[olug] [OT] IT degrees

[Christopher Cashell]

On Thu, Apr 2, 2009 at 5:14 PM, Phil Brutsche <phil at brutsche.us> wrote:
> If you're gonna be a programmer (C, C#, C++, Java, whatever) then a CS
> degree is a must-have.
>
> For general sysadmin work - regardless of OS - I say a CS degree won't
> help you over someone who has (say) Math, History, English,
> Communications, whatever as a degree. None of those has any bearing on
> your skill with a Cisco router or a web server of some kind. Experience
> and the certification tracks are far more important.

I'm going to have to disagree with this a little.  I wouldn't say that
a CS degree (or a programming background acquired through other means)
is an absolute requirement for a System Administrator, but I can say
that almost every one of the real standout "great" system
administrators I've worked with have all had one or the other.

Understanding what's going on at the code level (a real understanding,
not just what you get from a little scripting here and there) can be a
*huge* boon for a sysadmin.

And that's without getting into the possibility of identifying/fixing
bugs in programs, and increased potential for automation and advanced
scripting that you get from someone with a CS background.

> Phil Brutsche

-- 
Christopher