CCNP Certification Alone Enough? Or BS in Comp Sci required? Details inside! Hello all,I am 23 years old and as far as college education goes I currently have an Associate Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Information Systems. I earned this degree through an online program and honestly was not entirely satisfied with the courses, especially for the price tag that came along with them!Being a little unsatisfied with the online experience I'll be finishing up school at a local brick-and-mortar facility.I am interested in pursuing a career in the IT field, particularly something along the lines of network security or network administration because the payscales in the those fields seem pretty good, plus it is something that interests me.I have a question regarding my school choice however for some of you who may have experience in these fields. A local community college here offers a two semester course in preparation for the CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) certification. This not a degree program, simply a marketable skills achievement award program. They also have a similar two semester course for LINUX/UNIX system administration.In contrast, the other school I am looking at is a major university (University of Texas at San Antonio, ie more expensive) which recently opened up two new degree programs, a Bachelor and Master degree program in Computer Science with a concentration in Computer & Information Security.My question is whether getting a CCNP certification in combination with my Associate Degree in BA would be sufficient for getting my foot in the door in the career field of my choice OR if I would be better off just going for the BS in Comp Sci. I ask because if the certification in combination with my current degree is sufficient I wouldn't want to put my time, money, and energy into a degree plan I dont need for the jobs I'm looking into. I am assuming the BS in Comp. Sci. would provide a fair amount of knowledge that would assist me in preparing for the the CCNP anyway -is this the case for anyone who has majored in Comp Sci? Currently, I'm leaning towards the BS in Comp. Sci. and getting a CCNP certification somewhere along the the line in next two years or so to supplement my degree as it would look better on a resume.If anyone with experience has any general input it would be appreciated! Thanks! |