CCNP Certification Alone Enough? Or BS in Comp Sci required? Details inside!

parabolate · 06-26-2008, 11:52 AM

Hello all,

I am 23 years old and as far as college education goes I currently have an Associate Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Information Systems. I earned this degree through an online program and honestly was not entirely satisfied with the courses, especially for the price tag that came along with them!Being a little unsatisfied with the online experience I'll be finishing up school at a local brick-and-mortar facility.

I am interested in pursuing a career in the IT field, particularly something along the lines of network security or network administration because the payscales in the those fields seem pretty good, plus it is something that interests me.

I have a question regarding my school choice however for some of you who may have experience in these fields. A local community college here offers a two semester course in preparation for the CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) certification. This not a degree program, simply a marketable skills achievement award program. They also have a similar two semester course for LINUX/UNIX system administration.

In contrast, the other school I am looking at is a major university (University of Texas at San Antonio, ie more expensive) which recently opened up two new degree programs, a Bachelor and Master degree program in Computer Science with a concentration in Computer & Information Security.My question is whether getting a CCNP certification in combination with my Associate Degree in BA would be sufficient for getting my foot in the door in the career field of my choice OR if I would be better off just going for the BS in Comp Sci.

I ask because if the certification in combination with my current degree is sufficient I wouldn't want to put my time, money, and energy into a degree plan I dont need for the jobs I'm looking into. I am assuming the BS in Comp. Sci. would provide a fair amount of knowledge that would assist me in preparing for the the CCNP anyway -is this the case for anyone who has majored in Comp Sci?

Currently, I'm leaning towards the BS in Comp. Sci. and getting a CCNP certification somewhere along the the line in next two years or so to supplement my degree as it would look better on a resume.

If anyone with experience has any general input it would be appreciated! Thanks!

**Cellus** · 06-26-2008, 04:03 PM

A CCNP would help a lot in terms of network administration, however it is primarily geared towards Cisco hardware. While there is a fair degree of general networking education involved for the certifications, much of it is based around interfacing with and configuring Cisco hardware.

A Comp Sci degree is good when going into a more development/programming field, but not so much in terms of administration and support. In those you start looking at certifications and hands-on experience.

Keep in mind that what you obtained was an associate's degree, and not something more meatier like a full-blown bachelor's.

parabolate · 06-27-2008, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cellus

A CCNP would help a lot in terms of network administration, however it is primarily geared towards Cisco hardware. While there is a fair degree of general networking education involved for the certifications, much of it is based around interfacing with and configuring Cisco hardware.

A Comp Sci degree is good when going into a more development/programming field, but not so much in terms of administration and support. In those you start looking at certifications and hands-on experience.

Keep in mind that what you obtained was an associate's degree, and not something more meatier like a full-blown bachelor's.

Thanks for the input. You mentioned in fields such as administration and support certifications and hands-on experience become valuable.

There are several certifications that interest me in addition to the CCNP such as (ISC)2 CISSP and others. That brings me right back to the original crux of my question. Im wondering if it would it be more valuable for me and my future career goals to simply concentrate on going through the motions to obtain various respected IT field certifications or if I should knock out the BS in Comp. Sci. even if it ends up just as fluff on my resume on top of other certs.

Any further input appreciated!

parabolate · 06-27-2008, 11:35 AM

This also brings up the question as to whether a BS in Information Systems would be more valuable to me in comparison to BS in Comp. Sci.

What do you think?

(IS and CS bachelor degree programs both entail quite a bit that I would not be using in the job-field of my choice which is why I wonder if one is even worth obtaining? As I mentioned it almost seems as if it do it's just gonna be for the fluff whereby the certifications are the actual meat of what I need in terms of skills for the job marketplace...trying to determinte if the Bachelor's in CS or IS would really be worth it in the long run...)

06-26-2008, 11:52 AM	#1 (permalink)
parabolate Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 48 OS: XP	CCNP Certification Alone Enough? Or BS in Comp Sci required? Details inside! Hello all, I am 23 years old and as far as college education goes I currently have an Associate Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Information Systems. I earned this degree through an online program and honestly was not entirely satisfied with the courses, especially for the price tag that came along with them!Being a little unsatisfied with the online experience I'll be finishing up school at a local brick-and-mortar facility. I am interested in pursuing a career in the IT field, particularly something along the lines of network security or network administration because the payscales in the those fields seem pretty good, plus it is something that interests me. I have a question regarding my school choice however for some of you who may have experience in these fields. A local community college here offers a two semester course in preparation for the CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) certification. This not a degree program, simply a marketable skills achievement award program. They also have a similar two semester course for LINUX/UNIX system administration. In contrast, the other school I am looking at is a major university (University of Texas at San Antonio, ie more expensive) which recently opened up two new degree programs, a Bachelor and Master degree program in Computer Science with a concentration in Computer & Information Security.My question is whether getting a CCNP certification in combination with my Associate Degree in BA would be sufficient for getting my foot in the door in the career field of my choice OR if I would be better off just going for the BS in Comp Sci. I ask because if the certification in combination with my current degree is sufficient I wouldn't want to put my time, money, and energy into a degree plan I dont need for the jobs I'm looking into. I am assuming the BS in Comp. Sci. would provide a fair amount of knowledge that would assist me in preparing for the the CCNP anyway -is this the case for anyone who has majored in Comp Sci? Currently, I'm leaning towards the BS in Comp. Sci. and getting a CCNP certification somewhere along the the line in next two years or so to supplement my degree as it would look better on a resume. If anyone with experience has any general input it would be appreciated! Thanks! Last edited by parabolate : 06-26-2008 at 11:57 AM.

06-26-2008, 04:03 PM	#2 (permalink)
Cellus Moderator Networking Team Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 2,611 OS: Windows Vista Business SP1, Windows XP Professional SP3 My System	Re: CCNP Certification Alone Enough? Or BS in Comp Sci required? Details inside! A CCNP would help a lot in terms of network administration, however it is primarily geared towards Cisco hardware. While there is a fair degree of general networking education involved for the certifications, much of it is based around interfacing with and configuring Cisco hardware. A Comp Sci degree is good when going into a more development/programming field, but not so much in terms of administration and support. In those you start looking at certifications and hands-on experience. Keep in mind that what you obtained was an associate's degree, and not something more meatier like a full-blown bachelor's. __________________ TSF Networking Team HijackThis 5 Step Process Donate!

06-27-2008, 11:35 AM	#4 (permalink)
parabolate Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 48 OS: XP	Re: CCNP Certification Alone Enough? Or BS in Comp Sci required? Details inside! This also brings up the question as to whether a BS in Information Systems would be more valuable to me in comparison to BS in Comp. Sci. What do you think? (IS and CS bachelor degree programs both entail quite a bit that I would not be using in the job-field of my choice which is why I wonder if one is even worth obtaining? As I mentioned it almost seems as if it do it's just gonna be for the fluff whereby the certifications are the actual meat of what I need in terms of skills for the job marketplace...trying to determinte if the Bachelor's in CS or IS would really be worth it in the long run...) Last edited by parabolate : 06-27-2008 at 11:49 AM.