Computer Technology Schools

[pjam76]

degrees

If you get a BS in computer science and then want to get an MBA, by all means go for it... It'll probably help you out in the long run.

Many Software Engineers eventually wind up in a management type role down the road anyway.

While it won't help you all that much now, by the time you have years of experience, it'll work out for best.

Many people get a job, work a few years, then get their employer to pay for their MBA or Masters... Maybe your employer won't pay all of the tuition, but anything is better than nothing..

ANd after you have 6-8 years of real world experience and go for some Project Lead, Project Management type roles, you will look more impressive than just some BS degree holder.

If you have 8 years of experience, a BS and an MBA it is bound to help you out in the long run.

But just to get an MBA up front, it most likely isn't going to help you get a job or more money just because you have that MBA.

 

[ceejay187]

i goto Devry in NYC and lemme tell you that out of all the tech schools out there Devry is the most respected. They teach you what you need to know and most grads are more well rounded than grads from other schools. I would suggest Devry to someone else. They do rape you with tuition costs tho. I have family in the tech business and they only hire people from Devry.

I went to 2 different Devry's. The one in jersey because i lived in staten island at the time and it was closer to my house. Then they got me a job in queens.. so i transferred to the one in long island city, ny. The one in jersey was a university and truthfully it was a better school! I got my A.S. there. The equipment was newer and there was more of range of electives you can take there where as in NY, they only had like 3 humanities classes. I did have ONE excellent teacher in ny and at graduation i made him take a pic with me.. He was the one who actually got me into the networking side.. Meanwhile i graduated with my B.S. in CIS... and now i really dont like programming. Devry got me my job where i am also currently working. So i guess they have been good to me..

the only thing i regret is not taking classes that i could of at a community college and then transferred them over. I would of saved SO MUCH FREAKIN money that way!!!! Like someone said earlier.. its like almost $7k a semester.. and they are 3 semesters a year for three years.. so just imagine how much i owe on student loans!!!! So to anyone who plans on going to devry.. check out their curriculum and take the classes needed at a community college and then transfer them over.. trust me.. u will be saving yourself THOUSANDS of dollars.. well if u didnt get financial aid like me...

I am now going for my MSCE.. and thats what my boss here at my new company got hired on only... So basically yep. .u need both ur certs and a degree.... but at least im getting my certs for free thru a program called workforce..

for all u ppl in ny u should check it out.. if ur making less than 54k u can get approved... thank God i went for the classes before i got this job.. because i wouldnt be approved for it now =)

I'm very new to these forums...

I live down here in Savannah, GA and currently attend Savannah Technical College and my current target is the A+ CompTIA Networking Certification.

I started at savannah tech but the liberty campus one... it was so bootleg lol i was only there one semester before moving back to ny

 

[ElsaBorzoi]

I got my BS of Information Systems Security from Westwood College of Technology. Its a pretty good technical college. If you like more hands on and less lecture, I would highly recommend it. If you want to know more about the school or if its located in your state you can go here http://westwood.edu/ but like all colleges, university, and technical that raise tuition every year and if your lucky every two years.

I forgot to said that a lot of ITT student transfer to Westwood and found it to be overall better then ITT.

I just started that very program at Westwood, and like it very much. I started to investigate online schools for a bachelor program almost immediatelyafter enrolling in a nearby tech college for Computer Networking Technology, two and one half years ago. It took me till last March to finally decide on Westwood. They have the most percentage time actually spent in computer classes.





Els

 

[superdave1984]

I went to ITT Tech and got an associates in computer network systems. Expensive, but I think it was worth it. The only thing I would have wanted that they didn't offer was a certification course where you would be specifically instructed on different certs. But after two years you should know enough to pass some of the tests anyway. The downside is you have to take trig, economics, and a couple other classes that pretty much suck.

 

[M4A1]

The downside is you have to take trig, economics, and a couple other classes that pretty much suck.

