[geff82]

In Germany, this is called "Fachinformatiker für Systemintegration" and is an official professional apprenticeship for which you do not pay money, but GET PAID as you are spending 30% of your time in school and 70% applying your knowledge in a company. If you have 4.5 years of experience on-the-job in IT you can just apply for the final exams without going to school.

[gregcoombe]

According to Google translate, that is a "Systems Integration Specialist". I really like it: it's more descriptive of your actual job than "Information Technologist".

[amelius]

Your boss can still pay for your education if you take it from Google.

[dx034]

But then you have a Google degree and not one certified by the government. Google is reputable now but I wouldn't be so sure if the Google degree is worth much in 20 years.

[gregcoombe]

This is a certificate, not a degree, which is a fairly important distinction. The goal is to teach a set of technical skills that allow you to get a specific job. In 20 years, your experience will count much more than either a degree or certificate.

[Consultant32452]

Your experience will count much more than a degree or certificate in far fewer than 20 years. It's probably more in the 2-5 year range, depending on your degree and experience.