Yeah well I started in Running Start when I was a junior in HS and didn't really give a shit about school and then decided I wanted to go into programming so have brought them up some but not enough for how competitive UW is not to mention Im white and in state. 3 strikes against me :(. I don't need to start off in some amazing job i just don't want to be severely hindered in my career in the future because of this.

This is not entirely true. It depends on the certification in question. If you want to do programming, don't bother with them. I know many employed software developers (programmers) with no certs that are doing well for themselves. I do know that if you want to make headway into networking (routing/switching), certs are practically a must.

Look at local community colleges for transfer programs. You can get the gen-eds out of the way cheaper, and they will most likely use your GPA from college courses instead of high school. At least in Ohio, many community colleges will have some kind of 2+2 program, where the first two years are geared toward a specific major, taking mainly gen-eds and then transfer into the 4-year school as a junior. Save some cash, prove you want the learn with a nice college-level GPA, and still get into a good school.

Well let me ask you guys this: So if I got the degree from WGU say and got a job as a systems admin can I work up into a good software engineer job or does that not happen? Or if I got B.S. Information Technology—Network Design and Management
Which includes these certs:
Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP): Enterprise Administrator
CIW Web Foundations Associate
CIW JavaScript Specialist
CompTIA A+
CompTIA Network+
CompTIA Project+
CompTIA Security+
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Windows 7, Configuration
Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Windows OS Fundamentals
Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Networking Fundamentals
Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Security Fundamentals
Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Web Development Fundamentals
Or
B.S. Information Technology—Security
Which includes these certs:
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA®)
Cisco Certified Network Associate Security (CCNA® Security)
Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician (CCENT)
CIW Web Design Specialist
CIW JavaScript Specialist
CIW Database Design Specialist
CIW Web Foundations Associate
CompTIA A+
CompTIA Project+
CompTIA Security+
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Windows 7, Configuration
Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Windows OS Fundamentals
Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Web Development Fundamentals
Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Software Development Fundamentals
Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Database Administration Fundamentals
From WGU

And which would be better do you guys think? Thanks for the input

You could but I don't see why you would as they training doesn't really have any common ground.

Sysadmin isn't a programming career track.

Well I just don't know how easy it is to get a job programming right off the bat and I don't want to do that if it isn't going to help me get a job as a software engineer. At that point I would definitely rather get a degree with the certs for networking/security and go into that profession because it may be easier to get a better job some point in my future after working my way up through networking. Does that sound possible or easier to do?

Every programmer I have met has had multiple intern opportunities and 100% success getting a job after graduation (usually from said interns)

Depends where you live etc but...programmers are in pretty high demand. As far as finding a job, not that bad.

I don't have any experience in the networking/security field so I wouldn't be able to tell you what's easier.

What I can tell you is that they're different career tracks with fairly little overlap in between. I will say one thing though: the skillset of a computer scientist is fairly broad - especially since CS/engineering is more about how to think rather than what you know. So in that light, a CS/engineering degree will leave you with more options in the future when it comes to career choice.

Given the specialized nature of networking/security, you may pick up some transferable skills through experience on the job, but it's fairly likely that the knowledge you have in that field won't be useful elsewhere.

This.