IT jobs - qualifications vs experience

[curiouskatie]

In IT, which is more important, qualifications or work experience?

I'm considering changing careers and taking an Open University degree in IT & Computing. Will I have to stay in my boring office job until I've finished it?!

[WoWo]

Experience is the key, you can have all the qualifications you like but in IT experience is everything.

It all depends on your expectations if you were happy to be paid say �10K I reckon you could get a foot in the door in most places, that would then give you the experience if you want �20K + people won't be willing to take a risk.

I don't mean to put you off but an OU degree holds little power in the IT world, if you could get a foot in the door and get three years of experience then it would be much better in my opinion. I started late and don't have a degree and it's never held me back it's my experience that has got me better and better jobs.

[joko]

i wouldn't allow anyone near my computer with qualifictaions or proof that they have been doing it for many years.

too many people set themselves up as experts just because they have a bit of a knack for something.

i've had people claim to be able to fix my video, my bike, etc - none worked. they were just chancers hoping it would be an easy job.

get the qualification

[Catso]

In the real world, undoubtedly experience. Most employers will look for experience over qualifications. But it's always good to have a relevant qualification as well, as there's often a theory side to things that will stand you in good stead when tackling problems on the ground. Obviously, given candidates with equal experience, the one with qualifications will get preference.

However, an OU qualification in 'Computing', I would say, is next to useless as a serious qualification in this field. Yes, the OU can prove you are self-motivated, dedicated, intelligent, organised but won't carry much weight in the industry as a 'technical' qualification.

If you want to get a qualification people will take notice of, get one of the industry ones: MCSE, CNE, the Cisco one, the BCS ones, etc.

[jake-the-peg]

You need to get experience. A degree will probably be a waste of time for you.

I work in computer security and have hired quite a number of people over the years. The first thing you look at is what they've been doing recently the last thing you might look at is if they've a degree (probably only then to see if they went where you went).

You need to consider if you want to be a programmer or to work in support/networking etc. If you want to work in support or networking qualifications like Microsoft's MCSE or Cisco's CCNA are probably your key to getting a first job (although Cisco is pretty tough to get unless you're already working with the kit). Novell's CNE is probably not worth it now as fewer and fewer people are using Netware.

I'm less up to speed with how to get into programming these days but there are a number of areas from C and C++ to web development and databases. Possibly see if there are any adult education courses to get a taste of what you might like.

[joko]

yes, generally experience is more important but it would seem though that "i'm considering changing careers" implies katie doesn't have a cv full of relevant experience don't you think??

and therefore would not be hired unless she can prove she knows what she is doing - with qualifications.

basically she can't get the experience without qualifications.
what company would hire someone who has neither, but has a 'natural self taught ability', and who would need tutoring?

[mattie]

Experience is everything, I studied for a CCNA (entry level Cisco qualification) at evening classes, passed easily, and guess what, its not worth the paper its printed on, as I have no real world experience to back it up.

If you are considering that kind of qualification, then try getting a job with someone like BT who will pay for your Cisco training and you will get proper experience as well.

[bancodegaia]

As other people have said, experience is the key in the IT sector. I managed to get in the back door as a programmer for Barclays as they wanted to train clerical staff even though I only had an O Level in Computer Studies that was relevant (Geography and Physics etc don't count).
I initially started off using COBOL but as I was okay with that I moved over to assembly language. I then wanted to move closer to home and a company took me on as a programmer in a language I'd not seen before. The key was that I'd had 5 years experience as a programmer so changing languages was easy. No computing degree would have given me the option to change employer so easily - only pure experience. I then spent 3 years as a Sysadmin on a Windows platform. We hired post-grad students but only considered the ones who had had experience in their degrees - 1 year work experience as part of their course. So its definitely experience that clinches it for me.

[WoWo]

"yes, generally experience is more important but it would seem though that "i'm considering changing careers" implies katie doesn't have a cv full of relevant experience don't you think?"

I took the point of the question was, should I spend 3 years getting a degree or get a foot in the door somewhere and work my way up and hence in time it would take to get a degree you would have 3 years solid IT experience.

There also seemed to be the suggestion of doing the degree while working in IT, personally I think that would be a bit of a waste, there would be little cross over in the two.

For me it would be a case of the following, if you are a 18 year old school leaver then going to Uni would be worth while, if you are 28+ get in to a job as soon as you can.

I changed careers at around 24, I did an Advanced GNCQ in IT which was next to useless in terms of experience but it got me a few good contacts and a foot into the industry.

As a software developer I tend to look at things differently to people more on the Hardware/Network side. I think with hardware I do think the formal qualifications are worth while but in development they are pointless, definately so for somebody with no practical experience.

[yummymummy]

My boyfriend started off with a home study course, then CompTIA A+. Just after starting MCSE managed to get a job in the industry (I guess he was showing enthusiasm by doing the training himself). Managed to get to team leader, but has noticed that a lot of other jobs ask for 3 years experience. All his courses will total approx 3 years so perhaps getting a job near the start of training is the key so when 3 years are up he will have qualifications and experience.

[curiouskatie]

Thanks everyone for your contributions!

Sorry, should have given more information, I'm 27 and already have a degree from a very good uni, (but it's in politics so useless for IT) and at the current cost there's no way I'd go back to uni for 3 years to do another full time undergraduate degree! Providing I took the appropriate units then the OU degree does give exemption from some of the BCS exams.

As I said in my first post, I'm only considering it as an option, mostly due to boredom with my current job!

[JamesEverton]

For most decent programmer's jobs a degree is a prerequisite. I think an OU qualification would indicate a level of commitment and self-motivation.

The people, generally, who are succesful at programming have a natural aptitude for it. Unfortunately, a degree is not necessarily an indicator of this. Other skills are certainly important and maybe your real world experience will help you to stand out.

You should be aware that you'd be in competition with the large number of recent graduates that come onto the job market each year. Often their salary expectations are not tremendously high while they look for their first job in the industry.

[JamesEverton]

If you already have a degree you could try looking at a one year Masters conversion course such as:

http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/teaching/postgraduate/ computing_science/

[RogerMellie]

Hi Katie

I've been in IT (as a techie) for 10 years, having first got a Business Studies degree, but then realising I wanted something more techie. I would tend to agree with most people here, that experience counts most, but in certain areas (networking, for example) there are specific qualifications which employers will look for in that role - but you need the experience first and foremost.

Some good news: my brother saw how well I was getting paid and thought "I'll have some of that thanks", doing a 1 year postgrad MSC conversion in IT at Birmingham Uni (actually over in 9 months). That got him a foot in the door and four years on he's a Web programming team leader, doing very nicely and loving his job.

Also - you are not too old to be considered by some employers for graduate schemes - the one I did had some people in their mid twenties on it, they all did fine and have gone on to great things.

Hope all goes well.