Need Advice: IT Associates Degrees

[Gunnerclone]

So LSS, I'm looking to slowly pursue an Associates Degree in IT. I have some free time and I want a safety net/options. My question anyone ITK is:

Which DMACC AA in IT would be the:

1) Most Useful/Desirable in a large corporate environment
2) Easiest to Obtain
3) Fun/Enjoyable

Here are the options that have peaked my interest (please add any that you think would be better):

Business Information Systems, Mobile Developer Concentration, AAS

Business Information Systems, Object Oriented Concentration, AAS

Business Information Systems, Website Programmer Concentration, AAS

Web Development, AAS

***Respond as if I'm an IT no0b. I can type and look at the internet but I don't really know anything else.

 

[MeowingCows]

If you're going to get a two-year IT degree, you will want to follow two rules:

1.) Find something that is in-demand/won't go away

2.) Specialize your degree to a particular field/area of IT

I noticed that all four of the options you listed are coding fields. Is that what you'd like to pursue? As for those listed, I'd place them in this order of difficulty from easiest to hardest: Website --> Object-oriented --> Mobile.

Feel free to ask me what I know or any questions you have -- I will graduate from ISU this May with an MIS degree, and I also received my liberal arts AA from DMACC.

**I don't promise to be an expert on anything -- I'm still a dumb college kid

 

[JY07]

I would do both the Object Oriented one and the Website Programming one: it looks like most of the classes overlap, and I'm guessing 80% of the jobs you'd apply for you'd really need both

 

[Gunnerclone]

If you're going to get a two-year IT degree, you will want to follow two rules:

1.) Find something that is in-demand/won't go away

2.) Specialize your degree to a particular field/area of IT

I noticed that all four of the options you listed are coding fields. Is that what you'd like to pursue?

Well that's where I'm kind of stuck I don't know what is "in-demand" and "won't go away". I'd like to pursue whatever that is because like I said this would be a safety net I don't need this in my current job but times get tough in my current job so I want something to fall back on.

All of the articles I read and research doesn't really correspond to the verbiage that DMACC uses. When I look at our IT openings in my current company I see a lot of "Java", "SQL", and AGILE (which I think is a methodology not a discipline).

 

[MeowingCows]

Well that's where I'm kind of stuck I don't know what is "in-demand" and "won't go away". I'd like to pursue whatever that is because like I said this would be a safety net I don't need this in my current job but times get tough in my current job so I want something to fall back on.

All of the articles I read and research doesn't really correspond to the verbiage that DMACC uses. When I look at our IT openings in my current company I see a lot of "Java", "SQL", and AGILE (which I think is a methodology not a discipline).

All of the development types you listed (mobile, web, high-level language) will stay around for quite a while -- that's a good start. What I mean by "won't go away" is that you shouldn't go learn some one-off language like FORTRAN or COBOL that 99.99999% of people and employers don't use anymore. Java, C++, C# -- That's where it's at right now.

Java: Object-oriented, high-level programming language. Lots of functionality, relatively easy to learn. Not as powerful as some languages, but in the same vein, also not as damaging if you do stuff wrong. Other object-oriented languages: C++, C# are common.

SQL: Structured Query Language, or common database language. This language is used in database management. If you are interested in that area, this is a good and pretty easy syntax to learn that is also very powerful when used with large databases and programs (think Oracle, MySQL, etc.). Other database languages: ...there aren't many. This is pretty much the standard.

AGILE: this is a project management methodology, mostly characterized by creating code/programs in incremental teams. Very popular development methodology right now.

DMACC's verbiage will be weird, as their IT degrees are pretty new and still changing -- it's hard to cover everything an IT professional will need to know in just two years in a classroom (most of the time also spent in non-IT classes, too).

 

[ArgentCy]

So your trying to say that my High School Class on PASCAL isn't doing me any good? Darn. I am kinda surprised that C++ has lasted so long. Pretty sure I was using that 15 years ago.

 

[MeowingCows]

So your trying to say that my High School Class on PASCAL isn't doing me any good? Darn. I am kinda surprised that C++ has lasted so long. Pretty sure I was using that 15 years ago.

I mean, there's probably that one guy out there still using PASCAL. Good luck finding him, though.

Both Java and C++ have hung around for quite some time. All things considered, they've aged pretty well.

 

[MeowingCows]

Also, uhh...

 

[The_Architect]

C++ is still used in places that use machines to do manufacturing.

 

[The_Architect]

Also, OP as a professional devloper for 13 years my advice goes:

OO, Mobile, Web in that order.

 

[Gunnerclone]

Also, OP as a professional devloper for 13 years my advice goes:

OO, Mobile, Web in that order.

That was my first instinct as well and I might cross pollinate like the earlier poster mentioned I think mobile would be the one that I'd be most invested/interested in from a personal standpoint.

