Time to get a Masters Degree in Information Technology

[Sombeech]

I'm finally going to bite the bullet and go after my Masters Degree in Information Technology, probably with Network Management emphasis. Any suggestions for online schools and specific degrees?

I'm currently looking at WGU, I've heard good things. Any experience out there?

http://www.wgu.edu/online_it_degrees...egree_programs

Thanks

[BruteForce]

I'm finally going to bite the bullet and go after my Masters Degree in Information Technology, probably with Network Management emphasis. Any suggestions for online schools and specific degrees?

I'm currently looking at WGU, I've heard good things. Any experience out there?

http://www.wgu.edu/online_it_degrees...egree_programs

Thanks

So, for the time and effort - I'd pursue a Business emphasis MBA instead of the Network Management. What are you hoping for as an outcome of having that MBA?

[Sombeech]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm basically looking for more job security, more control over my career, higher pay.... I do like the sound of the MBA in IT, maybe I'd have more flexibility in career choice rather than one specialized area.

[Taylor]

An obvious choice would be U of Phoenix unless they don't offer that degree. My wife enjoyed her time at the SL campus getting her Masters in education.

[BruteForce]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm basically looking for more job security, more control over my career, higher pay.... I do like the sound of the MBA in IT, maybe I'd have more flexibility in career choice rather than one specialized area.

Food for thought, but an MBA doesn't have the value it used to and it certainly doesn't guarantee an increase in pay. I have a few MBA's and 2x Phd's working for me now and in many cases, I'm not convinced they do better than those with/without undergrad degrees.

As for schools, WGU is a fine institution that's reasonably priced.

[accadacca]

Good for you!

IMO, an MBA is kind of a mixed bag and that's why I haven't pursued it. I'm not convinced that it would be worth my time. I'm sure it would open more doors, but it would also keep some shut as well from over qualification. In your case/career it might do exactly what you need. I have no clue on that.

One of my direct reports (at a former job) got her MBA in business (online) from WGU while working for me. She's back working for me as an out of state remote contractor. She enjoyed WGU and I could get you in touch if you want to ask questions.




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[Sombeech]

Yeah MBA kind of covers all the bases but doesn't specialize in any. I think if I'm going to put the effort and mental anguish into this thing, I should get a specific degree like network management.

[stefan]

good luck, 'beech. I think you're right in putting a lot of thought into your decision

[reverse_dyno]

Getting an MBA from a low profile university isn't going to help you. MBA programs allow you to network with people with clout. Most middle managers do not have MBA's, and are going to be reluctant to hire people with them. People with MBA's are generally in upper management, and the only way you get those positions is by knowing someone. Just look at how many open, advertised, positions there are that require you to have a MBA, not many.

Most high end Masters programs require you to do some sort of research work and write a thesis, yes, even in IT. I would be leery about any Masters program where that is not a requirement. A Masters is not simply more Bachelor level classes. The Masters degree is about showing you can apply advanced critical thinking skills to complex issues. If you want job security and you like network management, it would be better to get certifications for the types of equipment you want to manage. Oracle, Microsoft, etc. all provide certification courses. It would be much faster, and cheaper, than getting a Masters.

I have a Masters in a Software Engineering field, and more often than not, during a job interview the employer says I am overqualified for the position I am interviewing for. If you get a Masters from University of Utah, you will be over qualified for most positions Utah. I am being forced to move out of Utah, because in over 2 years of living in SLC I have been unable to find a position that matches my qualifications. There are virtually no advertised tech positions in Utah that require or prefer you to have a Masters degree. Employers do not want to hire overqualified employees, because they end up having to pay them more, or they fear you will jump to a better opportunity that matches your education as soon as one comes up.

If you get a Masters from a low end university like Western Governors, or Phoenix, the high end employers will not hire you because they know those universities are not any good, while the low end employers will not care that you have a Masters degree.

