Why College Isn't Important for IT Jobs

As some of you may know I've been working in the IT field for a few years. During this time in my position, I have interviewed quite a few people with varying degrees, training and experience. The funny thing is, we tend to want to hire the individuals without the college degrees more often. We also notice that those that have certifications rather than degrees tend to perform on the job better because their training is more specific than what they would have received through a standard degree program.

I guess it all depends on exactly what you want to do in the IT field. In general, I would say if you wanted to be a Voice Engineer, Server Admin or even a developer, you would be better off saving your hard earned cash to put towards specific training and certifications. Many techniques for developer positions can be learned through self-taught methods. If you decide to go the self-taught route, be sure that you have personal projects or donate your skills to non-profits to beef up your resume. This will show your talent and ability to work on projects and with teams effectively.

So, if you're considering a career in the IT field I would definitely take a step back and evalute your path to get where you want to go. Is the expensive degree program really necessary? Also, take a look at the online university http://www.uopeople.edu which is gaining ground and support from a lot of companies and organizations. Also spend time constantly learning, stay up to date with the latest tech in your field, network with people on linkedin and similar sites. Get your name out there while you're gathering experience. You can build a powerful resume without a college degree just by taking part in projects and teams.