Looking for help/suggestions on what to do

Shougeki

Basically I have been working in IT for 20 years. Never went to college, never sat an exam with the exception of a the RHCSA a few years ago. I am thinking of getting a degree/masters part time.
I was a windows Sys Admin for about 7 years and a Unix/Linux Engineer for the rest. I currently mainly run AIX & RHEL, while also doing the SANs & Flash Arrays. I do all the usual capacity planning, new buildouts, maintenance etc. My current role is a 24x7 role with about 100 AIX Lpars in multiple datacenters and about another 50 RHEL systems. My knowledge is deep, and broad. Working in the finance sector, I also have to deal with compliance, PCI DSS, SAE16 and so forth.

So far I was thinking of doing a degree in Cloud Computing. I know with my skill-set I wont have much of a problem I would think [I am already running an OpenStack variant on AIX/Power called PowerVC], and it probably wont open any further doors than my experience would. However having not bothered when I was younger I am getting the urge to do it now, mainly for myself. But if some companies are still looking for people with degree's etc, why would I shoot myself in the foot?

I see that CIT, NCI, DCU and Griffith all do these courses part-time over 1yr - 2yr. I will obviously have to rely on recognized prior learning and so forth, but once again with my background and sheer amount of technologies I have used I would hope that wouldn't be an issue, and many colleges have these programs.

My question really is has anyone gone down this route, and is it really worth it? I am mid 30s, gainfully employed, and have no real reason to do it, other than further my skills and get that "bit of paper" my 'ol man always harped on about.

Basically I am looking for people thoughts or recommendations before I really spend time researching, and a fairly large chunk of cash, into whether this is a viable option.

From above, it is probably noticable that I don't really have a clue if I want to do this....

SBG387

I worked in various IT mgt roles in fin services industry for 18ish years before going out on my own. More on the dev side than sys admin / service delivery but the total IT team was < 100 people so I think I still understand what the roles entail.

You asked whether it is worth getting a formal qualification when I think you know you have the knowledge & experience to beat any college kid in an interview for a sys admin role. Maybe there's more specialist knowledge needed for cloud computing but even then, I think it has to be built on solid foundations (like the experience you have managing AIX environments).

I doubt there are many serious IT depts / companies who would value a piece of paper that says you were able to pass exams over a short period of time over the real world experience you have. Maybe their job ads list a degree as a prerequisite but I think this is just a standard pre-qualifier to filter out ECDL applicants - No recruiter would bin your CV given your experience.

Now I've covered your question (I hope), I think it's worth your while digging a little deeper into your motivation for looking into a cloud computing qualifications (or any qualification for that matter):

You said: "it probably wont open any further doors than my experience would"; "I am getting the urge to do it now, mainly for myself". Can you elaborate a little?

- Is it to get a piece of paper to prove to your dad and others that you actually are good at what you do?

- Is it to gain more knowledge about the latest tech in your industry? If so, is this out of interest or because you see it could be of value in your current job?

- Is it to gain more leverage when it comes to time to discuss annual salary and/or promotion and/or project work?

- Is it to enable you to get a better job elsewhere?

- Is it to enable you get a different job elsewhere?

Sorry if this has all gone a bit too deep but if you are going to put x years of your spare time into something, wouldn't it be great if that something gets you closer to what you really want to work on over the next 5-10 years?

When I worked full-time, I did a few courses in my spare time and I found it tough to maintain the motivation to commit x hours per week for x months / years on something that does not really get you where you want to go. Many courses say 'you only need 2 hours twice a week and one Saturday a month' or whatever - 'only' ain't so easy when you lose your motivation.

Hope this helps you. Best of luck with whatever you decide.

PS PM me if you want to talk further but not on a public forum - I'm not selling anything (honest!) - Just interested in helping you if I can.

Shougeki

Hey mate.
Thanks for the lengthy input. I wasn't expecting a response when time passed, and put it out of my mind.

