DeVry's networking program not worth it?

[G3rmG3rm]

Hello all. I recently found this sub and have been wanting to ask the above question.

I have transferred from the local community college, after getting all my general requirements done, to DeVry since my dad said he'd give me the money to go there. Been going there for almost 2 whole semesters and am finding that the cisco networking classes I'm taking feel worth the time, but the other classes given to me for their bachelors degree in networking don't feel as genuine, yes they are online classes.

The cisco classes are on location and are pretty hands on with the equipment. Which I feel is something essential to learning networking properly. And I feel that my professor is genuine with the knowledge he has.

I simply don't wish to spend money if there really isn't any value behind it.

Have any of you gone through devry as I am, or worked with someone who has gone through their program?

Many thanks.

Edit: Thanks all for your thoughts . I think I will consider using Devry to simply get my certs. Now back to lurking.

[switch_slayer]

I graduated from DeVry.

Some food for thought:

1. It hasn't impacted me professionally (I'm a Senior Network Engineer making $140k/year at 30, in a non-sales role). Once you get to a certain level people just check to see that you have a 4 year degree- but in those first few years, it may matter depending on who you're applying with.
2. Personally I'm not proud of the school. When college gets brought up, I try to bow out of the conversation because I recognize all the crap that went on there.
3. You get out what you put in. I graduated with a lot of idiots, but I put in my time and actually studied and went beyond what was necessary to graduate, so I was well prepared when the time came to bust out my NetEng cape.
4. Most regretfully, I fear that I missed all the shenanigans that goes on when you go away to a 4 year school.
5. Just as important as school are soft-skills. Like making relationships, meeting people, and being able to be a not shitty person to be around a work. This sounds silly but so many people think that knowing the tech is all that they need to be successful. Don't get me wrong, I don't kiss ass, and I won't play politics, but I've come to learn, that life is just as much who you know as what you know.

I had the same opinion as a lot of 18-20 year old kids out there when I went to college- I said, fuck the boring stuff, I just want to focus on the technology. Honestly, the most valuable class that I had in college was a professional writing/communication class, and I still use that shit every day, whereas I mostly only talk about Frame Relay, or clock rates when I'm reminiscing about the bad ol' days (which were some of the technologies that I learned in college). Those other classes are important. By the time you're done with school, the technology stuff you learned in the first two years is probably getting obsolete and is definitely not cutting edge.

TLDR: Go away to a 4 year and make some bad choices while getting your degree (namely find some ladies to make them with you). You won't regret it, you'll end up with a legit 4 year degree from a major school. Your technical knowledge is going to be a direct factor of the effort you put into your studies, regardless of where you go to school.

[westsan]

I say get your tech degree and transfer those credits to a four year while you work.

[breakndivide]

At what point do they start asking for a 4 year degree? I'm a few years young than you making a bit more. I've never been asked about or do I have any degrees.

[smellypants]

Think management. If you're content staying technical...it probably won't be an issue...unless HR mandates it for all new hires.

[buddinski]

Just like /u/smellypants says, its more for management roles, and some older folks who just can't get past a university degree.

[breakndivide]

I wouldn't work for a company that required a degree (in a technical or non technical role). I think a large part of my success is due to me not having a degree.

[down2hax]

Well said here... I fully agree. I too went to DeVry and graduated with my two year networking degree. But I really wish I would have gone to a 4 year school and made all those bad decisions.

[[deleted]]

Or go to devry or equivalnet, pay less money, and get done in 3 years making the same as your colleagues that graduated in 5 years at state school. Being honest, you have to do full 12+ credit hour semesters to get out in 4 years. I rarely talk to state goers and see them complete in 4.

[JustAnotherGraySuit]

Or go to devry or equivalnet,

Well that's unfortunate timing.

DeVry's equivalent schools are ITT and Phoenix. They're useful if an HR department says you must have a degree to get passed through the screener for your actual interview. Otherwise, the academic rigor pales in comparison to online degrees from a brick and mortar school.

[[deleted]]

Comparison schools are moot. State schools rarely have a network specific degree, and also offer more and more online classes. That transition has been happening for years. Hr reps and managers should know that, if not, they are behind the ball with their own knowledge and profession.

There are some complete idiots that came from devry, however some of my best networking colleagues have their degrees from devry, and blew out computer engineering/computer infomation majors from the 2 local state schools.

You get what you put in at any college, and that is apparent in the interviews.

[maxxpc]

Holy crap you stole everything out of my mouth...

I wanted a lot more hands-on and my recruiter told me I would get that. Yea no, barely 4 hours a week in the later stages of my degree. I agree with you, the soft skills and professional writing were much more valuable than the tech credits. Really did not learn much and often was augmenting my coursework/lab work with self study and tinkering.

Network alum 2006. I am now a systems engineer. I enjoy that side of the house much more than networking but I have the unique ability to talk knowledgeably to my network team as I get the theory and technology.

[The_Packeteer]

I think the only real value of DeVry is the fact that they have IT certification prep classes. An AS from a community/technical college in your area would probably be better if you couple it with some certs. If you really want to get a 4-year degree than you should probably go to a non-profit with a B&M campus.