To make tons of money in Tech, you should get a Masters degree that focuses on one of these areas from a good public university, like the University of Utah or Utah State University: Database Architecture, Data Warehousing, Data Scientist/Engineer ("Big Data", "Data Mining"), Software Architecture, Network/Software Security, Cloud/Grid/HPC Administration, Business Intelligence, Business Analysis. All those areas of expertise are currently in high demand in Utah and generally pay 80-120k. Unfortunately my Masters degree is not in one of those fields.

[jman]

Getting an MBA from a low profile university isn't going to help you. MBA programs allow you to network with people with clout. Most middle managers do not have MBA's, and are going to be reluctant to hire people with them. People with MBA's are generally in upper management, and the only way you get those positions is by knowing someone. Just look at how many open, advertised, positions there are that require you to have a MBA, not many.

Most high end Masters programs require you to do some sort of research work and write a thesis, yes, even in IT. I would be leery about any Masters program where that is not a requirement. A Masters is not simply more Bachelor level classes. The Masters degree is about showing you can apply advanced critical thinking skills to complex issues. If you want job security and you like network management, it would be better to get certifications for the types of equipment you want to manage. Oracle, Microsoft, etc. all provide certification courses. It would be much faster, and cheaper, than getting a Masters.

I have a Masters in a Software Engineering field, and more often than not, during a job interview the employer says I am overqualified for the position I am interviewing for. If you get a Masters from University of Utah, you will be over qualified for most positions Utah. I am being forced to move out of Utah, because in over 2 years of living in SLC I have been unable to find a position that matches my qualifications. There are virtually no advertised tech positions in Utah that require or prefer you to have a Masters degree. Employers do not want to hire overqualified employees, because they end up having to pay them more, or they fear you will jump to a better opportunity that matches your education as soon as one comes up.

If you get a Masters from a low end university like Western Governors, or Phoenix, the high end employers will not hire you because they know those universities are not any good, while the low end employers will not care that you have a Masters degree.

To make tons of money in Tech, you should get a Masters degree that focuses on one of these areas from a good public university, like the University of Utah or Utah State University: Database Architecture, Data Warehousing, Data Scientist/Engineer ("Big Data", "Data Mining"), Software Architecture, Network/Software Security, Cloud/Grid/HPC Administration, Business Intelligence, Business Analysis. All those areas of expertise are currently in high demand in Utah and generally pay 80-120k. Unfortunately my Masters degree is not in one of those fields.

Have you tried looking at l-3 communications? I work for em and they are always looking for highly qualified engineers (of all types). And money isn't typically an issue since you are not overheard and can bill your time to a program.

[Sombeech]

I'm choosing between a few degrees based on the different certifications I'd be getting. From what I gather, the network management types of jobs seem to require more of these specifics.

If you are constantly over qualified for jobs, have you considered leaving some of your qualifications out of your application process? For instance, omitting the fact that you have certain degrees and certificates? I would assume if you could start with the company and then reveal your advanced skills once employed, maybe that would help you gain some ground.

[accadacca]

Once you are hired by a company at a certain level, you then earn each promotion by your merits or ability to make friends at the top. An advanced degree at that point doesn't do much. The people (degree or no degree) who make things happen for the company are ultimately promoted.


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[BruteForce]

Once you are hired by a company at a certain level, you then earn each promotion by your merits or ability to make friends at the top. An advanced degree at that point doesn't do much. The people (degree or no degree) who make things happen for the company are ultimately promoted.


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Agreed.

My perspective: An MBA is far more relevant in a business/sales/marketing role than it is in an IT capacity.

But.. what do I know?

[reverse_dyno]

The more educated and well paid you are, generally the more specialized you become. For someone like me, I was doing research for five years in Europe, and cannot simply leave that off my resume.

