I owe $0 from my college degree, and in fact got a refund each semester from NYS.
I also love going to work everyday, I get to do pretty much whatever the hell I want <3 it.
no college debt here 
edit:
Jack, with no college degree, you will never be a CIO
I was going to wait for a response from Jack…but I forgot he isn’t allowed on NYSpeed at work :lol:
haha
:lol: you would think someone in such a position of power would have the ability to get on it at work.
Its unlikely but not impossible… regardless anyone that is serious about a career needs to at least get a BS. Nothing is impossible though, this is america after all 
edit: While I don’t agree with a lot of what Jack is saying, he is saying some things that are very key. A good IT department does not work long hours nor does it work hard throughout the entire work day. If you are actually fixing shit less than half the day and spend the rest of your time researching and doing preventive work you’re doing it right. For the most part thats how our department is (granted we are a medium sized business, its not the same as enterprise shit)… 90% of the year is light workload and no long hours anymore. It was in the beginning building out the network and getting all of the services the company needed setup, but now for the most part it is just spent staying ahead of the curve and minimal repair work.
LZ is a consultant (right, you work for a consulting place?) so long (billable) hours is a good thing, but for a corporate IT department the less hours you work the better you’re doing IMO 
90% of my day is spent developing system enhancements and working on implementing a security plan.
I spend only a very small amount of time fixing shit.
I don’t work long hours though, 8-4:30
Yes I do consulting…The company does everything help desk/sys admin/connectivity(t1, t3, ethernet handoff, bonded t1s)/colo
I do design/build out/pre sales for projects for customers and internal stuff…Just happens January has been extremely busy…
I try to avoid the whole break fix scene…but working in a SMB you will always have to do some break fix…There is no money in this and there are million “good” microsoft break fix people…doesn’t really make me marketable being a “good” microsoft break fix guy…If that made any sense besides me ranting.
It is “high and mighty”… “in” is not a typo… it is you not knowing how to talk. I’m not talking up my job. I started when I was 18… but I didn’t have to mention my age… my wisdom is beyond my years, age is irrelevant in the office.
Sorry boxxa… should I put a pic of my "NEW CAR!!! OMG LOOK AT MY NEW CAR!!! " … it is a POS BTW. It wasn’t what you thought it was when you bought it, everyone called you out on that fact… and you made a very uneducated purchase. Congrats. You know nothing.
:noob:
I clearly said “in our industry” … find a better IT shop that does what we do, I’ll give you $100. You even quoted the part that says “best IT shop in OUR INDUSTRY” my industry is not search engines or Microsoft…
You should have stuck to the basement of the pentagon…
So… is it worth it? Thats the question. The fact that you like/love your job puts you way ahead of most of IT personel… especially in Buffalo.
I clearly stated… in the same line… that I’m going back to school when my wife is done. Did you stop reading half way through the sentence?
Correct… not allowed… doesn’t mean I can’t. NYSPEED isn’t worth “breaking the rules” over… I have other (more meaningful) trolling to do.
I’d consult, but I have a family, and I’m not gay. Most male consultants are gay. It is a fact. Great money… could do it for a couple years and travel a lot… but not worth it right now.
Chino, you get one of the points of my argument…
The other is that if you’re working hard… you’re not efficient.
All this time I though boxxa was a chick. Chick car… chick sig… chick posts. :gotme:
Jack you work in THE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY for a company that is only based in NY
I don’t think you would be hard pressed to find multiple other IT shops that pay more and do a much larger scale of work.
I love how you spew all this shit about Buffalo IT and the IT industry when all you know is your little niche work place…and you truly have no clue about the industry.
Are you a member of infotech or any other Buffalo based technology organizations?
Yes its worth it…There are a ton of great IT jobs in Buffalo and a lot of what I do is extremely useful in marketing my self to other potential employers…or just growing my skill set and staying where I am currently(raises, promotions)
btw
My employer offers raises based on certifications obtained between $750-$5k depending on cert…
:lol: will probably go back some day…when I get bored…
At this point I really don’t understand what you’re arguing
Certs are worthless?
Degrees are a must have?
I know lots of examples of people getting interviews based on certs…using certs to back up knowledge on projects they have competed(during interviews)…Raises based on certifications…A lot of recruiters/companies seek out people certified in higher level or unique certs…some companies attach cert requirements to jobs.
Regardless of your personal opinions in the real world they help you…they arn’t going to hurt you…
If someone else is paying for them, and are going to pay you more money when you pass them just so they look better on paper to someone else then why the hell not it can’t hurt to learn some things in the process.
If someone told you “Joe the plumber (lol) we will pay for you to learn the material, and take the test and upon a passing we will increase your salary XXXX amount per year” I doubt a single person would say no."
A lot of good points in this thread too :tup:
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So it isn’t worth 5 minutes of your time to find a better IT shop in my industry? Thats like $1200/hr. And I didn’t even finish Calc II.
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Getting paid more… to work 80 hours a week? No thanks.
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I have to be a member? Geesh… who the hell would want to be associated with Buffalo based technology organizations… talk about niche market
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I didn’t say certs or degrees were worth more or worthless, I said they aren’t worth as much as some of you make it out to be. That is a fact. Company sponsored certifications are perfect… not everyone has that opportunity. Like you said, some companies base their internships on already having a certification… that is like demanding work experience… if you can’t get a job without having work experience… how are you going to get experience?
I’ll simplify my argument:
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Some of you are working way too “hard” for the money. If you were so smart, you would work enough… and make the same change. Thats what its about.
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Getting a degree and/or certifications are a good thing… but not the end all be all of getting a job or promotions in IT.
2b. Knowing someone is the most important aspect of getting a decent job in IT and most other departments.
2c. Having great people skills will get you further than actual knowledge.
2d. Having a working knowledge of the concepts you learn in certification/degree programs is far more important and valuable to any employer than actually having the cert/degree. A good employer will allow “proof of concept” over listing classes you paid to take. Lots of people can read a cook book and pass a quiz… not everyone can bake a cake.
I still think you real “IT” guys should compare your careers… that will give you an idea of what got you where.
My in was $8.00/hr… I did the rest.
Weird my in was $8.50 answering phones 4 years ago 
btw I completely agree with the above statements…
I just watched 300… and it still sucks.
I started out at 7.25 though 
then was making 10 bucks in a year.
started at 7.25 make more than 4x that now
Word… I’ve also more than quadrupled in 5 years. Not everyone advances or has the opportunities to advance, but if you don’t go for the job you want, you’ll never get it.
BTW - The only certification I have is in starting shit.
Any IT job before TWC I wouldn’t really call an “IN” because it was always bs stuff. If it counts 5/hr under the table back in the day ('99) for a local dial up company… haha
With TWC I was 2.5x my starting pay within 1.5 years. Then moving down here my salary was more than double what I made with TWC, and if I count my side work for Google triple?
Since Jack is scared to go on NYSpeed from work…can some explain what point he was arguing??
Everyone in here agreed having certs isn’t the only reason you get a job…
Lol… I think this is a great discussion but not many people with a sword in the fight. This would be a good discussion at an InfoTech Niagara meeting though 
All though I dropped out of infotech 2 years ago because I never went to anything and I also never read their mail spam :gotme:
End of the day there is no right answer to this, some people will get good jobs from certs, some from degrees, some from experience and some from plain dumb luck (or cock sucking). You want to guarantee that you get a good job in IT? Get certs, a BS, MS, get experience and know what the fuck you’re doing.
oh and don’t be a creepy fuck, no one wants to hire creepy fucks.
I try to goto Infotech events…I know a bunch of board members and crap…I try to find events with open bar…