Hi Guys. Advice needed here.
I recently(in July) cleared my First Degree (JKUAT), in Information Technology. I'm still on with my internship and really learning a lot. I am however bombarded by lots of pressure (from Family and friends) to go and study outside (for a Masters).

Does this really work any more? Am I better of getting certified? (CCNA, CCNP, CCIE???) etc? I'm actually finishing my CCNA soon, and currently doing Juniper where I intern. What about doing the Master locally as I work??

FYI, I got a 1st Class Honors (after a 4yr drought in my Faculty) and many people are of the opinion that I maintain the 'Academic/Lecturing' Line, which I am not so keen about. My main reason for asking this is to allow me get what others already-experienced people have gone through.

I am very passionate about IT especially Networking (both Juniper/Cisco), Virtualization/VMware and Cloud). I enjoy it excessively, I even recently turned down a (top dollar) job which did not promise any career progression/relevance.

BIG QUESTION: Is a Master Program worth? Or do I just concentrate on a particular area in IT.
Once I make this decision I'll be able to make future long-term plans and move forward.
My neighbor is an experienced HR consultant, and she strongly believes that One is better placed as a Recent graduate(cheap and easy to mold) than a Masters Holder with no experience (regardless of the field according to her.)

What options do I have? Talk to your 23 Year Old Son.
Sincere advice will be highly appreciated.

Getting a first class was a commendable achievement for you. However, most firms appreciate people who produce results rather than just impressive papers.

In my opinion, I'd rather you gain some relevant experience in the field for some time before you can actually decide on what your true passion really is in the wide IT profession. Only then you can become a 'master'. That's when I believe you will be able to decide on which area you wish to specialize in.

In my place of work, whenever they advertise for positions, they indicate a minimum of a bachelors and say 5 yrs experience or a masters with 3 years experience. As you might notice here, the key word is experience.

Sooner or later, you will realize that what they teach in class is not always what you experience in the field. That's why I am a big proponent of work experience first unless of course you intend to end up in research or teaching in which case in would make much more sense to proceed with your studies right away.

Good luck son :)

@Webish,

Get some experience first, then certification, then more experience, then a Masters. You can do it outside of that order, however, this order compliments a typical IT career and learning process. If you are going to settle down and start a family, you may want to consider getting the Master's now, as it's hard to "go back" once you get settled. Also, there's nothing wrong with "lowly" positions as long as you get in to learn everything you can, and then move on when a good opportunity comes along. On the other side of the scale, limited growth opportunity isn't necessarily a reason to turn down a top-dollar job, because YOU should be creating the advancement yourself, meaning that if they won't make the right move for you in x years, you'll make the move yourself- elsewhere if need be. If you think about how contracting works, there is usually no opportunity beyond usually 6 to 12 months! It's up to you to "beat the street" and get the next gig. Growth is all on you. Besides, the "promise" of job growth means nothing; things could be, and probably will be, completely different next budget cycle.

The most important part of developing your career in IT is to keep "pushing", as in don't settle into a position or a particular technology for too long (more than 36 months)- move with the lifecycle, as technology itself does. This could be an internal (same company) move, or external. This keeps you from becoming skill-stale, and keeps your knowledge and skills up-to-date. Also, make sure to keep up with the latest technologies by building your own home-based lab and by reading the trade periodicals. And I must say, this is where going abroad to developed countries, especially the US, for awhile is certainly of benefit, as you make good money, which you can invest at home, as well as get exposure to the largest and most cutting edge IT environments.

I came up in IT the old fashion way- from break/fix, to support, to analyst, to engineer, to management, to higher management, and by way of a lot of study, and a lot of experience from contracting, I was able to grow my career relatively quickly, and in a way where I was able to work in some of the largest, most advanced IT environments. I'm currently finishing my Masters because I'm already in management, have been in management at large firms, have already run my own company, and I think it's a good move at this point, and after all of the experience, it's actually relatively easy; it's a formal review and discussion of what I've seen in large corporations over the years.

Outline your 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, and 20 year goals, and I can better comment on where and if a Master's would fit.

Best,

Hill

To add also to the wise counsel so far, in IT/Technical fields vendor certification will add a lot of value to you that a masters degree in the technical field if you are not into academia/research. Certification especially at the level of CCIE/JNCIE will literally be at the league of PhD in networking with the advantage of relevance in a technology career . If I were you (I am actually taking this route) I'd pursue this option and later do a master in a management field eg MBA. It will give you the other important side of life of technology which is the people/money side.

@mozenrat, Much Appreciated. Btw, I'm keeping a keen eye on scholarships by Caltech, Oxford et al. Big Shots, I know, But Why NOT. Thanks.

@dannoty. True, getting a 1st Class does not mean being experienced. But atleast, it tells that One HAS THE WILL TO LEARN. And that's exactly what I take/learn from the achievement.

@QW25081985 . This is quite a valid discussion. Why Not. Remember, that's why I decided to show my AGE. Just so you know whether you are dealing with a "not so intelligent" man or NOT. And to tailor your language too.
Anyway, Thank You for the Input. Master programs are on demand, but how many of the students will truly benefit from it?? Or made the right decision. As in, does it guarantee you a "future" (term future is relative, of course).

@Lucid_lam . Thanks for the 'wise counsel'. Good to learn that you are happy with the route you are taking. Looks like we may need to share more notes (well, if you don't mind.)

@gordon_gekko . Very true, very few CIO's get to run corporations, however, this may change, esp with people now integrating a Business acumen in IT environments. Btw, I would like to be a Leader in an IT firm(if mine, the better).


The General mood is, Get some experience, Get more experience, Certify (elite level), The Go back to college and Formalize with a Master Degree. Then apply for a "TOP GOVT POSITION" *hehe* Btw, I hope these jobs will still be there in 2017, when I shall be walking confident enough with "experience".

@webish,congrats for the good academic performance.

Fortunately or Unfortunately you will fast realize that what matters in the ICT field,at least to most employers is hands-on skills,be it lecturing, programming, systems administration, network administration, database management, etc etc Employers want to know what you really are good at practically and not just academically, thats the reality in ICT.

My advice therefore is, identify the area you are most passionate about in ICT and do alot of self development(as a hobbyist would), could be app/sys programming, databases, networks, web applications, mobile apps, systems administration, and also avoid to be a jack of all trades as that will narrow your chances for progression and it will be wiser to be extremely good in a particular area than mildly good in several areas, thats what ICT expertise is all about.If you are multi-talented,which is a rare characteristic in professions , then strive to be an expert in maybe two areas which you are most passionate about.Some of the best IT experts locally are specialists in one or two areas which they are most passionate about and then team up with experts in other areas and forge ahead.Research on companies like Safaricom and see what am talking about.

Finally, if you wish to be in academia, then you can pursue higher education when in your current position and progress towards that direction but from your question I doubt if thats the case,but you never know in life, desires and dreams sometimes change abruptly.

All the best in your future plans..

A week or two, the Japanese government was offering scholarships thru the GOK. Try to check it out.