Anybody with Computing degrees?

Gall1987

Gall1987

Gall1987

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1 Jan 2009
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441
I'm due to start a Computing degree next year and just wanted some views on what type of computing degree people have studied and what career this has lead them to.

I have opted to do a 'general' computing degree which will allow me to have a say in the modules that I will study, instead of specialising in a certain area. If I find that I like a certain area then I can opt to move on to a more specialised degree after the first year.

I'll be 22 when I start my degree, so not old, but I'm not going to be wasting as much time as I would getting off my face, compared to if I was 18.

I'm excited about starting the degree, although I'd say my computing knowledge is average at the moment, I've always had a big interest in Computers in general.

I'd like to hear people's experiences and how they found it if possible :)
 
My degree was at Sheffield Hallam.

The course was ****- full of complete numbskulls.

I got a first, and 4 years on work for an American telecommunications/ IT firm, and I'm a 40% tax payer already, so I didn't do that badly out of it.

If I had the choice again, I would do business or something financial and not IT though.
 
Comp Science.

If I had the choice again i would do economic or business. At the very least I would have done computing with business or something. My degree was basically Software engineering minus a placement. I found the non programming aspects much more interesting though.
 
I'm currently studying Computer Science. It's alright I guess :D Although I would prefer more programming. All theory gets a bit much at times, I want to learn skills I'm actually going to use in the real world. Then again from an academic prospective university is basically an environment where you learn how to learn.

Hope it goes well mate.
 
Bes said:
My degree was at Sheffield Hallam.

The course was ****- full of complete numbskulls.

I got a first, and 4 years on work for an American telecommunications/ IT firm, and I'm a 40% tax payer already, so I didn't do that badly out of it.

If I had the choice again, I would do business or something financial and not IT though.
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What course did you study at Sheffield Hallam? How long ago was it? Strangely enough Sheffield Hallam is one of the Uni's that I've applied for, although it's not my first choice. That'll either be Salford or UWE in Bristol.

When you say "numbskulls", do you just mean students who couldn't be arsed?
 
I'll be doing a placement year with my course, so hopefully that'll break it up nicely and give me some more 'real world' experience. I have already worked within an IT Support role for a large organisation and although it wasn't a technical role, this was enough to put me off any business aspects!
 
Gall1987 said:
What course did you study at Sheffield Hallam? How long ago was it? Strangely enough Sheffield Hallam is one of the Uni's that I've applied for, although it's not my first choice. That'll either be Salford or UWE in Bristol.

When you say "numbskulls", do you just mean students who couldn't be arsed?
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No, I mean actually stupid. Also a lot of them were quite lazy, but even when they did try, they just produced crap. The education system in this country is really letting people down.

I did computing and graduated in 2005.

UWE isn't much better from what I have heard.

Sorry.
 
Bes said:
No, I mean actually stupid. Also a lot of them were quite lazy, but even when they did try, they just produced crap. The education system in this country is really letting people down.

I did computing and graduated in 2005.

UWE isn't much better from what I have heard.

Sorry.
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Honestly, a rare quality on these forums, bravo Bes
 
Bes said:
No, I mean actually stupid. Also a lot of them were quite lazy, but even when they did try, they just produced crap. The education system in this country is really letting people down.

I did computing and graduated in 2005.

UWE isn't much better from what I have heard.

Sorry.
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No, I'm grateful for the advice.

I was really impressed with Salford and think that's where it'll end up, if I get an offer. The placements would suit me better and Bristol is a long way home, if it all goes wrong!

I guess your always going to get people like that on courses, the exception being the top Uni's.

Thanks for your help :)
 
I did a Bsc in Computer Networks for Business, Y2 and Y3 consisted of:

8 Modules of Business Management
2 Modules Java
4 Modules CCNA
2 Modules .Net
2 Modules Electronics & Data Comms

2 Modules for Final Year Project

I would try and pick modules applicable in the real world - some of my mates got the same degree as me but did multimedia modules and graphics modules!

Employers have all been a fan of my Business skills - so if you get the chance to do any I would say they were worth it.


After my degree did I attended an Academy for some HP Enterprise software. Got a job consulting off the back of that, lost that job after 18 months (US company and had problems at subprime time) - got volentary redundany and got the job I have now as soon as I'd finnished garden leave.

I now work for a managed services provider - still find stuff from my degree useful tbh and its been 4 years since I finnished it. Worth the what it cost many times over.

Though next time I go to uni I'd do something I'm interested in rather than something I found easy.
 
"Computing" usually means Computer Science. So lots of algorithms, data structures and what not. Don't let this stuff bore you, it is actually the very stuff that you will be using when writing software.

Don't turn out to be one of those programmers who goes 10 years through their career without knowing, for instance, what a Hashtable is and what it is good for.

If you have a choice of modules (I think all uni's do this?) each year I would, if I were you, drop the more practical things like say "robotics" and the way out their stuff like "artificial intelligence" (this subject is only good at Phd level). And tend to steer more towards the courses to do with software lifecycle, object orientation, design, analysis. That sort of stuff. This will put you ahead of all those folks that go the easy route on "web applications" type courses which just teach you how to use a framework that will be out of date within 2 years anyway.
 
Start trying some programming now, I imagine your uni will use C++ or Java. See if you enjoy it. Im on my placement year with one year left, its got me studying in Korea at the moment which is pretty cool. Aim to graduate with a first, if I did it all I'd like to do a business agree though, such class opportunities come with all, the exchange students out here that do business have been some wicked places.
 
UncleBensSauce said:
I did a Bsc in Computer Networks for Business, Y2 and Y3 consisted of:

8 Modules of Business Management
2 Modules Java
4 Modules CCNA
2 Modules .Net
2 Modules Electronics & Data Comms

2 Modules for Final Year Project

I would try and pick modules applicable in the real world - some of my mates got the same degree as me but did multimedia modules and graphics modules!

Employers have all been a fan of my Business skills - so if you get the chance to do any I would say they were worth it.


After my degree did I attended an Academy for some HP Enterprise software. Got a job consulting off the back of that, lost that job after 18 months (US company and had problems at subprime time) - got volentary redundany and got the job I have now as soon as I'd finnished garden leave.

I now work for a managed services provider - still find stuff from my degree useful tbh and its been 4 years since I finnished it. Worth the what it cost many times over.

Though next time I go to uni I'd do something I'm interested in rather than something I found easy.
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Don't suppose that happened to be at the TIC - Millennium Point (UCE/Birmingham University) was it :p
 
Artificial Intelligence at the University of Edinburgh (Now doing a PhD in robotics at the Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne.
 
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I did Computer and Network Technology at Hertfordshire, it was alright. Was quite hands on and real world which I liked. I lot of the CS students were doing a lot of theoretical this that and the other where we were setting up virtual networks and things.
 
I've applied for UWE in Bristol next year :D
Applying for Computing and Computer System Integration!

See you there then ;)
 
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