how much education do you have already? Have you completed an MS, MA or MBA program? After another 10 years or so full-time experience in the work force you will probably have a good idea what you want to major in the Ph.D. program. Frankly, a Ph.D. isn't worth the effort unless you want to do research or teaching. People with that much education have very limited opportunities in the work force because they are over-qualified for most IT jobs.

Well that's kind of an answer to another question of mine... is a PhD even worth it in the IT field?

One thing that has kept me interested is if I get a PhD, that lasts for a lifetime... if I get say, the CCIE and Cisco goes down the drain, then my cert isn't worth too much. I wouldn't mind teaching though... just not until I'm about 50s ish.


I am actually a freshman in a BS program. I'm not sure what my options are really... would a masters be sufficient?

In most cases a masters is sufficient, and in many cases that too may be over-qualified. All depends on your goals. A masters will probably pretty much guarentee you will advance your career into management position.

c++ certifications are not really worth a whole lot. There have been people who get certifications without ever toughing a keyboard or writing one line of c++ code. Formal education and experience are what employers look for.

I've never thought of certs in such a manner. They are emphasized so much as a "must-have" which is definately true, but extensive education is also needed to rely on. Pursuing a PhD is definately worth considering, so its wonderful that you are... however people have different expectations for different careers. If you dont want to teach until you get into your golden years, I would guess an MBA would be suitably appropriate for the next 20 years..and then maybe after gaining more real world experience, you can relay it in your classroom, Professor Duki.

If you don't mind me asking, are you currently going for Comp Sci, MIS,CIS, etc?