Open University
- Thread starter UrKoS
- Start date
I'm afraid I can't help with real world experiences. But I am intrigued about the web development degree. What does it offer over self taught or bootcamp style learning? I appreciate you get a degree at the end of it, which employers may value. But considering it is a four year course then I assume it must be extremely in depth? What does it cover?
Edit: Also welcome to the forum
Edit: Also welcome to the forum
So far there has been a module on mathematics from simple maths all the way the quadratic equations and trigonometry. There was a module called my digital life which basically went through computing basics and the way in which technology is used for example I had to look into rfid use in a gym environment. There was a module then on html, JavaScript and basic UI, a module on java programming which I found interesting. Next year now the modules are managing it projects and the second module I am covering is based on algorithms
I guess the question you probably need to ask yourself is what you are taking the course for? What is the end game? Do you aim to get a career in web development at the end of it? If so then a degree is useful to help get that first job.
If it's just to scratch an itch then a 6 year course 'just' for web development is quite a lot of your life to dedicate to.
RFID and quadratic equations won't be needed for web development so perhaps the course is more than just web dev? But coming back to employment for a moment, how old will you be when you finish the OU course? Sadly this industry is quite ageist so it's a consideration for very long courses.
Not trying to put you off either direction and I think education is a fantastic asset.
If it's just to scratch an itch then a 6 year course 'just' for web development is quite a lot of your life to dedicate to.
RFID and quadratic equations won't be needed for web development so perhaps the course is more than just web dev? But coming back to employment for a moment, how old will you be when you finish the OU course? Sadly this industry is quite ageist so it's a consideration for very long courses.
Not trying to put you off either direction and I think education is a fantastic asset.
Soldato
did you check out https://www.freecodecamp.org/
Personally, at 38 I don't see the benefit of a degree now unless it's a very specialised field such as medicine, architecture. When it comes to most things IT related there are so many quality free/cheap resources out there, even LinkedIn learning is a great resource.
I'm always learning, infosec and all that encompasses is the area I'm currently covering with an aim to move into the industry.
Personally, at 38 I don't see the benefit of a degree now unless it's a very specialised field such as medicine, architecture. When it comes to most things IT related there are so many quality free/cheap resources out there, even LinkedIn learning is a great resource.
I'm always learning, infosec and all that encompasses is the area I'm currently covering with an aim to move into the industry.
I started the course as it’s something I always wanted to do one. I think the first few modules were more generic so essentially the first two years worth. To be honest it was more to see if I could do it more than anything else. I am enjoying it to be honest and my youngest whose ten was also interested in coding so I thought why not. No real end game to be honest I just enjoy learning and was able to spend time on it. I suppose moving into a grey IT team at work and wanting to be more involved ultimately got me thinking about the degree course and I suppose that piece of paper at the end has some merits.
Never seen https://www.freecodecamp.org/ before but will now look into it thank you.
Never seen https://www.freecodecamp.org/ before but will now look into it thank you.
Well ultimately if you have the time then the OU seems a good approach. It would be considered a better qualification than a bootcamp although I think there are better approaches later in life. But as you want to give it a try then go for it
There is a full Computer Science cirriculum here for free if your interested -
https://github.com/ossu/computer-science
https://github.com/ossu/computer-science
Sounds like you're doing a bit more than web design - do you have a link to this degree? Sounds more likely you're doing a general computer science type degree?
That's quite cool, I do like it when people have gone to the trouble of compiling stuff like that, someone did a free MBA one too IIRC.
I would note that it is US focused, they start university a bit behind UK students in terms of the depth of their education and carry on with a broader curriculum initially too - thus the initial maths modules there are basically stuff a UK student has already covered at A-Level, then again this stuff does often get reviewed at UK universities too and in the case of the OP he doesn't seem to have done much beyond GCSE maths in his degree.
Other thing to note is that some MOOCs are a little bit watered down relative to university courses. I'm surprised the above GitHub doesn't make more use of Stanford engineering everywhere and MIT open courseware - those are full fat university courses.
Should also point out that City University offers some short evening courses that might be of interest to people in London:
https://www.city.ac.uk/study/courses/short-courses/computing
Likewise the OU, Birkbeck College (if you're London based) and The University of London itself (via various colleges) all offer certificates/diplomas too. You don't really *have* to do a full degree, especially if you already have another degree - likewise a conversion masters is useful too (essentially core undergrad modules within 1 year).
Generally graduate certificate = 120 credits of undergrad courses, graduate diploma = 240 credits of undergrad courses. Whereas a postgrad certificate = 60 credits of postgrad courses and a postgrad diploma = 120 credits of postgrad courses (essentially a masters degree minus the dissertation).
https://www.city.ac.uk/study/courses/short-courses/computing
Likewise the OU, Birkbeck College (if you're London based) and The University of London itself (via various colleges) all offer certificates/diplomas too. You don't really *have* to do a full degree, especially if you already have another degree - likewise a conversion masters is useful too (essentially core undergrad modules within 1 year).
