Suitable IT universities?

Scythian

Scythian

Scythian

Associate
Joined
5 May 2011
Posts
705
Hey Oc's :D

I was thinking about going to university when I'm abit older but I'm not quite sure where to start (Would like to get a rough idea now though).


I was thinking about doing something programming related (maybe a game programmer, software programmer or something maybe along those lines) or anything interesting to do with computers and involved a high wage :D (I heard a rumour where programmers can earn 100+ grand a year? - not sure if this is just rumours)

At college (which I will be starting this september) I decided to do a Level 3 national diploma in software games and web development. Seeing as this is something I'm sure to enjoy I'm confident I will be able to do VERY well (was only supposed to get 2 GCSE's worth at C grade in IT - Ending up with 4 A's worth instead :D)

Due to taking a vocational course though this means I'd be unable to join some 'red-brick' universities. On top of that, in maths I got my grade C early and was not given the chance to retake the test in order to get a higher grade)

So would it still be possible for me to go to university? Are there are universities you could point me to? Is it impossible to get into university without a Grade B GCSE at maths?

Alternatively - Is university that essential? are there any other options I could take after I leave college? (I remember a teacher mentioning an apprenticeship style programme where students where moved to australlia and studied hands on over there - but she forgot the name of the programme :( )

So - any thoughts? :)
 
The best advice I can give is don't jump on a course just because you think there will be big money at the end of it, do it because it's something you truly enjoy and want to spend thousands of pounds learning about.
 
If your only just starting college I wouldn't worry too much just yet, yes it is nice to be prepared and all that stuff but see how well you get on with your first year at college etc. I'm doing mobile communication and ict and Nottingham trent (yeah I know ex poly blah blah blah, but I love my course and it suits me perfectly) Have you done any programming before, its not for everyone but as with any computing course at university it will be a big part of your degree. Your best of going down the computer science route as you will normally be taught c++ (or something along those lines) but to be fair once you have picked up one language its fairly easy to teach yourself other high level programming languages.

I wouldn't worry too much about your GCSE's just yet, if you want to do computer science most decent university's ask for an a level in maths as those courses involve a lot of computational maths which can be tricky to get your head round if you haven't had any experience with it before. Just so you are aware though, ict at school and college is completely different to degree level; do you have like a careers advisor at your college you could speak to perhaps?



edit: as others have said, do a course that you enjoy, don't just do it because you think it will lead to the best career path or whatever. If your passionate about a subject, this will take your far and when employers see that your are passionate and heavily interested in a subject you will make a good impression and hopefully get a job!
 
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Well I didnt go to University as I decided it wasnt for me. Instead I went straight into work at 18 after leaving colege and did a 1 day a week part time course alongside with a Cisco CCNA. Aged 20 Graduated with a HNC in Networking and Hardware.

Now aged 21 Im in a very good job which I enjoy it to bits working as a Network Engineer.
 
Owen256 said:
Your best of going down the computer science route as you will normally be taught c++ (or something along those lines)
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Most university computer science departments seem to avoid it actually - computer science types tend to learn Java.
 
Jono said:
Teesside is meant to be good. But it's in Teesside.
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Teesside used to be the best in the UK for IT briefly around 1997-2000. Since then it has become University of the Year, last year, but that is non-subject specific.

I work for that University, in IT, and graduated from there, in IT.
 
jamief said:
And why would you find that odd?
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Well taking a scientific wild arsed guess I'd say they very likely weren't.

And secondly its a list published by the Guardian - they've previously ranked Hull highly for mathematics when they didn't have a mathematics department and similarly Bangor got a good rating (5th in the UK in 2008) 2 years after they closed mathematics too.

Essentially I'd go with gut feelings here - that Guardian list is more than a bit silly as would be anyone who decided to turn down Warwick or UCL in favour of a fair few of the institutions some Guardian journalist feels deserve a better ranking.
 
Abertay is pretty renowned for it's game design/programming courses. They aren't actually viewed as a 'Mickey Mouse' course. May be worth considering.

dowie said:
I'd be rather skeptical about that list tbh... apparently Stirling and Glasgow are above Warwick and UCL..... :confused:
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Why? Glasgow is one of the oldest Universities in the World and widely respected throughout the World.
 
Games programming is very math intensive and highly competitive. My advice (as a senior developer) is to study Computer Science - at any place that will take you. The amount of money you earn will depend on your ability and experience after you graduate - you don't get an instant payout. You'll probably start on 20-25k, then you have to work your way up the ladder, advance your career, usually by moving companies. (it's much easier to find a job if you already have one)
 
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Ahleckz said:
Abertay is pretty renowned for it's game design/programming courses. They aren't actually viewed as a 'Mickey Mouse' course. May be worth considering.
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NO! Almost all "Games Programmer/Developer" courses in the UK are a joke (abertay is ok, but game companies still prefer compsci grads). Do a computer science degree - it will not harm your chances of getting a job in the games industry (quite the reverse actually) and will be more useful in general.

And this is gonna sound harsh - but if you got a C in maths then maybe games programming is not the thing for you. Maths ability is the single most important thing for a games programmer.

Oh, and you won't be earning £100k soon. :p
 
dowie said:
UCL and Warwick are respected more and being one of the oldest is completely irrelevant.
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You are disagreeing with the figures for that course, from one source, and have no reason whatsoever. The only reason I can see you defending those institutions whilst having no credible argument is that you have some sort of vested interest in them.

I just think it's quite odd that you'd disagree with the rankings but put no real justification forwards as to why they are wrong.

AGD said:
NO! Almost all "Games Programmer/Developer" courses in the UK are a joke (abertay is ok, but game companies still prefer compsci grads). Do a computer science degree - it will not harm your chances of getting a job in the games industry (quite the reverse actually) and will be more useful in general.
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I agree, Computer Science is undoubtedly the 'better' degree but if he struggles with Maths then perhaps the more 'artiness' of Games Design would be a route worth considering.
 
Ahleckz said:
I agree, Computer Science is undoubtedly the 'better' degree but if he struggles with Maths then perhaps the more 'artiness' of Games Design would be a route worth considering.
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From what I have seen "Games Design" courses are pretty useless. If you want to go down the design route you should be making maps/levels in udk, or any engine you can get your hands on in your own spare time. You also need to be playing a wide variety of games and forming educated opinions on them and their design flaws.

You do not need a 3 year degree from a bad uni for this.
 
AGD said:
And this is gonna sound harsh - but if you got a C in maths then maybe games programming is not the thing for you. Maths ability is the single most important thing for a games programmer.
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It's not harsh, it's a perfectly fair point. The maths required for games programming is hard, it's very specialised and if you're not pretty damn good at it you'll struggle - a C at GCSE doesn't suggest that the necessary background is there unless there's mitigating circumstances or the person then went on to get an A/B at A levels or similar.

I'd also agree that it's probably better to get a more general degree unless you're absolutely convinced that games programming is what you want to do - be aware that it sounds better and more exciting than it often is.

As for salaries of £100k - it's possible but you'd almost certainly have to be leading a team at a big studio to be earning anywhere near that and at that stage you're probably not doing much programming. If you moved into programming for the financial sector then it may be more achievable more quickly but part of the reason for the compensation is that it's not the most exciting work - important but not necessarily interesting.
 
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