[TriLUG] OT: Certifications - Education

[William Sutton]

*rushing to defend $ALMA_MATER*

Just FWIW, Auburn *is* a respected, accredited institution for engineering 
degrees.  I never had much respect for the MIS department (I referred to 
it as the "Man, I suck" department) of the business school, but I have a 
great deal of respect (and a Comp Sci degree) for the CSE (in particular) 
and egineering (in general) programs at Auburn.

They also offer distance education classes, both in Business and 
Engineering.  The Business school's distance education executive MBA 
program (and associated MBA programs) were featured some (8?) months ago 
in the Delta airline in-flight magazine, and the College of Engineering 
video classes are video taped sessions of regular college classes.

Now an Engineering degree from that other school in Alabama isn't worth 
the toilet paper it's printed on (they aren't accredited in engineering).

William (War Eagle) Sutton
BS in CS, 2000, Auburn University


On Mon, 29 Aug 2005, Mark Freeze wrote:

> I have found that traditional (read clueless) HR departments will look
> over a person with 2 or 3 years experience and no degree and hire a
> college grad with no experience.  I don't know why this happens other
> than it could be that most upper level, non-technical, HR & management
> types are looking for some validation that they can relate to their
> own experiences. Now we all know the reality: Take two people, equally
> intelligent, but with no real work experience. Who would be better
> qualified to work a shift at a computer lab or perform tasks in a live
> network environment  -- A person who has taken and passed their RHCE
> exam, or a person who just graduated from college?  We know the
> answer, but I'll bet you that 90% of HR departments in the US would
> hire the recent college grad.
> 
> One of the saddest things I have ever witnessed was a couple of years
> ago when I was running a company in Alabama.  We had a temporary
> receptionist and I had to show her how to start and use Excel. All she
> really needed to to was data entry several sheets and then total a
> couple of columns, but, she had no clue how to get started.  The sad
> part is that she was working at the temporary service because she had
> just graduated from Auburn with a 4-year degree in MIS and was looking
> for what she called 'a computer job.'
> 
> If anyone is looking for a job in a traditional environment, the best
> thing to have, IMHO, is a 4 year degree from an accredited institution
> that everyone recognizes.  Many HR departments look down their
> pencil-pushing noses at technical certifications and online degrees.
> 
> If you don't have your 4-year degree, a couple of the best programs
> (to me at least) are the ones at East Carolina and Florida State. 
> Both of these universities will allow you to complete your undergrad
> in computer science online.  All you need is a 2-year AA or AS in
> general studies from your local college and you can do the other two
> years at home while you watch reruns of Friends.  Plus, when you get
> your degree, its the same degree as someone who had been at the
> college campus for 4 years.  Your degree doesn't say 'Florida State
> Online Campus.'  Also, I know Auburn University used to have a
> Technical and Engineering MBA program (TEMBA) that they offer online. 
> There may be other online undergrad programs at conventional
> universities, but these are the only two that I am familiar with.
> 
> http://options.ecu.edu
> http://online.fsu.edu (Even with an AA or AS make sure you meet the
> foreign language requirement on the admission forms.)
> 
> "Boy, you need to get a good edumacation.  Just like your dad." --Homer Simpson
> 
> Best of luck,
> Mark.
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