Do I need a degree to get into IT?

An honest, cited answer. We make no ROI, salary, placement, or 'worth it' claim, and we don't track live job demand — where we don't know, we say so.

It depends on the role — and a degree is common but not universally required. ONET classifies entry IT support (Computer User Support Specialists) as Job Zone 3 (medium preparation): "Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree." More senior roles like Network/Computer Systems Administrators and Information Security Analysts are Job Zone 4: "Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not*." So for an entry support role, certifications plus hands-on experience are often a realistic route; for admin/security roles, a degree is more typical but still not absolute. The honest move: read the actual job postings for the specific role and employers you're targeting — requirements vary by company, and some explicitly accept experience or certs in lieu of a degree.

What we don't know

We don't publish a 'percentage of employers that waive degrees' figure — we found no authoritative primary source for it, and we won't repeat an unsourced statistic.

Related

• Help Desk Technician — role + roadmap
• All learning roadmaps

Sources

• O*NET — Computer User Support Specialists, Job Zone 3: https://www.onetonline.org/skills/zone/15-1232.00
• O*NET — Network & Computer Systems Administrators, Job Zone 4: https://www.onetonline.org/skills/zone/15-1244.00
• O*NET — Information Security Analysts, Job Zone 4: https://www.onetonline.org/skills/zone/15-1212.00

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