Posted: 3/5/2013 7:31:14 AM EDT
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Curious as to the hive’s opinion on which degree I should pursue. The two options I am considering are: a MBA with an emphasis in CIS or a M.S. CIS. I've been working in IT full time for about 6 years at this point and currently work as a Sys admin manager, so I’m not super green in my field. Currently I’m leaning towards the MBA as I think the MBA might be more useful for continuing my movement up the management chain and will also probably have a longer shelf-life.
Almost all of the normal deciding factors are the same between the two: •Cost: Employer paid •Time: MBA can be completed in a slightly shorter time-frame •School: Same state school Thank you for your input. Little_bo Yes I know, Join date: Meh, post count: fail. OP is newb. |
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/clicks thread, prepared to advise against law /sees OP is not considering law /sigh of relief /exits thread Why not law school? Job market is absolute shit, price of getting the degree is exorbitant. Cost/benefit isn't there right now. Won't be for a few years. Of course none of this matter if you can swing a free ride. |
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As a preface, I'm a network engineer with about 10 years in the field. I had a very similar decision you're facing. It comes down to a decision about what you want to do with your career. If you have an interest in management, the IT-focused MBA is a no-brainer. If you have no interest in management and you want to remain purely technical, the MS CIS is the clear answer. If you're like I was and you're sitting on the fence, it's a difficult decision. I am a technical guy at heart and I love what I do for a living, but I was concerned about getting pigeon-holed if I remained technical. I work in an environment with highly regimented "grades" for each job position, and I've pretty much reached the end of the road for job complexity (and thus grade increases) for purely technical work. As you continue to climb up the food chain, you'll have to become increasingly specialized in a given area (e.g. networking, storage, virtualization, development, etc) to continue to move up the ladder. At some point, you'll have to move into managerial positions if you want to continue your upward climb. Some organizations place a higher emphasis on technical leadership, but they tend to be the exception as opposed to the rule. Ultimately, I decided to follow my passion and stay technical. I'll miss the upward momentum I've enjoyed over the past decade, but I'd rather accept a good paycheck and a job I love as opposed to a great paycheck and a job I would likely hate. |