Hey guys Now that i finished High school, Im interested In applying for Technical school.

I got a quote for the cost its around 7 grand with taxes and materials for a 2 year basic I.T degree
Certification programs/tests included

A+ certification and training essentials 701 and 702
Linux Certification
CompTia Network+
CCENT
CCNA
Security+


My question is is this worth the 7 grand or is this school trying to rip me off?

Also What type of It jobs can this degree and cert get me other than basic Building and fixing pc's

I appreciate any input
Thanks
♥ Clorox n00bfest 4 Life

Is it an accredited school or is it one of those rip off schools that are in it for cash? Are they trying hard to push a student loan(s) on you? Some of those schools get big cash bonuses for handing out student loans to the masses.

Best bet is to avoid the "Tech Schools" (Unless you're talking about MIT or or some other prominent university) and go through your local community college. They'll give you the same knowledge at a much cheaper rate. In the end, you end up with the same cert as the guy sitting next to you, and that's what it's all about, right?

The IT feild is over saturated these days with many people pursuing the same path. Most tech jobs now only require a CCNA or other technical certification to be employed.
My advice is to either take an IT certification course online or at a local campus, or go for an actuall college degree.
These tech schools are known for overcharging and not giving you the proper certificates that you can use to find a good job.

that is exactly my worry, Im afraid Ill dump 7 grand into a school that's going to give me some Joke Cert that cant be used anywhere.

I think ill keep this school in mind but ill also get some quotes from other colleges in the area that offer similar degrees and compare rates, Im not going to dive in to my 1st offer and get Screwed in the end

Do yourself a favor.

Go to an accredited state community college and get a simple 2 year associates degree. Also work in a entry level it position (workstudy at the school's it desk for example)

Avoid fancy ass programs/private for-profit chain schools.

As for certs do them on your own time and only on your own dollar if you can't qualiy for special discounts through the school or some shit. Avoid most comptia certs.

But remember, work experence will be key.

Edit: and before anything research what is out there for jobs...for all you know there might not be a big demand for it related people in your area. You might want to also think where you would be willing to live to work on the stuff you want to work on.

Not worth it.

If you can read. Just go buy the damn books and get the certs yourself.

There is no point in getting Network+ If you're going to get a CCNA. Hell, a CCNA alone would be better than having the other certs anyway.

All those certifications together might, and I mean might cost a total of $1000.

Go to a Big Kid School that has more than 1 building. Look into Grants and Scholarships. Usually you don't have to pay them back and depending on your financial situation there's a real good chance you wont have to pay them back.

Don't do anything fully online either, if you get a degree from a place that's completely online employers generally throw your resume away. Also certificates are really good to have but a BA or higher paired with it ensures you to have a higher pay and take others jobs that just have the certificates.

Now a days degrees show that you are willing to learn or know something about the field you in, certificates show that you know what you are doing if the certificates involves what you are doing.

My best piece of advice is to go to a community college, and complete all of your general requirements. Then transfer to a university and get your degree. No only will you have a good piece of paper to help you get jobs, but the college experience is great.

Agreed, get your certificates while you are doing all the easy stuff in community college also. Certificates are something that all of the IT companies look for now.

This man speaks truth

When I interviewed for my position, just the fact I said I had attempted a CCNA impressed my now boss.

CCENT is the lower certificate then the CCNA, if you do the CCNA then you don't need to do CCENT but you'll need CCNA for everything above it.

From what i know experience is key. My buddy has had working experience for around 4 years now just doing bullshit here and there with no degree. He has learned a lot in the process and is now the head of IT for my county. I'd say get as much real world experience and in your down time study, study, study. If you dont know something look it up on the internet, you can find everything you need to know just as long as you know how to use it.

CCNA is a 2 part test, when you pass the 1st part (ICND1) then you get CCENT, when you pass the second(ICND2) then you get CCNA.

CCENT is ICND1 and CCNA is ICND1 and 2 combined.

You don't need to do CCENT to do CCNA, just had a tour of the Cisco offices a couple months ago and the engineer that guided us told us that. CCENT is just an Entry-Level certificate to get your mind going with what will be on other tests.

http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/l ... _home.html

If you click on CCNA it shows no Prereqs and then the ones after shows you need CCNA. Even the CCNA Security and Wireless require you to do the regular CCNA first, which from what I hear sucks because you basically do the same test over again with a few additions.

Edit: Not trying to be a smart ass, just be informative so you don't have to pay for a certificate you don't need (unless you really aren't too familiar with networking at all then CCENT is a good certificate to take, but if you know how to program your home router then you will easily past CCENT).

Being in the IT industry, I can say that the only certificate up there that matters is the CCNA. That's to get your foot in the door. You then go for CCNP for a strong career.

In my opinion, the CCNA will get you farther than an Associates degree at most places. If you aren't going for your bachelor's, it may not be worth it to get a 2 year degree. You would be better off working an entry level position for those 2 years. That being said, it is definitely easier to get your foot in the door with a bachelor's degree. I was very poor when I went to college and paid for it completely by grants and loans and scholarships and I will owe for the rest of my life it seems, but I was dumb and got a $72k degree that I don't even bother hanging anymore.

If you are going to go for a Bachelor's degree, make sure it's accredited and get your general ed courses taken care of at a community college. $7k isn't bad at all for a 2 year degree, but that's only if it's fully accredited and leads you to a bachelor's down the road. Otherwise, you are better off going somewhere and making $25k/yr while you work your way up and get certs.

I'm going to Front Range Community College here in Colorado for a degree in Computer Information Systems with an emphasis on Microsoft Systems Admin, and it's only costing me around $1,750 a semester on average. So for me, $7,000 for a two year degree sounds about right.

this, the only benefit I got out of school, (cincinnati state technical community college) is that I have an interview lined up for an internship with the Cincinnati Bengals. I will likely be doing IT work in and around Paul Brown Stadium, if they hire me after the interview.

that actually doesn't sound that bad. especially if they are nice enough to let you go to some Home Games for a lower charge or free

meh, im not a football fan, this is a working experience for me.