
I wouldn't say WGU is "easy" and my wife just graduated from their Cyber Sec B.S degree and she also had to do a capstone and/or projects as well but she also has a bunch of certs now. Now she can add all this to her resume BS Degree, Certs, and projects and she's also in IT so Im sure that'll help her job search as well.
I do agree with 2 things, if you get a chance to get a Degree you might have better chances of getting hired over someone like me that while I have 4-5 years of experience in IT I have no collage degree, no certs. Currently working on my Sec+ and contemplating to actually get a degree. I also agree with her that us "minorities" have to work a little extra and even tho Im hispanic and we don't go through what black ppl go through (cause there are levels) my parents always told me that. Gotta make sure your resume looks good to entice them and look past the name. Love the content. All the best!
@@TonyStarkChillinFromHeaven I agree but I also think Hispanic face a rough time in IT as well. We're all in here together
When you say minorities have to work a little harder, can be specific as to what it is that a company would actively discriminate against you for having the same qualifications as another person like yourself? Because that doesn't sound accurate and a convenient way to cast doubt in your own ability to sell yourself which is a taught behavior by listening to other people repeating the same.
@@infini.tesimo just look at the data. It's not even about casting doubt for example Bloomberg just reported that cognizant had a bias to tend to hire Indians over everyone else
@@TechTualChatter is that because of country where it's cheaper to hire or is it actually race based though? That sounds like the dollar goes further there. I'll look into it.
@infini.tesimo could be a mix of both because they lolive here in US too
If you get a degree and apply yourself you really put yourself in the best case scenario. Also degrees can be super affordable if you got the community college to affordable state university route.
In Michigan they have a program that will pay for you to get your associates if you’re 21+. I’ll have my associates after the spring. Maybe look out for programs like this in your state. I had no intentions on going to school until I heard about that program.
@@ItsMaceo niceeee
I really appreciated your insight! I’m currently pursuing a degree, but I’ve felt discouraged at times by hearing negative experiences from others in the field who already have degrees. Expressing we don’t need a degree to break into the field
watching this opened my eyes a little more, as a 20 yr old I wasn't sure which route was the best especially with me being out of school now but definitely after watching this I am definitely 100% pursuing a degree ASAP, as of the moment right now thoo... I really cant because of circumstance so my focus has been shifted to certs , but this video has made me open my eyes and shown me that the journey im walking doesnt have to be so hard just gotta open my eyes a little more lol. Glad I came across this video
💪🏾💪🏾
I agree get a degree especially with schools like WGU and they are cheap. I spent too much money on an associate art degree that I can't even use now. (Oh you just said it).
@@StormyBeLife lol it's ok we do better when we know better
I have no cybersecurity degree! I think there pointless I have a degree in healthcare and just shifted using certs.
@@Progressive_Entrepreneur cyber degrees are pointless because they're so new. They're not mentioned on most job descriptions
First certs expire but degrees are lifetime. You can't compare both. Certs are commercialised pieces of papers by software vendors. They don't upskill you but still endorse during the recruitment process. You need a minimum of 2 to 3 years to understand some of the IT ecosystems either with software applications, database systems, Network etc. certs may tell you need a week or even a month to be ready to pass a cert exam. I wrote a cert exam and I passed it with no experience in cyber security tools. But the person with experience in that field with an expired certificate, attempted to write the same exam again but failed it. We write these exams just to bypass the recruiters requirements. But we are already skilled and well equipped software tools.
Oh this is interesting my background is medical billing & coding before switching to tech. This may be the answer I was looking for because I find WGU cybersecurity program redundant in the amount of required classes to gets certs that I do not want
@ as long as your self motivated and find this field interesting you can do it
Thank you.
My point learn the skills do labs and even if you start at helpdesk you’ll make it faster by gaining real skills. Schools I think do a bad job on teaching you technical skills and focus more on theory.
@@luispuello8 I don't really understand your comment
I don’t have a degree but have had a 9 year very successful, impactful, and lucrative career in tech so far. I’m considering the degree but idk… seems a bit pointless this far in.
@@eleven_b_eleven if you want to do leadership go for it
I work for an ISP in a help desk role for 3 yrs now. I’m also enrolled at WGU’s Cybersecurity and Assurance bachelors program expected graduation date 12/26. Should I just self study like bootcamps or continue. I’m on the fence because I currently have an associates in criminal justice
@@RoseyBlu you already have some experience. Your issue is going to be how to figure out your next move. WGU can be beneficial for you
It's better to grt the degree. People know you will have a more well rounded knowledge in your degree and you get to have internships, job fairs, professors from the industry, building with students who have ideas, etc. Take yall buts to school. Also you can then get higher degrees in something that will help you look waaay better.
Been said this, and you got the receipts that I’ve said it too TechTual Chatter!😆
Job descriptions read "Degree OR............."
No, you dont need a degree. Does a degree help, very rarely. Does it hurt, never.
Unless you are looking to focus on something coding heavy the degree is the way to go. All these "projects and capstones" are about showing hands on. But you dont need a degree to do hands on projects. People need a structured learning plan. Companies dont care where or how you learn it. Just so that you do.
@@damonaniton I agree but disagree with you simply because I've seen companies say verbatim they don't care for certain labs courses and bootcamps for example
@@TechTualChatter you are right. there is no blanket answer. it honestly all comes down to a particular company hiring philosophy. there truly are some, a small few, that will not even talk to a person without the degree.
the million dollar question is what is the best way for someone to get into tech. or in this video cybersecurity. and there will never be 1 answer, or absolutes. the field and options are just too varied.
@damonaniton from my experience education tends to hold some people back from progressing in their career faster than the people that have it. So if you can find an affordable way to get a degree along with the other work it takes to get into the game I say go for it
@@TechTualChatter im all for education. Everyone should be educated. I just question the "education" many of these so called degrees offer. Most are selling a for profit education for them but offer little in the way of practical education for the individual.
And somewhat in their defense it is not their fault. Relevant technology changes too fast for curriculum to stay relevant.
@@damonaniton agreed
masters degree
in data science I want to become an data engineer, then I want to work my way up to become an data Scientist, I graduate with my undergraduate in
business February of 2025
You can get a degree and still not get a job
@@saitamajay6435 and you can not have a degree and not get a job
I got a help desk job with no degree just my A+
@@saitamajay6435 no offense but it's help desk. It's a low barrier to entry role
@@TechTualChatterThats the idea though, you cannot expect to get high earning roles in IT without a degree especially as far as internships are concern. You have to work your way up. It also teaches you the necessary problem solving skills and grit that you get to be exposed to in academics
@@siyandamasala1136 did you mean to tag me or the other person lll
Can you let the guests talk a little more and not cut the off? 😅 I know you don't mean to... great interview 👍🏾 👏🏾 overall tho
@@jemillahope2157 watch the full episode loo
The biggest reason for degrees now- and all of see it. The push for merit based talent and skills sets. The attack on diversity and inclusion. Is driving everyone, including the government to prep of education requirements. Your skills and knowledge is going to have to speak louder
I have a Criminal Justice degree in texh. I'm the minority.
Me too! But it’s okay we WILL get into the field 😊
WGU is tat deal. I can wait cause being desperate make wrong choses.
I can assure you this will be an ai job.
@@niijipilot lol
@@TechTualChatter bro asked chat gpt to write him a few lines of code and now he knows everything about tech. Lmaoooo
@@TechTualChatter bro asked chat gpt to write him a few lines of code and now he knows everything about tech. Lmaoooo
@@TechTualChatter bro asked chat gpt to write him a few lines of code and now he knows everything about tech. Lmaoooo
@Chocmoondo 😭😭