WGU for IT Security Degree? Calling all IT guru's

[marianne202]

Hey All!

I'm looking for some info for my son from all the IT guru's here! So my son has finished his AS degree in Information System Security with a Security Specialist Certificate and a Network Professional Certificate. He worked two years at his high school doing computer software / hardware repair as a TA, then he worked two years at the college as a work study in the college's IT department doing all the various repairs and installations they do. Now he took a year off of school to start working full-time as a PC specialist for a large company near us. Within 6 months they gave him a raise and promoted him to Technical Services Specialist. He is scheduled to take is A+ certification exam next month. He is ready to go back to school and finish his BS degree, but we are stuck on which program is best. He was going to originally go to AMU, but they won't accept all of his AS credits, nor many DSST or CLEP exams.

We were looking at the WGU program since he can do it at his own pace without breaking the bank. My concerns are about credit transfer should he decide to do a master's program down the road and I also heard that once you sign up with WGU and get your degree plan you can't decide to add any CLEP or DSST exams.

The plus is that WGU includes certs along the way, the downside is CISCO is part of it, which doesn't thrill him. He is also not a lover of math, but he has completed Alek's College Algebra but he really doesn't want to do more math. Any suggestions or info from WGU students / alumni or those in the industry? He loves his job and is learning a lot and they want to keep him. They will help pay for classes and certifications, but mostly they use My Computer Career or New Horizons for computer training. I'm not keen on these types of programs, so I'm looking for something accredited that will allow him to add to it down the road.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or ideas!

[stretcharmy]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but being in IT security requires knowledge of switching and routing. It is the foundation which everything is built. Also more advanced math is going to be a requirement of any CIS/IT degree. Not that I agree with it, but it's the way it is.

[marianne202]

Any suggestions? He is learning more about networks and their security. He got to oversee the contract company they had come in for penetration testing after the Target breech. That was interesting to him and he monitors the network and servers when others are off or away, so he is learning a lot on the job, but we all feel the degree will add some security. He just turned 21 so as he gets a little older the math might not be as intimidating, or if he gets into a program he loves, he will suck it up and do it, he just would prefer not to if he can avoid it. He loves the hardware and software side. He builds systems on the side, as well as does PC repair, so that part he has down. My concern is that the hardware and software side isn't a long-term career.

[stretcharmy]

Hardware/software can be a long term career. That said, he will run into two problems. The first is that money is going to be capped pretty low for your helpdesk kind of roles. The second issue is that ten years down the road people are going to start to wonder why he never progressed into more difficult and higher paying jobs and he may get passed over even though he is totally capable. The thing is with IT degrees really aren't required for non-management positions. You can be a consultant making six figures a year and not even have an associates. (your mileage may vary) Ambition goes a long way in IT. The number one trait I look for in employees is troubleshooting skills. Basic cognitive thinking is the most important ingredient. If you can't get from A to C without being shown B your not going to be able to keep up with the changes in technology. I can teach and employee anything, but I can't teach them to think. I digress.

A degree will insure that he will not get passed of for a position "if" they have that as a hard fast rule. Many jobs post "or equivalent experience". It's a numbers game. Have a BS beat out those that don't. Have a MS beat out those that don't. Have certs, beat out those that don't. Hiring has turned into a computational analysis done by software and not by people.