 

[cytech]

https://www.dmacc.edu/it/Pages/networking.aspx

You can always try one of their Networking programs if you are not interested in coding.

 

[Cyclone11]

All of the development types you listed (mobile, web, high-level language) will stay around for quite a while -- that's a good start. What I mean by "won't go away" is that you shouldn't go learn some one-off language like FORTRAN or COBOL that 99.99999% of people and employers don't use anymore. Java, C++, C# -- That's where it's at right now.

Java: Object-oriented, high-level programming language. Lots of functionality, relatively easy to learn. Not as powerful as some languages, but in the same vein, also not as damaging if you do stuff wrong. Other object-oriented languages: C++, C# are common.

SQL: Structured Query Language, or common database language. This language is used in database management. If you are interested in that area, this is a good and pretty easy syntax to learn that is also very powerful when used with large databases and programs (think Oracle, MySQL, etc.). Other database languages: ...there aren't many. This is pretty much the standard.

AGILE: this is a project management methodology, mostly characterized by creating code/programs in incremental teams. Very popular development methodology right now.

DMACC's verbiage will be weird, as their IT degrees are pretty new and still changing -- it's hard to cover everything an IT professional will need to know in just two years in a classroom (most of the time also spent in non-IT classes, too).

Does ISU still teach C# in MIS program? Just wondering. Not to disagree with you MeowingCows on Dmacc, but I took C# in 2005 at ISU and got a A- in the class but could not write good complete code. Teacher(he was a TA), sucked pretty much in my opinion, he jut went through notes and no hands on stuff. Maybe I just didn't pay a lot of attention in class or was just new to computers then or maybe they have changed how they teach MIS(for those wanting to programmers after ISU. I wanted to be .Net Programmer, so after graduating from ISU did some networking/Help desk type of work while taking classes (I retook C# intro, advanced C#(webforms)) at Dmacc. Simply put, I learned more(all round) at Dmacc(cheap too) than I did at ISU in my MIS major and now I am a full time programmer and love it, but again people have different experiences and they learn.
Here is how I feel that I benefited mostly at DMACC than at ISU. Classes are very small(evening classes) and projects/Homeworks are done INDIVIDUALLY not the 4-5 group members nonsense we did at ISU then, I understand the "working as a group part to collaborate" and learning how to contribute/combine different modules when it came to projects,but that was not for me. I discovered that I learned more by doing stuff by myself than having someone else do other parts of the project/homework and then everything combine it later.
@Gunnerclone, if you go to Dmacc and assuming you want to be a .Net developer...lots of jobs as MeowingCows already stated above, I would recommend you take your C# classes with Mitch Sellers, the guy is a God. He is not a career professor that teaches crap with notes from the Textbook, he tells you to read that chapters and when you come to class, its all hands on stuff. He teaches you to be ready for work on day one, stuff on what you are expected to know in the industry as he work(consultant) right here in Des Moines. Projects are done by combining all pieces together(like creating applications from ground up ie do the front end, and create and configure to your database to interact with your app, never did that ISU that time, maybe things have changed). He also has connections with a lot of employers and as long as you do well and show efforts/work hard in his class, he recommends you if he feels you are able to do the job and voila, you land your dream job easily, I did. The Guy gave me my dream career and many more of my friends I know. He makes one understand everything and makes things really easy and straight forward. You will love programming if that's what you want to do. I hope that helps

 

[Gunnerclone]

Also one other question. How mathematically oriented do you need to be? I am not at all mathematically inclined I was a History major.

 

[MeowingCows]

https://www.dmacc.edu/it/Pages/networking.aspx

You can always try one of their Networking programs if you are not interested in coding.

I was also going to recommend this option.

 

[MeowingCows]

