There is a debate that has been around for some time now.  Is it better to get a degree in Information Technology or get certifications? Of course you can go after both but let me provide some insight from personal experience. I have a BS in Technical Management from DeVry University in Long Beach ,CA.  So far it has served me quite well.  I have already had a decent career so far.  I don’t have any certifications either.  I noticed that during an interview the degree gets acknowledged but so far nobody questions what specifically I learned.  What they do question is demonstrated ability to perform the job functions they require.  In other words, experience.

Experience Wins

In past interviews I almost always have been asked about the previous companies I have worked for and exactly what I did for those companies.  I have been asked if I had certifications before but it didn’t seem to matter that I didn’t have any.  Lots of times job descriptions state that they require A+ or other certs but will often over look it if you show relevant experience. This why it is very important to list on your resume the specific job functions you performed for your previous companies.  These experiences are key to a support related career.

Of course if you have no experience then you need to break down what you learned in school and show some examples of work. Along with experience you also need people skills.  In the desktop support/helpdesk world (which is where I have specific expertise), you need to have people skills and certain personality traits.  These traits along with demonstrated experience is the key.  Specific traits are, able to communicate well and deal with any type of personality, excellent communications skills, patience and punctuality.  I am sure you have heard the term, “different strokes, for different folks”, right?

Where you get your IT education really only matters on a per job basis.  Some companies won’t even consider you if you don’t have a specific certification.  Some companies won’t hire you if your degree is not from a UC college.  This is because they are looking for a specific skill set and/or believe that quality people come from these types of colleges.  (I disagree of course)

In helpdesk/desktop support you need only know how to troubleshoot PC’s and specific applications.  The applications vary from company to company and they usually desire experience with a specific application or a similar one. Most of this job is successful communication with users and professionalism.  Having an A+ certification pretty much proves that you have the knowledge of understanding how a PC functions, but professionalism and communication come from practice.  I am willing to bet that a person with no formal education in computers but a few years of support experience, in most cases will be a better support person than a person with a BA in computer science but no support experience.

Final thoughts

So the answer to the question, “Is it better to have a degree or a certification?” is that it really depends on the job and the company.  In the helpdesk/desktop support world I can tell you that experience working with people is key and education can only help.  I have met excellent support people who have just high school education. I look forward to readers comments on this one because I know that there is a ton more insight that people can add to this discussion.  I can only speak from my own experience which is of course limited.  I would really like to hear from someone who only has certifications and their experiences getting jobs.