Interested in programming, Need Advice

Gux

Gux

Gux

Associate
Joined
30 Sep 2009
Posts
463
Hey guys,

I am interested in becoming a programmer and hopefully make a career out of it. I finished BTEC National Diploma in IT last year. I have had a hard time finding a full time job, so I am thinking of going off to university and do a software development course and hopefully get my degree in the end. I have done some programming in VB6 in college but that's it. I understand the basics such as If statements/loops etc.

But there are couple of things I am worried about. My maths is far from good so I am worried that I will struggle in maths modules and other things I heard from people is that going to university is no longer worth it, cost to much etc.

Also doing some research about software development job prospects, I hear a lot of negativity about how wages are going down, jobs are going to asia and how the train left 10 years ago etc.

So I just want to know if it's a good idea to go after this career path or is it all a waste of time. I enjoy working with computers and also enjoy programming and coming up with my own programs but I am not sure if it's a good career choice for the future.

Any help is appreciated :)
 
You'll be lucky to get accepted on a Computer Science course without Maths. When I was applying to University (Computer Science) Maths A-Level (at Grade A) was mandatory for every course I looked at, and Further Maths A-Level was highly recommended.
 
having a degree is always worth it.

if you have a degree then other person does not you have a good chance getting the job compared to the other

age comes into the equation also

you can get a grant, so you work to survive i.e. pay bills if you dont have rich parents and then study with others.

at the moment in every industry wages are going down but the way technology is going I would rather be in this field then most others as its only going one way and that is up

it is a very good career choice for the future - better to have a degree and work in a factory if times are hard then to work in a factory without a degree because at least you always have the opportunity to find a better job....

with some guidance and mentoring you will come up trumps, sounds to me like you want to take the easy route out but there is no easy route.

even if you get a job with your btec national, your career and wages will be capped however with a degree the sky is the limit, you are in charge of your own destiny.

also if you ever get so fed up of what you are doing after obtaining your degree and want to move to the end of the world, at least you have a qualification a degree which will avoid you having to do a menial job and that will mean starting off higher up the ladder then average joe...

dont be put off, just get the degree then take it from there...nothing in life is a guarantee its about having more choices and opportunites...

sure there is always one who did it without qualifications but sooner or later they will go and study because they reach the top too quickly and want to go higher, without having that degree they cannot or will not so get a degree to move above the top (if that makes sense)

whatever you decide it has to come with you, I say learn now as opposed to gain so much work experience to find out you need to go back later..
 
you dont need to be a maths whizz to do computer science, sure it helps but you wont be doing hardcore maths to find solutions, its a combination of programming and maths skills and the maths is not difficult I believe
 
I've done fairly well without a degree. It's not been a great ten years for those in the industry as the government have let in loads of workers from abroad.
 
xirokx said:
having a degree is always worth it.

if you have a degree then other person does not you have a good chance getting the job compared to the other
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. It depends on the industry, but if someone has been working throughout the time you've been at Uni getting said degree, they will have 4 years (or even more) experience than someone fresh out of Uni with a degree. Experience is often looked upon as a more favourable attribute.
 
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