To be honest, I have made a decision, and will go in a little more in the end. My answers inline below, from what I realized after I made my decision.

SBG387 wrote: »

- Is it to get a piece of paper to prove to your dad and others that you actually are good at what you do?

Nah the know I'm good :P

SBG387 wrote: »

- Is it to gain more knowledge about the latest tech in your industry? If so, is this out of interest or because you see it could be of value in your current job?

Both, but interest mainly. I have a voracious appetite for most computer knowledge, especially after being self thought. I also pick things up [in regards to IT] extremely quickly, and things just make sense to me. It may sound conceited, but with a lot of new technology after a little bit I just get it. How it works, and the pieces fit together, be it hardware from Pcs to SANs and FlashSystems, or software.

SBG387 wrote: »

- Is it to gain more leverage when it comes to time to discuss annual salary and/or promotion and/or project work?

I am actually running a team at work of 6 people, so I get to pick which projects I would like to do myself. It also wouldn't really be related to my current role, in its current form.

SBG387 wrote: »

- Is it to enable you to get a better job elsewhere?
- Is it to enable you get a different job elsewhere?

Possibly, see my decision below.

SBG387 wrote: »

When I worked full-time, I did a few courses in my spare time and I found it tough to maintain the motivation to commit x hours per week for x months / years on something that does not really get you where you want to go. Many courses say 'you only need 2 hours twice a week and one Saturday a month' or whatever - 'only' ain't so easy when you lose your motivation.

That is one of my biggest fears. I can be pretty lazy sometimes [often], and working full-time can suck the motivation out of me. I am afraid of committing and then failing to follow through.

SBG387 wrote: »

Hope this helps you. Best of luck with whatever you decide.
PS PM me if you want to talk further but not on a public forum - I'm not selling anything (honest!) - Just interested in helping you if I can.

No worries at all. Thanks for taking your time to respond, both with clarity & depth, and with an obvious knowledge of what you are talking about.

So since I made this post originally, I have gone through all the items you mentioned above. Probably not as succinctly as you put, but in a roundabout way.
Since then I looked at some of the college courses, with the intention fo doing the degree in 12-18 months. Having seen the syllabus, I realized none of it was anything new, and i could probably pass without even sitting the course. And to pay the bones of 7-10K for that seemed a waste, if it was only for that piece of paper. So I started looking at other options, and for something that interests me. With that, I have started doing self-paced training on the AWS learning for the Certified Solutions Architect, and am currently about 1/3 of the way through, with the intention of sitting the exam by end of April.
Then I will look for a new job :P

So thanks again, and you have pretty much confirmed what I was thinking anyways.

SBG387

Shougeki wrote: »

.. with a lot of new technology after a little bit I just get it. How it works, and the pieces fit together, be it hardware from Pcs to SANs and FlashSystems, or software.

Shhh, don't let people know that the fundamentals seldom change - Systems are designed by humans, enhanced by humans, and screwed up by humans! Once you have the confidence & experience to know this, you can give anything a go.

Shougeki wrote: »

I have started doing self-paced training on the AWS learning for the Certified Solutions Architect, and am currently about 1/3 of the way through, with the intention of sitting the exam by end of April.

Based on your motivations, this sounds like a fantastic choice.

- It's useful knowledge (AWS has a good rep)

- it's self-paced (so if motivation levels drop, you can take a break and come back to it refreshed), and yet

- there is a clear finish line and reward (I'm sure they'll email you a cert that you can get printed out on parchment paper and give it to your dad for Christmas!).

Best of luck with it.

Shougeki

Nice one brother, thanks for the vote of confidence

Musicman2000

I was in your position had 6 years experience in a System Admin role. went back to do a degree in IT. It was a complete waste of time the syllabus was out of date thought by people with PHD's that never worked in the real world a day in their lives .

Maybe try a few Industry Certs but I wouldn't look at a degree with the experience you have it would be a complete waste of money .