ok, so here's the deal. i have a BA in sociology with a minor/certificate in business. sociology, i'm learning, was a total waste of 4 years in college. in order to make a career change for myself, i need to go back to school and further my education. i currently work in the pharmaceutical regulatory field dealing with new drug applications, study reports, the fda, quality assurance, etc. this field has a decreasing presence in GA, or this is what i have learned/noticed since i've been here. i would like to go back to school for IT, but my searches that i have been conducting have showed there are a limited number of schools down here to choose from. and on top of that, i dont really know which ones are better than others. from my research on a few universities, in order for me to go into a masters IT program, i need to take a bunch of undergrad courses to meet the prereqs since i dont have any IT courses under my belt, save for an intro to computing course which i found hella easy. so after reading that, i figured i'd just got back to school and get a 2nd bachelors, in IT. it would be a bit easier since i have all the core classes taken care of and primarily need the program specific courses. after that, then i'd go for my masters. but...i was contacted by devry, the keller school, and had a rather long chat with the admissions advisor. she basically explained to me that at devry, i could just go straight into the masters IT program and will only have to take 1 or 2 remedial courses. in addition to that, the school is geared towards working adults and only have classes at night, which really appealed to me since i work 9-5 m-f. now, i dont know too much about devry, so i did a quick google search on them for some reviews, and they were mixed. one review that stuck out to me said that having devry on your resume is like a resume death wish bc employers dont recognize devry as a real school.... should i even consider devry? anyone here know anything about them? i have an appt on tues to go meet the admissions lady and take a tour of the school.
Hard to speak of Devry now as my problems were about 8yrs ago. It left a bad enough taste that I could not recommend to anyone. Out to get your money with empty promises...like yeah teh classes are offered in alpharetta. When the time comes its only available in Dekalb or where ever the Fuck there other locations were at the time. For me over an hour drive. Then had a fuck of a time getting everything reversed, student loans, etc... So I said F and education and got certifications and am good with that. I would look into Southern poly or Tech for IT.
If you already have a degree I would just go get certifications in the IT field you are looking to go into.
Valid point. If you want to whitewash though, consider Kennesaw as well. You'll want to hunt down a two year bacherlor's program as you've already taken the retard classes that the Reagent's board requires (10 year statue on them however).
please elaborate on the bolded. and are certifications the same as going back and getting a 2nd degree or a masters....jsut instead, i choose the certifications program? or are there special schools where i can get these certifications? are the class lengths comparable?...semesters? grades? etc
nope, the certifications are vendor specific, usually their latest and greatest only to sunset them after so many years. So keeping on top of them is fairly important. I have been slacking hardcore the past year or so. I would also try to target a certain area (s) that the future looks bright and run with it.
Elaboration: At GT for example, credits disappear after 10 years. So you would want to check with the registrar of whatever school you intend to enroll into and see what, if any, of your previous credits will transfer.
KSU has a graduate certificate & degree program for MSIS- http://msis.kennesaw.edu/overview.html also you might check out what classes of yours will actually carry over, check out this handy-dandy tool: https://panther.kennesaw.edu/pls/banweb/zwsktrna.P_find_state && finally here is the GenEd core that everyone must have for undergraduate degree ((just so you have something to compare what courses you've already satisfied))// http://catalog.kennesaw.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=8&poid=553 good luck
A few random points: Medical (pharma/devices/bio) in GA is alive and kicking. It pays my wages. Especially the medical devices industry. Have you considered a crossover between tech and medical: GA Tech Bio Eng? Also: KSU (it would appear that the GA Tech one is more engineering, the KSU one leans biology). Biotech is related to what you do now and related to what you want to do. Oh: it can pay very well. And more: it is a growth industry. Southern Poly is very well regarded where I work. Graduates who can hit the ground. Running. DeVry: not as much. They are for-profit. Right or wrong, that carries a stigma. Which matters zero after a few years on 'the outside'. Your minor/cert in business just might be worth a hell of a lot more than you think - longterm. I have a qualification like this (came with my EE degree). Little did I know that endless tedious hours studying such drivel would give me a significant edge over other tech-type folks.
