Open University

Caporegime
Joined
29 Jan 2008
Posts
58,899
What sort of IT jobs can one get without a degree, anything apart from IT support and developer?

In theory you can do pretty much any job in "IT" up to and including CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world without a degree - it isn't like it is a regulated field. In reality you might find it much tougher to land a particular role in some areas without a degree and/or to even get the required background for some roles - that isn't to say it is impossible but in some cases if you've studied the material anyway then it would seem a bit silly not to also get some recognition for it. For some roles you'd need to have self studied significant amounts of material anyway so it why handicap yourself by not just getting a degree for it too?

I think if you're doing something beyond general IT/vendor certificate type roles then a degree is a bit of a no brainer if not a masters too (depending how much you want to specialise) - it just increases your chances in many areas/opens potential doors etc..etc..

I know business analysts, developers and product owners without degrees but those roles, in some cases, can be somewhat basic or at least not require particularly deep levels of knowledge.

If you want to work on self driving cars or in data science or if you're fancy working on the latest GPUs at Nvidia or in a quant role at a bank or as a machine learning engineer at some start up then you'd best have an undergrad degree in the vast majority of cases and often a masters or PhD too. Often not necessarily computer science at undergrad either but mathematics, physics, EE etc..
 
Soldato
Joined
9 Mar 2015
Posts
4,528
Location
Earth
I am doing a degree at OU, mostly for fun to study something else. I already have a career, done a degree at typical age along with masters, so this would be my second bachelors I am doing in my part time. Is a 3 year course I have split over 7 years (1 year break) which works well for me given my time or lack of. Not going to comment on the validity, worth etc, just some elements I found in regards to studying remotely OU.

First comment would be to plan your time in a week and do try to stick to it. This is actually very hard when important remotely, and I always had excuses such as working late to manage my teams and projects, going out, gym etc. But seriously, get a planner (they even give you one) and pencil out some time and stick to it, this is really important IMO with a hectic life so try to get into a habit as quickly as you can in carving time out to study. Not sure what your course will be like, but often you do get assignments you need to complete periodically and submit online. They are usually relatively easy in their own right, but do not satisfy yourself with just learning answers to the questions in the assignments, try to get some deeper understanding (though this applies to most things in life really, but can be neglected when trying to rush to get assignments done in conjunction with the above).

Not sure if your course has class's / sessions they hold, mine does so try to do as many as you can. Will keep things at the fore and usually the same class is held multiple times in a week in different locations usually so can usually fit one into your schedule.

Do engage. My course and AFAIK most have online forums. As you will generally be on same assignments and course as others, can usually post questions in there and or see other peoples questions. Its actually vastly useful and I would urge you to engage and ask questions if you get stuck or need help, people are pretty friendly for most the part.
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Nov 2007
Posts
5,583
Location
England
I just thought I'd update this thread. I got my course books in the post a couple of days ago, and they seem to be incredibly well written, and there is an awful lot of information available. Having said that you are still expected to go out and find external sources as well, which is consistent with a university course. I start on the 5th of October, and everything seems to be working out nicely. There is a very active WhatsApp group for the subject module I am doing first, and I've bought some books on the subject that may help such as a business dictionary and an economics dictionary amongst others.
 
Soldato
Joined
13 Aug 2004
Posts
8,324
Location
England
I just thought I'd update this thread. I got my course books in the post a couple of days ago, and they seem to be incredibly well written, and there is an awful lot of information available. Having said that you are still expected to go out and find external sources as well, which is consistent with a university course. I start on the 5th of October, and everything seems to be working out nicely. There is a very active WhatsApp group for the subject module I am doing first, and I've bought some books on the subject that may help such as a business dictionary and an economics dictionary amongst others.

What module are you studying?

I have received my books and read through most of the first one now, they're great resources.
I am on TM111 (this and TM112 replaced TU100).
 
Associate
Joined
24 Mar 2011
Posts
305
Location
Sherwood Forest
If you have experience, dont do a degree - do short "good courses" such as harvard cs50. This will increase your chances of getting to an interview and allow you to showcase your actual skills, instead of them making incorrect assumptions.

Ive found the above to be the best approach in a difficult market where a kid with a degree, and no experience, and low work velocity, will get a job and higher salary than an uncertified expert who produces results
 
Caporegime
Joined
29 Jan 2008
Posts
58,899
harvard cs50 is like a "CS101" type course - a degree offers much more than that especially if you don't already have a degree.

Don't get me wrong, I think MOOCs are very useful, especially if someone already has a STEM degree.
 
Associate
Joined
26 Aug 2011
Posts
183
as a mature student I was wondering if any one on here has done or is currently doing an OU course. I’m about to start year 4 of a part time web development degree with OU.

I did a HNC in Computing with the OU. I did it part time over 2 years and while the subject matter was trivial, it took a lot of my time. Great idea but difficult to learn by distance in my opinion. I really struggled going back to the maths stuff I hadn't done for 20+ years without any face to face support. There is so much lost by trying to explain what you're doing with your linear equation over a microphone / telephone call.
 
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