How do those classes "suck"? They provide you with a well-rounded education. Every business leader/successful person is knowledgeable in all areas, not only in their field.

If you've taken accounting/economics, you can understand the business aspect of what your job entails.

If you've taken English and you're an engineer/IT professional/any other, you can provide a clear and well-thought out idea to management/co-workers/customers.

What good is an engineer if s/he cannot communicate effectively? Believe it or not, there was a recent survey of HR personnel and engineering managers and they the majority of them responded as "communication" as the most important factor when determining who gets hired and who gets kicked to the curb. I don't have the source right now, but I believe it was about 74% that considered that the top quality they look for.

So, I would re-evaluate how you take your look on other important subjects that make you a more well-rounded and knowledgeable person.

 

[Siyamak]

I've been in a Cisco network academy for a semester now, and I would have to say it is definitly better than any regular class I've taken. I attend a technical high school in the morning, then go to my local school in the afternoon. I spend two and a half hours in the Cisco class a day.

We (the class) have just finished IT Essentials 1 last semester and we plan to have a good portion of the class pass the A+ certification by the end of this month. We have also started the CCNA 1 course this semester. Over the summer I will enter an internship at my school to get experiance, then go back my senior year to complete CCNA 2 and 3 (most likely 3 and 4 for me since I plan totake CCNA 2 over the summer as well.)

Our workspace is decent, mostly compaqs with pentium IIs running Windows 2000 Professional. We are getting a major upgrade over the summer or fall though, since the school administration views our class with high regard. Not to mention we are responsable for keeping all the computers in the building working while simutaneously doing our school work.

If I graduate from this class I get half of my hours needed for an associate's degree in college (26 hours or close to that.) This is unique to our academy though, and we were recently featured in an article for it a month or so back (I think it was a Cisco newsletter or something.) I'm graded on a higher scale then the rest of my classes, so I currently have above a 4.0 on my GPA since I have A's in all my other classes.

The Best Buy stores in the area actually call our teacher for recomendations when they are hiring for the Geek Squad or tech department. While our teacher also teaches the same courses at a local college, students in our class (those who have A+ Certification) are recomended as well, and in the past some have actually landed a job there because of it (those that fail normally do so under customer service questions.)

We are expected to wear plain collared shirts and decent pants, next year we will have to wear uniform cisco shirts. Once a month we must dress up in a suit and tie. Our curiculum is entirly online but there are books and CDs for students who don't have Internet access at home. The online curriculum features a few animated movies and clips, along with more detailed labs, but any still photo or table is usually printed in the text book as well.

Everything in the class is free, including the course, since it is run by a public technical high-school. However, we have to sell water each morning to raise money for our shop and certification exams. Also, if a student begins falling behind or shows lack of motivation over a long period of time he can be kicked out.

If the Cisco final for the IT Essentials course isn't passed with a 70%, then a student cannot even return second semester to start CCNA 1. This year was an exception due to the implementation of the new A+ exams, and anyone could continue so long as their instructor allowed it. This should not be the case in the future.

All-in-all it is a very good class so far and well worth the work for the benefits I get out of it. I'll take 26 college credit hours after graduating high-school any day. Hopefully I can land a job that will pay for me to continue school into college.

 

[andyb250]

I've never been to a techy school, but I did do a two week MCSE boot camp one time. If you are a tech newbie - DO NOT DO A BOOT CAMP. The classes go so fast that you will not be able to keep up and you won't learn anything. I DO recommend them to someone who has a few certz previous and alot of hands on experience who doesn't need a full school but still needs some quick details. The teacher I had was very good, but don't expect the tests to be graded properly. If you think you passed and they say that you didn't then contest it.