Does ISU still teach C# in MIS program? Just wondering. Not to disagree with you MeowingCows on Dmacc, but I took C# in 2005 at ISU and got a A- in the class but could not write good complete code. Teacher(he was a TA), sucked pretty much in my opinion, he jut went through notes and no hands on stuff. Maybe I just didn't pay a lot of attention in class or was just new to computers then or maybe they have changed how they teach MIS(for those wanting to programmers after ISU. I wanted to be .Net Programmer, so after graduating from ISU did some networking/Help desk type of work while taking classes (I retook C# intro, advanced C#(webforms)) at Dmacc. Simply put, I learned more(all round) at Dmacc(cheap too) than I did at ISU in my MIS major and now I am a full time programmer and love it, but again people have different experiences and they learn.
Here is how I feel that I benefited mostly at DMACC than at ISU. Classes are very small(evening classes) and projects/Homeworks are done INDIVIDUALLY not the 4-5 group members nonsense we did at ISU then, I understand the "working as a group part to collaborate" and learning how to contribute/combine different modules when it came to projects,but that was not for me. I discovered that I learned more by doing stuff by myself than having someone else do other parts of the project/homework and then everything combine it later.
@Gunnerclone, if you go to Dmacc and assuming you want to be a .Net developer...lots of jobs as MeowingCows already stated above, I would recommend you take your C# classes with Mitch Sellers, the guy is a God. He is not a career professor that teaches crap with notes from the Textbook, he tells you to read that chapters and when you come to class, its all hands on stuff. He teaches you to be ready for work on day one, stuff on what you are expected to know in the industry as he work(consultant) right here in Des Moines. Projects are done by combining all pieces together(like creating applications from ground up ie do the front end, and create and configure to your database to interact with your app, never did that ISU that time, maybe things have changed). He also has connections with a lot of employers and as long as you do well and show efforts/work hard in his class, he recommends you if he feels you are able to do the job and voila, you land your dream job easily, I did. The Guy gave me my dream career and many more of my friends I know. He makes one understand everything and makes things really easy and straight forward. You will love programming if that's what you want to do. I hope that helps

ISU primarily focuses Java and Oracle in the Business school right now, however the Engineering and Computer Science areas seem to focus more on C and it's variants.

I agree with you. My experiences in programming classes were entirely different based on who was teaching it. After my 3rd Java class now, I still don't feel anywhere near prepared to code in the real world. Full disclosure, although I've gotten an A in all programming classes, I don't consider myself a good programmer at all. My Computer/Software Engineering friends blow my coding skills out of the water, and because of that, programming is something I'm not looking for as a career -- I struggle too much with the conceptual side of things and understanding how all of the parts and pieces interact as a whole unit (which is fine in a classroom environment, but not so much in the real world).

For OP, I would recommend looking into Java for coding and networking for non-coding to build into, in short.

 

[MeowingCows]

Also one other question. How mathematically oriented do you need to be? I am not at all mathematically inclined I was a History major.

Depends on who you work for and what they want you to do, in terms of coding. I wouldn't expect to need to know calculus and physics by heart, but you never know for sure until you see what's going on.

 

[Cyclone11]

I agree with you. My experiences in programming classes were entirely different based on who was teaching it. After my 3rd Java class now, I still don't feel anywhere near prepared to code in the real world. Full disclosure, although I've gotten an A in all programming classes, I don't consider myself a good programmer at all. My Computer/Software Engineering friends blow my coding skills out of the water, and because of that, programming is something I'm not looking for as a career -- I struggle too much with the conceptual side of things and understanding how all of the parts and pieces interact as a whole unit (which is fine in a classroom environment, but not so much in the real world).

For OP, I would recommend looking into Java for coding and networking for non-coding to build into, in short.

Exactly, you nailed it, that was my same issue too when I got out of ISU.

 

[Gorm]

Feel free to ask me what I know or any questions you have -- I will graduate from ISU this May with an MIS degree, and I also received my liberal arts AA from DMACC.

**I don't promise to be an expert on anything -- I'm still a dumb college kid

Exactly what I did out of High School.

Went to Kirkwood for my AA for LAN Management and PC Technician. Then went to ISU for MIS. Worked perfect.

Thank GOD I went to ISU for my 4 year degree. Education is more important than you think out there.

 

[djkent01]

Well that's where I'm kind of stuck I don't know what is "in-demand" and "won't go away". I'd like to pursue whatever that is because like I said this would be a safety net I don't need this in my current job but times get tough in my current job so I want something to fall back on.

All of the articles I read and research doesn't really correspond to the verbiage that DMACC uses. When I look at our IT openings in my current company I see a lot of "Java", "SQL", and AGILE (which I think is a methodology not a discipline).

It's been 15 years since I was fully immersed in the IT world, but at that time I had a team of about 25 professionals I was responsible for. About half of them held Associates, and they made very good money and did very well for themselves.

To me the key was never the language, it was understanding the logic and the data structure. If you can understand that and business/operations processes you can go a long way. The language is just semantics and you can learn that relatively quickly.

That said, back then Java and OO (basically building a process once and calling it into 10 different programs - instead of including the same logic in 10 different programs and having to update all 10 of them when something changed) were big. SQL is a database query language and it's not going anywhere. How you use and mine the data you pull out is the real value added though. I can't imagine you'd go wrong with either of those choices/

Agile is a development methodology - it's supposedly the new thing. The traditional methodology is the Waterfall approach where you develop a full project and implementation plan up front - define the specs, everything - and then develop. My experience with Agile is you tool along developing stuff and make it up along the way. The theory is it's more adaptable and can change the project based on changing business conditions. I've not seen it work well but I get the theory. Truth is, like most things, somewhere in the middle is likely the best approach.