Today’s Heavy Networking explores how to select a higher-ed program for your computer science education, including what to look for and what to run away from.

How much is worth spending on education? Where do professional certifications fit into a degree program? How can you tell if the program you’re considering is outdated?

If your university has a job placement program, is that a big deal? What if you want to study networking specifically? Is that even a thing?

My guest is Aaron Francis, a Systems Engineer at Cisco and IT instructor.

We discuss:

* The essential elements of a computer science degree

* How a CS degree differs from degrees in Information Science or IT Administration

* Specializations within CS degrees, such as networking

* How to measure educational costs and returns, community college vs. 4-year instutions, and so on

* Getting a job after graduation

* Whether to get certifications concurrently with your degree

Sponsor: ExtraHop

ExtraHop is the enterprise cyber analytics company delivering performance and security from the inside out. ExtraHop offers complete visibility with machine learning to help you make quick, confident decisions about your IT environment. Explore the ExtraHop Performance Platform at extrahop.com/packetpushers.

Show Links:

Aaron Francis on LinkedIn

Aaron’s Blog on LinkedIn