completing my degree - worth it?

boardie100

hey all,

I did my diploma over ten years ago and am thinking about doing a one year degree. I've been in the same job as a developer quite a while so i'm just wondering if its worth my while doing it careers wise. Do employers care if you havent completed your degree but instead have a few years experience?
what do people think?

BrokenArrows

not sure.
With 10 years of experience a 1 year degree is probably not going to count for much as employers will probably just see the 10 years.

If you are after updating your skill set maybe some small short term courses might be better suited.

Are you finding that you cannot get interviews based on your 10 years + diploma or have you tried yet?

Royale with Cheese

Will a degree really get you much more than an interview for a graduate position? If you're already working in development I presume you want more than that.

druidhill

It can be no harm in the long run especially if it is something you want as a personal achievement (it will probably niggle away at you around this time every year so just do it).

You should look into part-time options (with work contributing to some or all of the fees if you are happy where you are). Quite a bit of work involved but if your experience is relevant to the course, it should go pretty smoothly as you'll be able to relate to the subject matter straight away.

CreepingDeath

Some larger companies will have a minimum requirement of a degree, so the recruitment agencies and HR departments will screen them out before anyone technical even has a chance to look at them.

So if you want to job hop to larger companies you may need a degree.

boardie100

BrokenArrows wrote: »

not sure.
With 10 years of experience a 1 year degree is probably not going to count for much as employers will probably just see the 10 years.

If you are after updating your skill set maybe some small short term courses might be better suited.

Are you finding that you cannot get interviews based on your 10 years + diploma or have you tried yet?

to be honest i haven't really started to look yet..... in some ways it does niggle at me and would be nice to complete it... in other ways if it didnt really matter to perspective employers then i wouldnt be overly bothered doing it

L.Jenkins

A one year add on Degree may not count for much versus experience, but think of the possibility of being able to go on for a Masters, if that is ever a consideration.

matrim

The main help it might give is getting past automated or HR CV screening

Other than that you might not learn too much but you never know. It could give you an update on some newer stuff if your job doesn't touch on it, and as Itsy said, it gives you the option of a Masters if you find you enjoyed the studying.

robbiezero

Can probably do some Masters without a degree. Your experience would be taken into account when applying for it.

dazberry

I'm doing the same thing also, after not finishing in the mid 90s. Did 3rd year part-time in 2010, deferred last year and hoping to do 4th this year.

It's really just for personal satisfaction that I wanted to do it, it may or may not be of any real benefit but a lot of my peers would have continued on to further education and while it's unlikely that I will, it's always nice to have the option...

D.

druidhill

dazberry wrote: »

I'm doing the same thing also, after not finishing in the mid 90s. Did 3rd year part-time in 2010, deferred last year and hoping to do 4th this year.
D.

Didn't think this would be allowed / possible. Be interested in looking into that myself. What course was that for and where (PM me if you don't want to broadcast it)? Thanks.

dazberry

druidhill wrote: »

Didn't think this would be allowed / possible. Be interested in looking into that myself. What course was that for and where (PM me if you don't want to broadcast it)? Thanks.

I think the rules are a bit different for mature students. Really it's a matter of talking to the department and seeing if there are options there for you based on previous college and work experience. PM sent...

D.

bpmurray

Just remember that when you go to change jobs that HR departments filter out applications based on standardised requirements, one of which is a requirement for a degree. In other words, your CV will never even reach the hiring manager if you don't have the "I have a degree" line in it. In fact, more and more are looking for Masters, so even a isn't enough any more.

bpmurray

On the subject of Masters without a degree, that's quite normal for mature students. I did a degree in an unrelated subject many, many years ago and did a MSE in DCU a couple of years ago, being accepted based on my experience, not my primary degree.

L.Jenkins

I never considered the possiblity of applying for a Masters as a mature student based on past qualifications. I may look into it.

Dave!

I'd explore the Masters option, or as mentioned if there are short courses that you could take to get specific/professional/industry recognized qualifications, e.g. Zend certification for PHP.

In terms of skill acquisition, I imagine after 10 years working in the industry a degree would be a waste of your time. If you're going to go for it, then do your research and pick a course with up-to-date/modern standards and subjects, and don't just go for "a degree".

Many jobs would say in their spec "degree or equivalent experience" or something to that effect anyway. I imagine even the most clueless of HR recruiters would recognise that 10 years' experience > an outdated degree (though not in all cases obviously).

Depending on what kind of development you're doing, could you develop a portfolio to show employers? Maybe get involved in some open source stuff, and point them to your GitHub account when applying?

tbh I think you should just identify skills that you need to acquire in order to progress, and focus on getting up to speed with them in your spare time.