Should i Study Computer Science

[18172636ET]

I am considering studying A degree in computer Science.

Im not sure what i want to do for a career , but i am certain that it has to do with the I.T industry. I have made a few websites ,coded some programmes and learnt the basic of things like html and SQL. And i really enjoy doing those things.

I just have a few concerns regarding the Computer Science course itself.

It seems like you spend a minimal time actually doing the stuff i enjoy and you spend more time doing stuff like Applied Maths and Maths. One person i even spoke to is majoring in Computer Science but is taking economics as a module. Im not the biggest fan of those kind of thngs.

But what are my alternatives ?

Should i just do the CS degree and labour through it or is there anything else you can do. How importnat is a CS degree in the industry? Is it possible to get a job from just being self taught , and if so how difficult is it .

Any help would be hugely aprreciated.

Thank you

 

[Compton_effect]

Do it. You will never be bored, unless you want to be.
And the other modules - Economics, Applied Math, heck - even psychology. You will use it later on.
I hated Statistics and Operational Research, now its core to my current tasks.

 

[Cicero]

Go ahead with it, but trust me, you need all that maths and stats and economics. Writing code is all pretty much the same and doesn't take a genius, but all those other subjects are what companies want you to be able to put into their software, or use to analyse their data. Thats what you are paid to do.

 

[Ecco]

Based on your interests i would say you should do the degree. The degree will also help when it comes to applying for jobs and general career growth.

With regard to the other subjects, you will have to take another subject as a major. Since IT interests you see if your intsitution of choice has information systems as a subject.

Else you can take take a host of any other subjects which interest you as your major.

You will have to do subjects you not really interested in in first and second year.

 

[me_]

I had similar thoughts many years ago when I studied. The advanced maths just didn't do it for me...
So I did a BCom Information Systems instead.

It's not quite as technical as a Computer Science and you still have to do extrac courses (Accounts, Business Management, etc), but I think it's more marketable and more relevant in the Enterprise world.
If you are interested in games, scientific development or robotics, go the Computer Science route. If you are more interested in Enterprise development, eCommerce, etc, seriously consider Information Systems.

 

[saturnz]

There has been a sort of discussion via letters to the editor in the Financial Mail for about the past month or so about studying with the intent to qualify for some sort of job, many have argued that this should not be the primary reason to study, but rather to gain an education and not simply training.

 

[Mike43110]

It all depends on how much you want to study.

Basic N.Dip programs will get you coding knowledge, but nothing else.
You will never be able to just do coding though.

The BCom route gets you business related knowledge while the BSc route gets you scientific related knowledge.
Yet some business companies seek out the CS guys instead because the Science subjects teach you to solve problems in different ways compared to the business studies. The needs of the company as usual. Your subjects determine really what you can do as a programmer.
Also, if you want to do things like graphics or AI or VR (which you can do) you NEED those subjects. If you don't understand matrix math, low level graphics will make you cry tears of blood!

 

[Hamster]

...another one of these threads.

Sigh. Here goes:

The BSc is superior
The NDip will get you coding experience
Some graduates *******s look down on NDips because, you know, they are superior *******s with their noses in the air (this irritates their sinuses and explains their *******ness)
Avoid CTI and all the other crappy tertiary institutions
It depends more on your abilities. NDip has served me well and I've never not been able to do my job (but I was born awesome and with intermittent ego issues). And I don't just "code".

You sound like someone that will code in his spare time and work through the prescribed coding handbooks ahead of time. So if you have the opportunity to do the BSc do it. Suffer a few years and reap the benefits.

 

[fish]

I got my BSC (Hons) in Computer Science from UCT.
And yes you spend only about a 3rd of your time actually doing computer science courses in first year.
But in your final year almost 70% of your time can be spent doing CSC courses.

You will enjoy trying out the other stuff.
I did some applied Maths and also tried GeoInformatics.

With regards to a Bsc vs a NDip an example a friend did a NDip and has 2 years more work experience than me yet we both started at the same company at the same time and I was earning more than him with no work experience.

Companies prefer a Bsc because they know that you have done these other courses and have a broader knowledge base.

 

[Dada]

Hi,

From my point of view, I believe that you should study regardless, the self-study option I do not think it's a good idea on a long term basis. So if you do, decide to study, assuming you stay around the Cape Town area. Your options are as follows.
CPUT- BTech Information Technology
CPUT- BTech Computer Systems(Electrical Engineering sub-stream)
UCT - Bsc(Hons) Computer Science
UCT - BCom(Hons) Information Systems
UCT - B.Eng Computer Engineering

Having said that, these programs I have outlined, depend on your orientation.I believe people here have already explained the general contents of the Computer Science and Information Systems degrees, I will elaborate further on the remaining. The BTech in Information Technology degree, in my opinion is a midpoint between Information Systems and Computer Science degrees, in terms of topics covered in modules. The Computer Systems and Computer Engineering, I doubt is what you are really looking for , but they are more to do with chip design, embedded programming, systems programming and so forth.

 

[cguy]

Should i just do the CS degree and labour through it or is there anything else you can do. How importnat is a CS degree in the industry? Is it possible to get a job from just being self taught , and if so how difficult is it .

To address these one by one:

I also suggest a CS degree. There is far less math required that there used to be - expect at least one year of it though. Personally, I suggest doing more (and doing App. Maths. and Stats). You will have to do some other subjects, but you have a fairly wide range of electives, from more science subjects (chemistry, physics, biology, etc.) to arts and social sciences (psychology can be useful for anything that involves user interaction or perception). You shouldn't see this as a drag - rather, it is something that will likely set you apart from the more generic tech guys, whatever it is. At my last job, we once hired a guy with a dual major in CS and Philosophy.

A CS degree puts you in good stead in the industry. A lot of jobs require it, and it qualifies you for a lot of positions. Of course, you must see a degree as just a bias to your own aptitude and drives - a degree is not sufficient to guarantee success (enjoyable job, good pay, etc.), and it is not strictly necessary to obtain success either.

You can get a job from being self taught, but it does make things trickier - your CV will be skipped over more often, you will have to do a better job proving that you have the requisite skills in an interview, you will likely have holes in your knowledge and skill set that will take a lot of time and dedication to fill, and you will likely be paid less, and possibly promoted less. If you build up a good reputation and are a really good self-study, and manage to work at well known companies, and obtain senior positions, the benefit of a degree diminishes significantly, but it takes a long time to get there.

As for the other qualifications, BComm IS, BSc IS, BTech, etc., are all just fine. For a highly technical job (by this I mean having a focus on developing technology, rather than implementing business solutions), CS would be the best option, for the application of technology to solving business problems. The others are just fine (or even superior if you really want to get involved in the business side). Personally, I did a CS and Maths undergrad degree since, I prefer to work on the technology side.

 

[Falco]

For interest sake, how much Rands are you looking at when doing that degree at a uni?

@Hamster glad you made mention of CTI - what a ripoff those people should be closed down for raping ignorant peoples of their money

 

[cguy]

For interest sake, how much Rands are you looking at when doing that degree at a uni?

@Hamster glad you made mention of CTI - what a ripoff those people should be closed down for raping ignorant peoples of their money

Looks like around 45k/year at UCT.

https://www.uct.ac.za/usr/finance/fees/fees2014.pdf

 

[Greg C]

Give this man a bells for his summary.
If you do a bsc you will be on the far more technical side of programme development. In business you need to understand the business to code. I do think bcom informatics or information systems with an eventual post grad such as a PBOK diploma as a project manager will ensure your financial future. You will start out at around R8k and rapidly increase over the next 5 years to around R30k. Add the project management course and you are looking at R650k annual or more per year

I had similar thoughts many years ago when I studied. The advanced maths just didn't do it for me...
So I did a BCom Information Systems instead.

It's not quite as technical as a Computer Science and you still have to do extrac courses (Accounts, Business Management, etc), but I think it's more marketable and more relevant in the Enterprise world.
If you are interested in games, scientific development or robotics, go the Computer Science route. If you are more interested in Enterprise development, eCommerce, etc, seriously consider Information Systems.

 

[Greg C]

I would put a 3 year degree at around 60-70k if you do honours or a bsc 4 year 100k without battering an eye lid. It depends tho. Most courses are around 20k per year. But why I say depends as zoology takes far less people and costs more because of this and the specialisation of the lecturers and course etc

For interest sake, how much Rands are you looking at when doing that degree at a uni?

@Hamster glad you made mention of CTI - what a ripoff those people should be closed down for raping ignorant peoples of their money