I beg to differ... UCB has had numerous layoffs, and is shrinking. mikart is on a hiring freezing until i dont know when. quintiles is in the same boat as UCB i believe. several others are comparable. my company just laid off half the company about 3 weeks ago, in addition to getting rid of the tv in the lunch room the only attention i've gotten from any company in this area is CIBAVISION aka novartis, which is the only company that has really had open positions in regulatory/submissions. I've only had 3 years in the industry, but GA, compared to philly/nj where i moved from 9 months ago, has nothing here.
i'm an unemployed certified pharmacy tech. granted i could easily take a job at a retail pharmacy making $10/hr or less. but i don't feel like i went above and beyond and got certified to make less than i currently do at lowes. GA is currently one of about 16 states that does NOT require techs to be certified. I figured i'd get certified and have a leg up on the competition. Unfortunately, that's not how the companies look at it. They see my certificate and say 'why should we pay you more to do the same work we can hire a Joe Schmo off the street to do for $2-3 less/hr?'. And, my knowledge does me no good, because they would still have to train me on their systems, day to day business, etc. so getting certified was the biggest waste of time/money in my life. now, i'm back in school. getting my degree in business/international studies minoring in marketing. speaking of which, GSU (Georgia Southern) has an EXCELLENT (nationally ranked IIRC) IT program.
For IT to save a headache...check out GA Southern's online IT offering. After that, KSU's program is pretty thorough and intense. Also, Ga State has a nationally ranked Information Systems program through their college of business. I'm getting my masters from there most likely, starting in Summer 2010.
UGA is in Athens GA State is in Downtown Atlanta (near Underground) GA Tech is in "Midtown" (near the Varsity on North/Spring) Southern Poly is in Marietta
thanks for all the advice fellas. i think i'll pass on devry, but will humor myself by still going to meet the admissions lady this evening. my current choices are: GA Tech Kennesaw State GA State SPSU i have not taken the GRE yet. but...is it feasible to take the GRE in time to meet the application deadlines for the spring semester (November-ish)? how is the GRE?...does it require a lot of prep, or is it a moreso a "what you know" type of test?
good choice on no devry. My company wont even look further at a resume if it has devryon there. I would study for a few months for the GRE if you're out of touch and apply for fall.
Have you thought about financing/loans for your education? Not all loans are the same - the re-payment terms and interest rates can vary greatly depending on the type of loan. Financing an education might seem secondary to the education itself, but after you graduate it will become a very big deal.
so i went to meet the people at devry, and it was pretty much them giving me this extensive presentation on the school. the "dean" wanted to sit in on the meeting bt me and the admissions advisor for evaluation purposes. at the end, they wanted me to fill out an application right there on the spot. i was a little taken back when they said that. one can clearly tell they are all in this for profit.
forget going back to school if your goal is IT. Get certs. Go out and get a cisco CCNA cert and a Microsoft MCSE Cert and anything else you can think of. That is what IT companies are looking for. The fact that you already have a degree shows a prospective employer that you know how to learn, and really that is all they are looking for. Just FYI I work as an IT Consultant in the Boston area currently. No degree needed, just knowledge, experience and willingness to help out wherever needed.
you can get the certifications from the manufacturers, or from a testing center. Buy an exam prep guide, Study your ass off and sit for the test. Prices for the actual test range from 150 to 500. Every cert requires a different test, and they prove knowledge in a specific area. So you may want to map out what it is you want to do and go from there. The CCNA and the MCSE are the gold standard, however almost every manufacturer offers certs. Some are free to resellers, some you have to pay for. I'm Certified by Cisco, Microsoft, Symantec, Bridgewave, Extreme, Juniper, Citrix, and I'm currently working on my Meru Cert. Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/cert-overview.aspx Cisco: http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/learning_career_certifications_and_learning_paths_home.html
If you spend enough time researching and filling out applications, you can get paid to go to school. Of course the ease of finding the money depends on the field of study you chose.
been talkin to some graduate advisors... ...is it a good or bad thing that SPSU doesnt require the GRE for their MSIT program...?