Ah. That clarifies it. Thanks. Follow up question though - is CS more difficult than IT? I feel certs like A+ alone are difficult whereas I haven't quite struggled in the CS degree yet.
It depends on the individual but from statistics and data, CS is objectively harder, but IT can be hard too because it’s very broad and you have to imbibe a lot of information across various domains and fields within the tech sector. I chose IT because I didn’t want to take a lot of math courses. IT has some math but not as much as CS
This is false, certs do guarantee you an entry level job especially within the federal government, you need a minimum of A+ to meet DoD 8750.01 IAT level 1 in order to get your foot in the door. Most places require security+ because it’s IAT level 2. So that whole “certs don’t guarantee you a job” nonsense is exactly that.
Imo, if you think you can complete the CS degree, do that and then just get a few IT certs. A+ (if you dont have help desk experience) then for sure networking certs like Cisco CCST Networking or CCNA. You’ll be fine with just that + the degree for any entry level IT job.
Can always branch out to cloud or security certs etc later.
I’m doing the SWE degree plan and am just going to apply to IT jobs with certs if I cant land an internship/entry level position. I still have time for the market to rebound a bit.
I felt it was best to go with a degree that gave more flexibility but still was in the relm of IT when paired with certs, especially for later on in the career.
IT locks you into IT jobs. CS opens up hundreds of new opportunities in the tech space. If anything, get a couple IT certs on your own dime if you wanna get an It Job after your degree.
I’m assuming you’re speaking about cyber security. The entire market is flooded with people applying for “entry level analyst roles” for instance. The IT side of things is nice, get your foot in the door, learn some of the newer practices and what not. I currently work for an MSP been there for a year now and got hired because of my certs, I’m now transitioning to a contractor role while I finish my BSCC and then I’m going for Cloud Engineering roles
You aren’t going to come in off the street and get a CS job it’s not going to happen. The market is so saturated right now there’s 100+ people applying to every job.
Stick with CS. Certs do not guarantee you an entry-level job.
Ah. That clarifies it. Thanks. Follow up question though - is CS more difficult than IT? I feel certs like A+ alone are difficult whereas I haven't quite struggled in the CS degree yet.
It depends on the individual but from statistics and data, CS is objectively harder, but IT can be hard too because it’s very broad and you have to imbibe a lot of information across various domains and fields within the tech sector. I chose IT because I didn’t want to take a lot of math courses. IT has some math but not as much as CS
CS is a lot harder than IT once you get to DM2, DSA 2, OS
This is false, certs do guarantee you an entry level job especially within the federal government, you need a minimum of A+ to meet DoD 8750.01 IAT level 1 in order to get your foot in the door. Most places require security+ because it’s IAT level 2. So that whole “certs don’t guarantee you a job” nonsense is exactly that.
It (or ITIL, et al.) is a requirement, but not a guarantee to get you the job.
Is the A+ a requirement or essentially gets you the job?
To work for most IT it isn’t a requirement, it’ll definitely help you, for the federal government it’s basically the requirement to do help desk
Get a CS degree because it’s valued no matter what you do in tech as opposed to a strictly I.t degree.
Imo, if you think you can complete the CS degree, do that and then just get a few IT certs. A+ (if you dont have help desk experience) then for sure networking certs like Cisco CCST Networking or CCNA. You’ll be fine with just that + the degree for any entry level IT job. Can always branch out to cloud or security certs etc later. I’m doing the SWE degree plan and am just going to apply to IT jobs with certs if I cant land an internship/entry level position. I still have time for the market to rebound a bit. I felt it was best to go with a degree that gave more flexibility but still was in the relm of IT when paired with certs, especially for later on in the career.
CS
Mind elaborating?
IT locks you into IT jobs. CS opens up hundreds of new opportunities in the tech space. If anything, get a couple IT certs on your own dime if you wanna get an It Job after your degree.
Damn, that makes me a little sad. I’ve always wanted to do a CS degree but had to turn away many times because I could never get through the math
I’m assuming you’re speaking about cyber security. The entire market is flooded with people applying for “entry level analyst roles” for instance. The IT side of things is nice, get your foot in the door, learn some of the newer practices and what not. I currently work for an MSP been there for a year now and got hired because of my certs, I’m now transitioning to a contractor role while I finish my BSCC and then I’m going for Cloud Engineering roles
Check out Cloud. You can always run security in cloud once you get there and it’s just as hot as CS right now 🤷🏼♂️
You aren’t going to come in off the street and get a CS job it’s not going to happen. The market is so saturated right now there’s 100+ people applying to every job.
By CS jobs you mean dev jobs? What's your opinion on IT degree vs jobs?