I did both and it wasn't fun. When at work i was thinking about school and visa versa. In the end I dropped the job and went back to finish the degree. My GPA was about to fall below Master's requirements and I wanted to keep that option open.

IT right now is such a free for all that any guy with some brains can do well but in the long run you need the CS foundations to go from being a programmer/DBA/Network Admin to go design big scale systems or run big scale design teams.

You will be surprised how far those few clases on CPU,OS design and Network fundametals can take you regardless of what job you have. I know they served me well even though I worked on a Database based product. I know that from experience... I broke the 200K mark before I was 30... now I am semi retired at 31.

 

You gotta go to night school. Start getting paid now, then the degree will offer benefits as far as promotions and raises.

 

depends. what school do you go to now and your current major etc. if its a good school, a lot of good companies will come to recruit you in your senior year. many of these companies come to pick up good students and have special mentor type programs that will put you in 6 figure jobs in a few years easily with potential to earn even more..

if you are going to a so-so school now it may be worth it to take the 60k job and do night school to finish up the degree

60k isnt that much in this NOVA area though.. thats another thing to consider. plus is there potential to make more in this 60k job?

60k salary in this area for example wont even let you buy a one bedroom condo w 1 car payment.

 

another vote for school...check out the ads in your paper for cs jobs. all require a degree. if this first job doesnt pan out, or you want to switch in the future, employers will most likely weed out the resumes by education first and then experience.

 

I say stay in school.

Jobs come and go- sometimes without your consent.

Plus in my experience it's easier to keep going and finish school than to take a year or two off and try to go back.

 

I'll give the flip side of the coin here...

My opinion: Get the high paying job-- EXPECIALLY if its in High Tech. Why?? Because EXPERIENCE is GREATER than EDUCATION when it comes to computer-science.

... I'm a prime example... 2 years of CS in college... dropped out for a decent paying job... by 28 I had a .5mil house, 29 a S2K, a few cars in between, and now an RX-8 on top of it all, plus still a 6-figure salary. At points (depending on what I was doing, over 250k/yr).

And why?? not because of a piece of paper...but because I had the experience in a (and this is really key) field which was 'specialized'-- eg. Not everyone and their brother that read a book on how to 'program' can do.

Is school important?? ABSOUTELY. However-- if your gifted, talanted (and your mom telling you so doesn't count), and have a speciality..thats unique, I'd say go for the job. At $60k, you should be able to migrate to better paying jobs in the future.

As far as education, I've been asked over the last 15 years on occasion about my degree... ONLY >ONCE< was it an 'issue', at which point they decided to move me to to most senior position to make up for their 'salary scale' based on degreed versus non-degreed...

I should also mention-- what I say referes to my experience being a person who focuses on non-large companies (ie. under 500 people). If you want to go work for an IBM/TI/3M/whatever (>1000 people, get yoru degree). Personally, I'm a risk-taker and like the startups, smaller companies, sign-on bonuses (though these days with the market and economy, those have dwindled).

..not saying what ya should do, but IMHO, if you have a SPECIALTY, I believe experiece will pay better in the long run... if its just some 'visual basic' programming or some otherthing any other schmuck can do... stay in school.

$.02,
Aaron

 

One other comment-- Most jobs say "CS degree or N-years experience"...

And don't forget, its RARE on an interview the first few questions are "Do you have a degree?"...

Especially if your experience is extensive and you have a speciality they are looking for... but again.. PLEASE-- if your some 'html programmer' or 'vb programmer' or even a "C" programmer... stay in school.

If you have a specialty... "Device Drivers for Linux/Windows/Whatever" with "Assembly knowdlged in motorola 56k, MIPS, and ARM-7-9" ... Go for it.

...Its really up to how 'good' you really are-- in a natural sense.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by amartin
I'll give the flip side of the coin here...

 

If you want to go to the top you will need the degree. Certifications will only take you so far, but once you get into managerial and higher positions they will require a degree. Just do a search on the internet. You'll find admin jobs that pay well with just certs, but the managers over the admin requires a degree. It's up to you. Some people don't want to sit behind a desk and tell people what to do, they want to build something.

-skitz

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by skitz
If you want to go to the top you will need the degree.