Honors in computer science vs certificates

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openSource007

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I started working this year as a junior software engineer, I work with java jee and spring and some front-end stuff. My plan was to enroll for honors next year part time. But Some of my work mates adviced me to rather focus my time on the java and spring certifications. Which do you think is better between the two? honors or certificates? why?
 
openSource007 said:
I started working this year as a junior software engineer, I work with java jee and spring and some front-end stuff. My plan was to enroll for honors next year part time. But Some of my work mates adviced me to rather focus my time on the java and spring certifications. Which do you think is better between the two? honors or certificates? why?
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Why not do both? Careful time management will allow you to do both at the same time.
 
Definitely honours, unless you think you can't learn Java and Spring by yourself.

Reasons:
- A 4 year degree is more globally rated as equivalent to overseas qualifications than a 3 year SA degree.
- Your honours year will expose you to advanced topics at a level that you may not get exposure to in industry (increasing the likelihood of you eventually working in more advanced industries).
- Do you really need to do a certificate to learn Java/Spring or to convince someone you know it? As a CS grad it should be trivial to pick this up.
 
You already have the bachelors degree. In the short term, the certifications will help you out more. Is there anything specific you wanted to pursue with the honours?
 
vic777 said:
You already have the bachelors degree. In the short term, the certifications will help you out more. Is there anything specific you wanted to pursue with the honours?
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I disagree. An Honours Degree will go way further than a short cert. They are not even the same thing.
 
Genisys said:
I disagree. An Honours Degree will go way further than a short cert. They are not even the same thing.
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Did I say they were the same thing? He is just starting in his career, a lot of companies require a degree and/or certifications. He has a bachelors degree. The certifications will be quick to do - and he can still do honours afterwards
 
vic777 said:
You already have the bachelors degree. In the short term, the certifications will help you out more. Is there anything specific you wanted to pursue with the honours?
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No I don't have anything specific that I'd like to learn from honors. I was going to do it at UJ and have modules such as mobile programming, Systems programming, Data communications, Project Management, etc.
 
cguy said:
Definitely honours, unless you think you can't learn Java and Spring by yourself.

Reasons:
- A 4 year degree is more globally rated as equivalent to overseas qualifications than a 3 year SA degree.
- Your honours year will expose you to advanced topics at a level that you may not get exposure to in industry (increasing the likelihood of you eventually working in more advanced industries).
- Do you really need to do a certificate to learn Java/Spring or to convince someone you know it? As a CS grad it should be trivial to pick this up.
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I have been learning spring by myself. But I have seen most jobs don't require an honors qualification, they usually say the java certifications have an advantage. Aren't they globally recognized as well?
 
openSource007 said:
I have been learning spring by myself. But I have seen most jobs don't require an honors qualification, they usually say the java certifications have an advantage. Aren't they globally recognized as well?
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Certificates are globally recognized by businesses, but a degree is more recognized (it is also recognized as a higher qualification than a certificate). However, a 3 year bachelors degree is not considered equivalent to a bachelors degree in several countries. Degrees are usually considered for immigration purposes, but certificates not all.

I am sure that some jobs would prefer certification (why not, it is certainly valuable education), although a job that prefers a certification to honours is probably something I would avoid. I also expect that unless you aren't a good programmer yet, you will get a lot more out of the honours course.
 
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openSource007 said:
No I don't have anything specific that I'd like to learn from honors. I was going to do it at UJ and have modules such as mobile programming, Systems programming, Data communications, Project Management, etc.
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I would have loved to do honours - in my case, I wanted to delve further into AI, which you only get a taste of in undergraduate level. Some employers want honours or higher (think of Meraka institute, CSIR).

It all depends what your aim is with this decision
 
cguy said:
Certificates are globally recognized by businesses, but a degree is more recognized. However, a 3 year bachelors degree is not considered equivalent to a bachelors degree in several countries. Degrees are usually considered for immigration purposes, but certificates not all.

I am sure that some jobs would prefer certification (why not, it is certainly valuable education), although a job that prefers a certification to honours is probably something I would avoid. I also expect that unless you aren't a good programmer yet, you will get a lot more out of the honours course.
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I got a 175 visa for Australia, and they considered everything - degree, certificates and work experience.

I agree honours > certificates - but it all depends what the OP is trying to achieve and in what time frame
 
Definitely honours. Its a very worthwhile and enriching experience, and in my opinion, taught me how to work by myself and advance my problem solving skills - definite skills needed in IT.
 
Do your honors, it will take you further in the long run. You can certify after that , what does certification prove anyway ?

We need thinkers .... honors will give you the knowledge, skills and values that will stand the test of time.

What happens when your tools change ( java , spring etc ?)
 
Honestly I would say get a year or 2 of experience, see what businesses need of you and use that to make your choice later.
Certs will get you up to speed and qualified on what is happening right now where honours lays further groundwork and foundation for more advanced topics which, in my personal belief, the value is lost on most graduates. Unless you've worked on a couple of commercial projects you won't be interested or get as much value from topics such as AI, software proj management, security etc until you have got other work experience.
 
I would also strongly recommend doing honors. Certifications are quickly out of date and I only give them a brief glance on CV's, while I would definitely take a CS honors degree into account. I disagree with Vampire, you should not wait, but instead start your honors ASAP, since it is probably going to take you a couple of years to complete.
 
Honors gets my vote.
This puts a skip and a hop from getting a Masters.
You can always learn java on your our, while an honors is much more than just an extra language you learn.
 
*Nothing* beats hands-on experience from an employer's point of view. Do keep that in mind in making your choice.
 
BigAl-sa said:
*Nothing* beats hands-on experience from an employer's point of view. Do keep that in mind in making your choice.
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It's definitely not that simple. Employers want the right kind of experience, and often the only way to get it is via your studies. Put another way, it doesn't matter how kick-ass you are at PHP after years of professional development, you won't get into Google's self-driving car team with that - a degree supersedes that, and a degree and relevant experience supersedes just the degree.
 
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