 

[andyb250]

I have to post this because it is such a cool story. I worked for alot of small computer shops from grade shool on up until now. The small shops were great and I had alot of hands on experience - that is basically all it was!! I was never able to make any money because I couldn't get my foot in the bigger companies. Finally I decided I had to get some certz so I could get my foot in the door. I went and took the A+. I was so scared. I thought everyone else knew so much more about computers then I did. The lady escorted me back to the test room and I just about had a heart attack until my 1st question. Then my 2nd, and 3rd, and 4th.....etc. I honestly took the test in like 5min. It was sooooo easy. When I came out of the test room the lady thought I had given up - she asked me what was wrong? I told her nothing - I was fine. Then my test printed out at her desk. I think I got what equated out to a 90%. She said she'd never seen anyone take the test so fast and do so well. The moral of the story is - don't be afraid - you know it!! Go do it!!

 

[Quantum Bit]

I've been in a Cisco network academy for a semester now, and I would have to say it is definitly better than any regular class I've taken. I attend a technical high school in the morning, then go to my local school in the afternoon. I spend two and a half hours in the Cisco class a day.

We (the class) have just finished IT Essentials 1 last semester and we plan to have a good portion of the class pass the A+ certification by the end of this month. We have also started the CCNA 1 course this semester. Over the summer I will enter an internship at my school to get experiance, then go back my senior year to complete CCNA 2 and 3 (most likely 3 and 4 for me since I plan totake CCNA 2 over the summer as well.)

Our workspace is decent, mostly compaqs with pentium IIs running Windows 2000 Professional. We are getting a major upgrade over the summer or fall though, since the school administration views our class with high regard. Not to mention we are responsable for keeping all the computers in the building working while simutaneously doing our school work.

If I graduate from this class I get half of my hours needed for an associate's degree in college (26 hours or close to that.) This is unique to our academy though, and we were recently featured in an article for it a month or so back (I think it was a Cisco newsletter or something.) I'm graded on a higher scale then the rest of my classes, so I currently have above a 4.0 on my GPA since I have A's in all my other classes.

The Best Buy stores in the area actually call our teacher for recomendations when they are hiring for the Geek Squad or tech department. While our teacher also teaches the same courses at a local college, students in our class (those who have A+ Certification) are recomended as well, and in the past some have actually landed a job there because of it (those that fail normally do so under customer service questions.)

We are expected to wear plain collared shirts and decent pants, next year we will have to wear uniform cisco shirts. Once a month we must dress up in a suit and tie. Our curiculum is entirly online but there are books and CDs for students who don't have Internet access at home. The online curriculum features a few animated movies and clips, along with more detailed labs, but any still photo or table is usually printed in the text book as well.

Everything in the class is free, including the course, since it is run by a public technical high-school. However, we have to sell water each morning to raise money for our shop and certification exams. Also, if a student begins falling behind or shows lack of motivation over a long period of time he can be kicked out.

If the Cisco final for the IT Essentials course isn't passed with a 70%, then a student cannot even return second semester to start CCNA 1. This year was an exception due to the implementation of the new A+ exams, and anyone could continue so long as their instructor allowed it. This should not be the case in the future.

All-in-all it is a very good class so far and well worth the work for the benefits I get out of it. I'll take 26 college credit hours after graduating high-school any day. Hopefully I can land a job that will pay for me to continue school into college.

LOL.. YOU have to sell water wtf!!! lmao, that is the most ridiculous story I have ever heard!

 

[Siyamak]

LOL.. YOU have to sell water wtf!!! lmao, that is the most ridiculous story I have ever heard!

well, the school itself certainly isn't going to pay for everything. It is a public high school afterall. Each morning six people (two for each wing of the school) go from door to door and ask classes if they want water. We usually make around 20-30 dollars each day, sometimes 50. The highest our class has sold so far was around $90 since someone bought a subscription (there are two types of subscriptions, a monthly and a year.) In the mornings the juniors sell and in the evenings the seniors sell. We keep the water in a refridgerator in a closet in class, then transport it in coolers when we sell.

Sure it takes around 15-30 mins of our day, but we (the students) don't have to pay out of our own pockets for certifications, textbooks, diagnostic tools/software, computer parts, etc.