Heavy Networking 456: How To Choose A Higher Ed Program For An IT Career

Today’s Heavy Networking explores how to select a higher-ed program for your computer science education, including what to look for and what to run away from.
How much is worth spending on education? Where do professional certifications fit into a degree program? How can you tell if the program you’re considering is outdated?
If your university has a job placement program, is that a big deal? What if you want to study networking specifically? Is that even a thing?
My guest is Aaron Francis, a Systems Engineer at Cisco and IT instructor.
We discuss:

* The essential elements of a computer science degree
* How a CS degree differs from degrees in Information Science or IT Administration
* Specializations within CS degrees, such as networking
* How to measure educational costs and returns, community college vs. 4-year instutions, and so on
* Getting a job after graduation
* Whether to get certifications concurrently with your degree

Sponsor: ExtraHop
ExtraHop is the enterprise cyber analytics company delivering performance and security from the inside out. ExtraHop offers complete visibility with machine learning to help you make quick, confident decisions about your IT environment. Explore the ExtraHop Performance Platform at extrahop.com/packetpushers.
Show Links:
Aaron Francis on LinkedIn
Aaron’s Blog on LinkedIn

Om Podcasten

Heavy Networking is an unabashedly nerdy dive into all things networking. Described by one listener as "verbal white papers," the weekly episodes feature network engineers, industry experts, and vendors sharing useful information to keep your professional knowledge sharp and your career growing. Hosts Ethan Banks & Drew Conry-Murray cut through the marketing spin to explore what works—and what doesn't—in networking today, while keeping an eye on what's ahead for the industry. On air since 2010, Heavy Networking is the flagship show of the Packet Pushers podcast network.