[F82_SID]

Im not a programmer but my latest research and contacts have stated that one of the fastest growing sectors of "IT"/"Programming" is app development. If you can program and write iPhone or Android apps then there are big bucks to be earned. That being said, "apps" just happens to be the trend for now. It would suck if you spent a lot of time learning to develop apps and then some new technology comes along to replace them.

But dont worry if you dont know anything right now. In 2005 I had never even used google much less knew what an IP address was. That was before the Navy started sending me to as many schools as I could sign up for. Now I am a Network Security Engineer making >100k.... I agree that the most valuable credentials that you can earn in the IT industry are probably certs however, I will say that it has been my experience that traditional degrees are also valued to an extent. I know that many of the Defense contractors like to be able to say that all of their engineers have at least a 4 year degree when making bids for a contract. So what you degree in may not matter as much as just the fact that you have a degree. I wouldn't suggest getting a Liberal Arts Degree but I think that just a general BS in IT would serve you just fine; it did for me. I see plenty of people killing themselves for an EE or CS degree and I haven't found that it has done them any better then my BS in IT.