Ask Trish

O'Reilly School of Technology Guidance Counselor Trish Gray answers your questions about your I.T. Career goals and how to reach them.

About the Author
In addition to helping students and I.T. professionals for 13 years, Tricia Mills Gray has been the Senior Development Manager of OST since it's inception as UserActive in 1997. She was the 2002 SBA Midwest Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and is currently writing the OST PHP/SQL Series for release this summer. She holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois College of Engineering.

Today's Column

Is going back to college the answer?

Dear Trish:
I have been working in the IT field as a support person for the past seven years, and before that I worked odd jobs. Support tasks being desktop repair, desktop software support for O/S and applications, some network support,plus Windows and Linux server admin of Database, file, print, and web servers.

I would like to move beyond a support role in IT, and become an administrator, possibly with some software development skills.

I did not finish college so my question is would I be better off going back to college part time which might take 10 years to finish, go for Certifications, or take courses such as those offered here?

Sincerely
Matthew from Lexington, KY

Dear Matthew:
Thanks for contacting me. If you want to become a system administrator, you've certainly been doing the right things so far. Desktop support and server admin experience you already have under your belt is the perfect apprenticeship in the road to full-fledged system administration. Now it's time to take the next step.

Getting a bachelor's degree is always an optimal thing to do, and there will always be those jobs that require a degree no matter what. However, if it's going to take 10 years and lots of money to get that degree, you're certainly going to want to evaluate all your options before going that route.

Luckily, the system administration field can be remarkably forgiving in education, as it tends to place by far the most importance on experience -- something you already have to a point. A lot of sysadmin job descriptions you see will read "A bachelor's degree or equivalent experience". And even entry- level sysadmin jobs can pay quite a bit: According to salary.com, the median total compensation in the U.S. adds up to $65,087.

For this reason, I think it would indeed be a very good idea to see how far our System Administration series can take you, before taking the plunge into all that college. The first course may be a bit beneath you; however, the remaining three should get you to the next level of skills you need, and you will most likely finish all four in less than 160 hours. All those hours, by the way, will add up to more experience for you, with an online portfolio to prove it on your resume. And adding "Certificate in Linux/Unix System Administration from the University of Illinois Office of Continuing Education" is an excellent way to supplement your Education section.

I truly believe that this will be a more tangible asset to you than exam-based Certifications -- although padding your resume with them can never hurt, employers are well aware that passing a paper exam does not equal experience.

Thanks,
Trish

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