When you get a graduate degree like a MBA or Masters, you need to specialize. The point of graduate degrees is to specialize, and while your degree title maybe general, you become an expert in a very small subarea of the disciple. That expertise centers around your graduate project/thesis. You might get a Masters in Software Engineering, but your specialty would be high performance computer (supercomputing). Or it might be software architecture, or Linux kernel development. During this project/thesis, you work directly with a professor at the university, normally in his research group. That is why Masters from Phoenix or Western Governors are not equivalent to a Masters at a good university like the UofU. The university must have a research program where you can do your project/thesis. They also need to have professors that you can work directly 1-on-1 with. Good projects, even at the Masters level, are oftentimes published in peer reviewed research journals.

That is one of the main differences between a Bachelor degree and a graduate degree, Bachelor degrees are general, while graduate degrees are focused on a very narrow section of the field. Having two BSc's is not nearly as good as having a BSc and a Masters. My focus is in modeling (environmental and some molecular) and high performance computing, neither of which are in demand in Utah.

[blueeyes]

What is your motivation for Masters Degree? Simply because you want to? More salary? Job in state/out of state? Job in Ogden? Staying with the district or finding a new company?

Research your potential job opportunities in the place you want to live and work before picking the advanced degree. You have a huge network of people. Use it. Ask them to put you in touch with IT people at their work and find out what they look for to fill the higher paid positions. As Dyno pointed out it isn't always an advanced degree that provides better opportunities. Ask those you talk to the route in which they found themselves in there current position. I do this a lot I find it interesting how someone finds those jobs you don't even know exists but make really good money! Last night I was talking to one of the coaches for new Mtb high school group here in IF. He works for the hospital in Biomedics. I have never heard of that. Basically he fixes and maintans anything that touches a patient. He used to be a diesel mechanic, was tired of being dirty, loves working with hands, and wanted a new career. His moms boyfriend told him to look into health care. He did not like the idea taking care of people but did look and found a position in a hospital running front desk for Biomed and went from there. Makes good money.

I ask every rep or technician for any analyzer I work with how they came about their job. Everyone of them a very unique story You would be surprised. It comes down a lot to who you know and what you are exposed to by knowing them.

Anyway my point is research options before pursuing degree. Figure out exactly what position you want. Discover how those who have like positions ended up with that position. Then map your goals to get that position yourself.

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[Sombeech]

My biggest struggle is I don't know exactly what I want to pursue. I am one of those people that can do a good job in any field, but I feel a Masters Degree would give me some more job security, a pay raise if I stay with my current employer, or the freedom to keep my career options available in the future.

I feel something with specifics in Network Management is a fairly secure field, so that's my main motivation for going that way. Plus if I end up being an actual Network Manager, Architect, or whatever name they'd like to call it, I feel I'd do a great job at that too.

I really appreciate the feedback, thanks

[BruteForce]

My biggest struggle is I don't know exactly what I want to pursue. I am one of those people that can do a good job in any field, but I feel a Masters Degree would give me some more job security, a pay raise if I stay with my current employer, or the freedom to keep my career options available in the future.

I feel something with specifics in Network Management is a fairly secure field, so that's my main motivation for going that way. Plus if I end up being an actual Network Manager, Architect, or whatever name they'd like to call it, I feel I'd do a great job at that too.

I really appreciate the feedback, thanks

I truly understand your motivation, but for the cost & time you'll put into an IT-centric MBA, you really won't see the payoff. The best compensated and most highly valued employees in those fields are subject matter experts and they're SME's because they have the hands-on time and experience in those roles. Most have an undergrad degree with technical certifications (VMWare, SQL, Network+, Security, etc). If you truly want to focus on an in-demand emphasis, I'd pursue something in the InfoSec field. Hardware/networks/infrastructure is shifting to the cloud and not on premise anymore -- so that's a fading demand that has a short-life span, IMHO.

As has been indicated, hit up your network (hint hint) and see if that gets you more movement without the cost & time.

But, more importantly, map-out where you want to be in 5 years and create a timeline/milestones on things you need to accomplish (experience, certifications,etc) to get there.