Degree in Computer Hardware / engineering

[Hazzer]

Hi,
I'm interested in doing a degree in computer engineering, specifically working with the computer physically, (e.g the individual parts and how they all work)
What degree is most suitable for something like this?

 

[somebodyspecial]

Hi,
I'm interested in doing a degree in computer engineering, specifically working with the computer physically, (e.g the individual parts and how they all work)
What degree is most suitable for something like this?

If you're actually talking engineering the stuff inside the PC I guess you can just stop here and wait for another post 😉

Because you say working with the computer parts physically you might mean this (the cost conscious method) :
If we're talking you want to build/troubleshoot PC's or servers/networking you'd be far better served by an A+ cert, an OS cert (win7 etc) and move on from there. You avoid the $100K-200K degree and get earning in 6-9 months. Even an MCSE can be had for $6000-7000 (A+/Network+ both around 5K at a college and I got both with no college). Unless you're heading to management the college degree probably never pays off vs. the cert/4yr experience road. Look at salary surveys. The guy who has 4yrs on the job by the time the college kid comes out is already above him wage wise and the other guy has a heck of a time overcoming it & the debt and possibly never makes it up if not heading to management (where that degree looks great). The college kid has to make up 100K of debt (more likely+interest over years) while the other guy has MADE $120K+ in those 4yrs with ZERO debt. The college guy has to make an extra 5.5K per year for 40yrs to make that kind of money up. I'd wish good luck with that to the college guy. I'm not saying it can't be done, just that it isn't easy.

The only reason I'd want the degree is if I actually wanted to do ENGINEERING of the stuff (circuit board design, chip design etc). But I'm not sure you're aiming at that really (could be wrong here). You can get a $35K job in usa pretty easily with an A+ and an OS cert (whatever is current OS most used in business, today win7) assuming you pass the personality tests so to speak and just keep going up the cert road. If you're a jerk in the interviews you won't get this treatment and maybe not even hired. Then you get on the cert treadmill for life like the rest of us IT nerds...LOL. Use night school if you really want the degree for management later. I know many who did this for 6-8yrs for a 2-4yr degree after being in tech (paying it off as debt was created and avoiding years of interest etc). If you want more ($50-120K) quicker, get MCSE or CCNA+. I'd suggest network+ first before ccna, but that's just me and by then you have a year or two in a NOC job. I'd suggest A+ or network+ before either route depending on if you want PC or network side. Network+ can get you a basic NOC job where you get a ton of experience much like working in a local PC shop building/troubleshooting PC's & end user stuff. Note the OS cert counts towards MCSE/MCSA anyway. I'd say everyone in this biz needs A+ at least or you're just looking dumb too much on the job and don't understand the basics. From MCSE/CCNA you can of course go much higher and into specialized areas. Say VMware expert etc from the server side, CCNP/CCIE on the network side (maybe even security/pentration testing etc), and on and on. A degree can get to the same places but what for if this is all you meant?

You can get an MSCE in college (part of a degree) but they'll probably be on a new server OS before you even get out. I'd rather have one in 9 months while you're earning and 2-3yrs on the job as a JR admin or something (first year or two likely as IT support etc). After 2yrs with a good resume you're set wherever you go. Many get their A+ while working at a computer shop building pc's etc. Then take that to a more technical phone/end user support job and up from there. A good 15yrs ago I'd have said Degree, but today hiring managers want that cert and preferably backed with experience to show why you have it (from the PC shop for IT support type people or from the NOC for network type people).

I hope that makes sense. For the college route today, if that is what you're after I'm sure someone will chime in but maybe be more specific about your end goal (circuit board design, chip design or something else?). But in doing that take a good long look at how many kids never pay it off and even the amount of kids who can't get work after college or the number who have major college debt still 10yrs later to pay off. If the govt doesn't try to force another bailout (this time for kids loans, trillion bailout coming which I hope gets shot down period, they're not my problem) you're screwed in most cases. Granted some do it, rich can afford it, etc but it's a big load to pay off for most (like paying for 2 houses and only getting one...LOL). Until we cut all the crap out of college that is USELESS on a job, I'm against it for most of the USA today. We need to massively go back to trade schools that teach ACTUAL job skills from beginning to end or japan, china, etc will take us over (not our country, they'll just move here and take our high-end jobs). You have to really pick the correct path in college to ensure a job at the end of it.

ENGINEERING is one correct path IMHO but someone else needs to answer that side for you if you really do mean engineering the stuff not just working with it. Sorry to waste your time if what I discussed here isn't what you're after, but it will hopefully be useful to someone thinking along similar lines. Again, the RIGHT degree can net you some serious cash but it's not needed for most of IT these days compared to 3-4yrs on the job and certs. Salary surveys come right out and ask hiring managers what they prefer and it's experience+certs in most cases. Don't look for colleges to tell you this though (they're in business with the banks/govt to bilk you out of 100-200K failure or not), research the cert magazines instead where hiring managers give the lowdown. You don't care what some college thinks, you care what the hiring managers think you need for the job you want. This only really works in IT, as of course you need to go to med school for medicine, law school to be a lawyer etc. IT is a bit different for a lot of jobs. Nobody looks at a college degree and thinks you're stupid for having it, I'm just saying you can do VERY well in IT without one (or the bill for it) and that isn't really normal for many other professions. Getting a CCNP for instance would take most 2yrs+ anyway and is treated like a 4yr degree or better (60K+ easily but seriously tough cert and including CCNA which is req here) and a CCIE is like your masters or maybe that is CISSP now...LOL. There are only 20K CCIE's and a good 8K of those dropped keeping it up. That estimate of time is really a joke though, as it depends on many things such as study time, brain absorption, technical prowess, access to test equipment etc.

Enough of my blabbing 😉 I'm sure you'll get a bunch of opinions on this varying widely no doubt; I just gave the cert side without the debt which might be important in this economy for a lot of people. A local community college would probably change the equations above also, but some even look down on those.