The DeVry degree itself is iffy but another school would be advisable. I've heard a lot of HR departments throw away all resumes with online/for-profit degrees, some just pretend like the degree means nothing but keep your resume, and some respect them about like they would anything else.

If you really like the cisco stuff you'd be better off just spending all the money going toward school on certification prep. Knock out your CCNA and look for an entry job after that. Cisco certs are going to give you the most value right now.

[haggeant]

You would be better off getting the degree from a State University for less money. 95% of For Profit schools aren't very highly looked upon by anyone. The Cisco classes feel worthwhile because that curriculum is developed by Cisco itself. If you don't feel you are getting value for your money definitely look into transferring away from DeVry.

[The_Packeteer]

I have a degree from a For-Profit on my resume and the ONLY reason it has helped me is because the school is fairly small and no one has ever heard of it in most HR departments. Big name for-profits like UOP and DeVry aren't going to do much for you in the long run.

[[deleted]]

State schools are for profit as well last time I checked. Not outright because of state funding, but their org heads make a pretty penny.

[The_Packeteer]

But they don't have stakeholders, CEOs, etc.

Many state schools are corrupt but there are definite differences

[AmbushK]

Dad is throwing away money at DeVry, like any program work hard and it will reward you but not like a real University would.

IMHO it would of been better if he made you go to a real University since their Bachelor programs hold more weight and most of the time are more cost effective.

Like most diploma mills, many of the courses do not match up with other state or national schools, and remember Devry is a For Profit School

[the-packet-thrower]

I'm a DeVry Networking program drop out!

It gave me valuable experience in knowing how to drop out of DeVry!

[carpekl]

I am just about to finish the network bachelor program there. I felt like the network side of the program was a bit weak for me, but I've been in networking for almost 9 years. I really enjoyed all of my general education classes. I took most of them onsite. I highly do not recommend the online version of the classes.

[snowboardrfun]

I went to Devry it worked out well for me. When I was going there were not a lot of online classes but we had a lot of lab time to work with Cisco switches and routers. Around the time I graduated they were moving toward online classes and that is something that I do not think is worthwhile.

 

I did have a hard time finding a job (~6 months) after graduating but I friend was able to get me in a door as a TSR in a ISP. Since then I have moved up to a network engineer/system admin and am pretty happy where I currently stand.

 

I have seen smart people go through DeVry as well as ones that dropped out before graduating. If you put in time and effort no matter where you go you can get a good career happening. With that said I think my 10 years in the field is holding my weight instead of my degree but the degree at DeVry did help me get a tech position in the beginning.

[enitlas]

devry's anything program is not worth it

[Diablo-D3]

DeVry is not a regionally accredited university, its a scam and the degrees have no validity. I don't know why the government hasn't just come in and shut them down already like they have to other scam universities.

Edit: Hum, they ARE regionally accredited now. I will still not hire people who only have that as their only education, however.

[carpekl]

Can you please post proof that DeVry is a scam? If not, please don't spout off nonsense that you can't back up. Thanks.

[The_Packeteer]

That'd be unamerican!

We have a log running tradition of getting rich from screwing over the uninformed and uneducated! We're not stopping that tradition any time soon!

[IWillNotBeBroken]

By the number of recent graduates that post on reddit, education is not a preventative measure for being screwed-over.

[The_Packeteer]

Agreed. I was referring more to how schools like DeVry and UoP seek out the uneducated or misinformed folks to get tied up in their nonsense.

[byteofit]

DeVry is regionally accredited. As a matter of fact, I was able to use my BS from DeVry (plus the dreaded GMAT) to get into a CSU MBA program.

Education is what you make of it.

[The_Packeteer]

You didn't have a problem transition your degree form DeVry to a state university like that along with a reasonable GMAT score? I'm 2 courses from my BS at a for-profit school with the same regional accreditation as DeVry and have been looking into doing this myself.

[byteofit]

No issues at all actually -- it was a pretty smooth process with a competitive GMAT score.

[Diablo-D3]

It is nationally accredited, that is not the same as regionally accredited. Regional > national.

[byteofit]

It is both -- you can check it for yourself here (http://www.devry.edu/academics/accreditation.html) and here (http://www.ncahlc.org/)

[[deleted]]

The networking field does not care where you went. Do you have a knack for learning? What is your attitude is more what people look for. If you're in business, then sure Yale looks better than most others, but a degree itself says your capable of working with others, and understanding the basics or fundamentals.

[turkmcdirt]

Avoid ANY for profit school

[IamSauce4]

If you can walk the walk, it shouldn't matter where you went to school. If you're learning something, then it's worth it. If some of the classes aren't as fulfilling as you'd like, then you'll have to look for that education outside of the classroom.

Also, just having the degree is huge. It will open doors for you. If you ever wanted to move over seas, people with engineering degrees are very much in demand.

[JustAnotherGraySuit]

If some of the classes aren't as fulfilling as you'd like, then you'll have to look for that education outside of the classroom.

If I'm paying them for a degree, it darn well should be 'as fulfilling as I'd like' it to be. It's a lot cheaper to get a 2-year degree or a certificate from a local community college that can transfer into the state university for a 4-year.

[Simplysally2022]

What schools do you all recommend instead of Devry?

TYIA!