To explain my situation, right now I am a high school senior with an A+ certification, and am aiming for the Net+ and (maybe) Security+ before the lifetime certification period ends in January, as well as (maybe) a vendor cert. I also have experience in web development, PHP, and Java, and am aiming for C#
I aimed for the certifications because 1 teacher (who is a Sys Admin turned teacher, not like most who have 0 field experience) pushed the class to do it. However when talking with the Sys admin of another school, he said that the A+ is almost worthless, while the Net+ and the Security+ are only marginally better. He says experience is the only real weight.
Now the issue is if my path is correct. You can't expect a 17 year old to have 10 years of experience, but how do I even get a resume looked at? With certifications. Or so I thought.
After getting these certs, I was thinking of going to collage for a class like MIS (Information Systems) and minoring in CS. But is it worth it to spend so much money on those things if experience only matters? Should I not consider collage and go straight to work? Should I not worry about certifications (they aren't cheap you know)? Or should I do what I was planning to do?
Lastly, is CompTIA the right certification house to use?
Related but not an answer
Answer
A lot of people bash college for IT geeks, but you learn a lot in those 4 years, and 99% of it takes place outside the classroom. Colleges are one big business, at their lowest levels. And spending time fighting through the bureaucracy of a college is a hell of a way to prep for the bureaucracy of just about any company. You learn patience, you make contacts, build relationships with peers in your field (which are some of the most valuable things ANY geek can have), and generally it gives you a few years to "season" yourself and really figure out what you want to do. Trying to jump straight out of high school and into a career is NOT normal, it only happens in extraordinary circumstances, and odds are, you don't fit the profile (but maybe you do).
All those "crap classes" you take in college? English, Management, Economics? Do I use that stuff day to day in my SysAdmin job? Nope. Am I thankful I have SOME understanding of stuff so i can hold a conversation on any range of topics with my manager, my director, my EVP/CIO, or the CEO? Yes. Having a mature personality goes a long way towards getting your foot in the door for interviews, jobs, and promotions. Think you have a personality now? So did I, when I was a freshman in college. Now I look back at that terrified, uneducated twerp I was, and appreciate that 5 years I spent deciding where I want to be and taking the time to get my education.
Also, don't go getting a ton of certifications until you have a career path lined up. There's no point spending hundreds (or thousands) of dollars getting your CCNA, CCNE, or whatever, when there's still potential you'll never use them. Not sure you wanna be a Windows Admin? Why waste time, energy, and money getting an MCP certification?
Also, as was pointed out elsewhere here, Internships are some of the best ways to test the waters of a particular field, build industry contacts, and find permanent jobs. Colleges (at least the ones worth going to) and clubs at colleges, host job fairs regularly. Impress a recruiter there, and you might get an interview. Impress people there, and you got an internship. Companies send recruiters there to look for POTENTIAL, not for experience.
Pick a college. Finish a degree. You don't regret it.
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