Best Degree/Training For Computer Desktop And Network Support

College Majors Math/Computer Science Majors
1

I have a friend who’s looking to change careers. He never finished his undergraduate degree.

He has around 90 credits that would probably transfer. He was a Chemistry major and I think he finished all of the Chemistry courses for the degree. I’m not sure what courses he had remaining when he stopped attending, but he has all of the Math and Science courses you would take for a Chemistry major, up through junior year.

He wants to get out of Chemistry and get a low stress job doing computer support. He’s willing to make entry level money, so that’s not an issue.

He’s leaning toward doing a Devry Institute or ITT Tech type program, where he can get trained in Windows support, Cisco support, and those types of very specific, applicable skills. He’d like to have some kind of certification when he finishes.

Because he has so many college credits, I’ve been trying to convince him to finish his degree instead, and do a Computer Information Systems type major.

His biggest concern is getting a job after he finishes. He doesn’t care if he has a traditional degree or not. He wants to have the best chances of landing a job.

I have a bias toward getting a degree, but I finally relented yesterday, and agreed that I really didn’t know which route would give him the best chance of getting a job. I told him I would try to help him find out.

He doesn’t want to go to school for any more than 2 years, and preferably less than that. He’s willing to spend up to 20K or so for tuition, and he would try to go to a NJ state school if possible, if he chooses the 4 year degree route.

One more thing, he’s in his early fifties, and he’s not looking to advance into management. He just wants a low stress job that will get him to retirement age.

What do you all think? Windows and Cisco certifications, or CIS or MIS major at a 4 year college?

2

Can he return to his school and take 30 credits of electives including CS courses and then graduate? He will then have a degree (although in chemistry) plus some relevant coursework (and CS knowledge may help him get into more interesting jobs than desktop support).

IT support jobs are not necessarily low stress, since lots of people complain when computers and networks are down, and they want it fixed yesterday.

3

@ucbalumnus, I agree with you. I tried to explain to him that it’s a thankless job, and that programming is much more interesting, but he feels that a CS degree would be more than he can handle. I think a CIS degree is actually going to require a few hard core CS courses, too, so I have to make sure he’s even up for that. He doesn’t seem to be interested in programming at all. And he gets stressed out when I mention anything that sounds like it’s going to be difficult at all.

He can’t return to his school, because he got kicked out for having a couple of bad semesters. His credits are also over 30 years old, but I’ve been through this before with my brother, and I think he should be able to transfer at least 60 credits, hopefully more.

You’ve got me thinking, though. He should probably do whatever major is going to be the easiest for him to get through, and just take the courses in the CS department that are relevant to support, like Databases and Networks. He might have trouble registering for those without the prerequisites, though, even though you can easily do those courses without the prerequisites.

He doesn’t want to get the Chemistry degree, so maybe I’m wrong about him having ALL of the requirements for the degree.

It’s frustrating, because I think it would be good for him to get the degree, but he seems overwhelmed by the idea of college. This guy is no dummy, but he doesn’t seem ready to take on school. The tech training isn’t going to be easy either, but for some reason the idea of that doesn’t seem to overwhelm him.

If it were me, but with his interests, I would finish the degree in anything, take whatever CS courses didn’t scare me, and then do a 6 month certification after that to get the specific skills. But that would really put him over the edge, so I haven’t even mentioned it.

4

What is he doing now, and what, if anything, is wrong with it?

5

He’s working in a Chemistry lab, and running it. He wants to get away from the supervisory tasks, and just be a techie.

He doesn’t see the downsides of computer support. It’s a good career for some people, but I’m not really sure if it’s a good fit for him. I can’t see him doing all the Continuing Ed he’ll need to do. He’s pretty dead set on it, though.

6

He should probably not quit his current job now. But he can look into taking evening classes at the local community colleges in CS and IT subjects to get an idea of what these fields are like, and learn some entry-level material in those fields.

Note that a highly self-motivated person can learn substantial amounts of CS and IT stuff on his/her own, though starting with a few entry-level college courses can help with the foundation for future self-education. Some people working in CS and IT jobs have unrelated degrees, or no degree at all, but know their stuff from self-education.

7

Thanks for the suggestions, @ucbalumnus. I suggested taking classes at night, and he doesn’t think he can handle doing both. He has a bit of anxiety.

This is one of those problems without a solution. The one good thing is that he has plenty of money in the bank and doesn’t mind spending it on school. By the time he starts school, he’ll have enough money saved to go to school for 3 or 4 semesters and live for that time without taking any loans.

I think the degree would be better, because he’ll still have something useful, even if he tries desktop support and doesn’t like it. But he’s not looking that far ahead. He wants to take whatever route is going to give him the best chance of getting a job in desktop support.

I don’t really know which training companies prefer for that kind of job. Would they rather train someone with a degree, who has some programming, some networking, and some database courses, or someone with very specific training in Windows and Cisco router support? I don’t really know, because I’ve never interviewed people for those types of positions.

8

Do a web search for “computer desktop support jobs” to get an idea of what employers of such jobs are looking for.

9

Tech support is the McDonald’s of the IT world. It’s a commodity and the work is thankless and pays poorly. I would recommend he either go for a CS degree or a cybersecurity degree doing Information Assurance. That’s the lucrative field for the moment.

10

He doesn’t have to change fields in order to avoid supervisory tasks. Of course he can just be a lab analyst in that or some other lab.

11

@ucbalumnus, I did a search like that a couple of nights ago, and it was a little inconsistent. Some jobs required just a HS diploma or GED, and relevant work experience. Others said college degree or equivalent work experience.

I decided to ask the support guys in my office. I only talked to one guy, but he was very emphatic that he would not go the Devry/ITT route. He said he had friends who did that, and they are in debt, with no job.

Now I just have to convince my friend of this. The guy at work said he would actually talk to my friend if he wants to talk, so that’s good.

@NoVADad99, I agree 100%. I would hate to be a support person, but there are people who like it. I’m not sure if he will, or won’t. Cybersecurity is a great idea. I’ve mentioned that to him before, I think. It’s a lot of responsibility, though. He’s looking for the opposite.

@jjwinkle, very true. I think he’s just done with Chemistry. He’s had his fill, and wants to try something completely different.

Thanks for all the great ideas, everyone. I’ll keep you posted. I have to pick my timing very carefully with him. Talk about WalknOnEggShells! This is worse than with my daughter :slight_smile:

12

In some of the bigger companies I’ve worked in, the tech support guys make a pretty good salary. They aren’t simply help desk people. They deal with security issues, opening machines to install new hardware, reimaging disks, things like that.

13

@simba9, that’s true. The Networking guys make good money too. Application support guys can make good money also. I suggested that to him, but he seems set on doing desktop support.