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Well I don't know to be honest, but I am sure it will be a lot harder than the college education I have had. Done a BTEC in IT in 2009 which I got top marks for but Uni is a whole different level.
Going to Uni still worth it?
- Thread starter Tifosi1990
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Well I don't know to be honest, but I am sure it will be a lot harder than the college education I have had. Done a BTEC in IT in 2009 which I got top marks for but Uni is a whole different level.
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How did you get managed to get a programming job? Was is simply from building a good portfolio or did you knew someone in the business which helped you out?
Every job I look for, the minimum req 99% of the time is 2:1 in Computer science. To me it seems you need to have a degree first before an employer even bothers to give you an interview...
Software Engineer here, I'd definitely say the degree was worth it - although the debt is a lot generally speaking you'll a lot more money with it. The last couple of years seems to have witnessed a pick up in activity and salaries, that might not be true when you graduate though. I've seen a lot of roles go to India, but the results have been mixed at best - now they seem to be going to Eastern Europe.
One thought: while Newcastle is a good university, have you looked at studying in Europe? I read about the University of Maastricht which charges something like £1.5k a year in tuition fees and I believe is considered a decent uni too. Can't say which would be best but it's an option to consider.
One thought: while Newcastle is a good university, have you looked at studying in Europe? I read about the University of Maastricht which charges something like £1.5k a year in tuition fees and I believe is considered a decent uni too. Can't say which would be best but it's an option to consider.
Currently studying Biochemistry at uni, and for that, it's definitely worth it. Without starting out right at the bottom, for any job, it's going to be tough. A good degree gets you that foot-in-the-door without having to instantly prove yourself, which I've found from having graphic design as a hobby, is hard to do. Go with your brain.
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If I go to newcastle I can stay at home and simply travel the 5 miles I need to get there, so there are no accommodation costs. Studying in europe sounds great, but there are many disadvantages to it, that I would prefer to stay in the UK.
I honestly don't know why the prices are 9k a year when uni's across europe are much cheaper. Being ripped off here IMO.
May I just say whatever course you end up on get one with an industrial placement... it will no doubt prove to be invaluable when looking for a career after university. Have just accepted my offer from a placement as part of my course and can't wait to get working and putting it all into practice 
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To get laid, Yes
+1 untold times unleashing your sex crazed mind.
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I'm going to do biology at the moment, but I'm not sure if I'd prefer biochemistry. I find genetics and everything on a cellular level pretty interesting. Is biochemistry predominantly chemistry, with very little biology?
On the new loan system it's 21k.
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It depends when you started, the threshold for courses starting after September 2012 will be £21,000. If it was prior to this date then £15,975 is the lower limit and doubtless it has varied before that point. Source.
They're at that level because there aren't such large levels of subsidies present for university courses now as previously, this isn't because it's necessarily much cheaper to provide education in other countries in Europe. Take a look at higher education in America and see how much that can cost per academic year, some of that may be reputationally influenced but essentially that's closer to the "real" cost of providing this education.
You can make the argument that subsidising higher education is in fact an entirely worthwhile use of funding and is investing in the countries future - I might well be inclined to go along with that argument but it does also rely on the courses available being of high quality and limitations being placed on how many and who goes to university. Unfortunately it's currently not particularly realistic to make it an entirely unfettered right of access even if that's the way I'd prefer it.
bit of both a lot of home learning , friend of a friend and a portfolio of work . I know a lot of people who do programming who never went to uni and worked at the biggest companies you can think of (games and non game companies)
Yes, it's all changed. The fees are up from 3k/yr to 9k/yr but the loan repament threshold increased to 21k/yr at a lower interest rate than before. In all, it barely works out any more expensive to go to Uni now than it did before, and a student loan remains the best debt you will ever have.
It depends. There are three elements to it really, career advancement, studying an area of interest and just having a good time.
You need to want an average of all three for it to be really worth it.
I think university is relatively very expensive these days. I paid penuts in comparison.
You need to want an average of all three for it to be really worth it.
I think university is relatively very expensive these days. I paid penuts in comparison.
A salary of £13k would suggest Uni really didn't work out for you.
How much more do you owe now than when you left Uni (on your student loan)?
For me at least I took computer science not to learn how to program, but to learn the theory about how to program interesting things. I want a job programming/creating/researching interesting things, not maintaining old business systems.
I think if people want to study something at university they should be able to, regardless of what their final salary is. In general principle at least. I don't think your final salary alone is very indicative of wether it was worth it.