Generally graduate certificate = 120 credits of undergrad courses, graduate diploma = 240 credits of undergrad courses. Whereas a postgrad certificate = 60 credits of postgrad courses and a postgrad diploma = 120 credits of postgrad courses (essentially a masters degree minus the dissertation).
Associate
What sort of IT jobs can one get without a degree, anything apart from IT support and developer?
To the OP, i was thinking of doing a part time degree, how would you rate the OU, content and support you receive? did you have to do year 1 and 2
Soldato
All of them... there's nothing in IT that you can't learn yourself or learn on the job. The only time that may be an issue is if you're trying to get into say computer forensics, some people think degree = expert but they could know less than someone that's built their own lab and been teaching themselves for 2+ years.
Soldato
The same could be said for any profession as you can teach yourself pretty much anything you want these days.
The difference with a degree is that employers know that you've learned the right stuff. Somebody who has been self-learning for 2 years may be able to write code but could lack knowledge of the theory behind what the code actually does and other non-coding things like the software development process, lifecycles, documentation, testing, etc.
There's also the fact that most developer jobs have a degree qualification as a requirement. You could be the best coder of all the applicants but you won't get the job if you don't even get an interview because you're not degree qualified.
Soldato
- Joined
- 19 Oct 2008
- Posts
- 6,004
That's not the case in a lot of organisations. HR/recruiters/manager with half a brain know that experience trumps degrees. Few finish a degree ready for the real world of IT unless they've been working in IT already during the course or while working passionately on their own projects too.
Some of the best people I've worked with in IT don't have a degree. A couple of them bailed out on their degrees as they said they weren't learning anything new. Hence, the best developers are passionate and started developing at a young age, not someone as a mature student who suddenly decides they want to get into IT and programming.
I don't have a degree. I've landed positions where the job spec stated a degree but on discussing the role etc, I;ve ended up being suitable - I just sent my CV in anyway.
I don't think it's a case of self-learning vs a degree. But maybe some self-learning first and then start applying for junior roles, trainee roles etc and then trying to learn from the best! It's quite easy for people to start in testing for example and then move into development roles, or analysis (business analysis, systems analysis etc) and then project management if they want to.
Degrees can help but I think people have been a bit brainwashed into the "must have degree" thinking. I think it was on OCUK recently where I read someone wanted to change jobs so was thinking about going back to uni again, when IMO, they'd be better off trying to get into the career they desire.
I got into IT easily, as someone showing passion for it, while also willing to sacrifice the salary to begin with. I've never considered myself as the most gifted however. As time went buy I obviously reached the same level degree educated folks reached. A lot of people in IT don't even have IT degrees either. Worked with many ex-teachers, many with psychology degrees, biology etc. No more useful than not having a degree to be honest.
A lot of people around me have degrees and assume I do too. Sometime I tell them, other times I just keep quiet and grin to myself while thinking "if I had a degree I'd want to be much further ahead than this ****"
. Basically if I spent 3-4 years at uni I'd have my sights set on working with the best companies on AI, robotics etc, not writing some "just another noddy web app" but this is where most end up .Most professions could be better learned on the job - something I'm a believer in, or at least companies giving a % of their positions to people taking this route. Medical stuff is a bit different though.
Last edited:
Soldato
Yes but you need to start somewhere.
There are not many roles on the path to becoming a developer where you can start with no knowledge and learn everything on the job, so you're back to the question of whether to choose a degree or a self-learning route.
Soldato
- Joined
- 19 Oct 2008
- Posts
- 6,004
One example is starting in testing which to be honest a lot of the time you could pull someone off the street to do with very simple web apps. People can work up from there. Testing opens the door to programming (test automation, writing harnesses). Testing also opens the door to performance & load testing and even security testing which can be very highly paid. Test automation opens the door to becoming a fully fledged programmer too thanks to skills learned to do test automation.
People with IT degrees can struggle finding work too - they're up against experienced people and employers know they lack the real world experience and knowledge. They're in a better position than someone with no degree but that's after 3-4 years at uni and potentially a nasty debt.
People do need to start somewhere. I did some courses before my career change. Not sure the company exists now and I know many ended up never working in IT. It does come down to the individual too, and a bit of luck!
A bit of self-learning and trying to get into junior roles is a start. if someone was programming at a young age and loves it, I'd try to get straight into a company rather than going through Uni and potentially finding it boring. Many will have a huge respect for starting at a young age.
It's a bit of a case of trying to gain the experience while suffering the minimum cost in £ and time. While a degree may raise the chance of success it's the most costly and time consuming route (3-4 years and still have potentially no real world experience)
Last edited: