Thinking of going back to college

10 replies
hey guys, im a 29 year old male from dublin who finished high school when i was 18. I have had various jobs over the years and the two years i have been making money from trading sports. Sometimes it gets lonely sitting at home all day, and i dont get to interact with too many people. I have decided recently that im going to do a degree and am thinking about computer science but a friend suggested this was not an ideal course to do because alot of the bigger companies outsource their work to countries like india due to lower labour costs. Also i googled some sample exam questions for computer science and it looked really difficult. Can anybody tell me if a degree in computer science covers web design from start to finish or does it focus more on software development?

I definately want to do a degree related to computers, Is it worth doing a CS degree?

If you were going to do a computer related degree, what would it be?

would love to hear some opinions

cheers

Alan
#back #college #thinking
  • Profile picture of the author FionaGore
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    • Profile picture of the author Jillian Slack
      Alan,

      This isn't exactly what you were asking, but I wanted to share anyway.

      A lot of people will tell you that you don't need a degree to succeed in business. This is true. There are successful people out there -- with and without degrees.

      If a degree is something you want for yourself, go for it.

      I've got a bachelor's and I'm working on a master's. The master's degree isn't really something that will make me employable. It's more like one of those things that I wanted to do for myself and it's on a subject that makes me happy. Plus, since it's a distance-learning program, each semester when I fly half-way across the country for a week of residency with like-minded people, I feel like I've found MY people. And I've formed some of the best friendships of my life through the program.

      So, just in case someone tells you to skip the degree because you don't need it, remember it's not always a matter of "need." Do what you feel in your heart.
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      • Profile picture of the author Alan Mc Donald
        thanks for the replies guys, i agree that you dont need a degree to be successfull, but i do want to get myself some sort of professional qualification. Its been 10 years since i studied and im just hoping i can get my brain to kick back into gear I have a mortgage and all that stuff but as long as i can access the internet between 12pm-1pm per day everyday to place my bets ill be ok financially. I suppose a little bit of me is afraid of failiure as i wouldnt be the most confident guy in the world.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tyrus Antas
    I don't have a degree in CS but worked as a software developer.

    CS is basically abstract mathematics applied to computing. Yes it's hard but most people with CS degrees won't ever apply the concepts they learned because they will mostly work with boring companies doing boring work.

    Do you like problem solving? Are you good at logic? Solving puzzles? Were you good in mathematics at school? If yes you'll love it and be quite successful. If not, better try something else.

    About outsourcing: forget it, there's plenty of jobs around and salaries have remained high for decades despite cheap labor competition.

    Tyrus
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  • Profile picture of the author ebizman87
    Hi Buddy..
    Guess you want to do a degree related to computers huh?
    Well I'm still in College and I can give you some basic information..

    Computer Science-My friend is taking this course and although it covers web designs,it's solely focused more on "non software" stuffs.By the way I usually see my friend suffering due to the difficulty of this course.

    Software Engineering-I got few of my friends taking this course and some of the subjects that it covers are JAVA and Some web designing related coding subjects.However evntually this course focuses more on software development and it's not easy unless you've some basic knowledge.

    E-commerce-I think that this is the perfect course for you.Some of the subjects under this course are web designing,e-business models,e-marketing and 90% e-commerce related subjects.I've seen the list of subjects offered for this course before in my college.By the way I don't think that you need to be a "techno wizard" or expert to learn all the stuffs here.It's been taught in plain simple language without any lmathematical or coding subjects.

    Hope it helps..Good luck..
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  • Profile picture of the author askloz
    I say go for it. If you can apply what you learn to online stuff, then sweet - maybe a programmer or something... there's HEAPS of money in that industry... create your own products, desktop software, internet marketing software - web based, or what ever... or even get yourself up and running on places like elance - though you might find it hard to get a job at those type of places cos you'll need to prove yourself first and at a low cost too.

    btw... dont listen to these ppl about outsourcing the work to indians, or what have you.. they dont know how to listen to a client and a lot of them steal work from other projects they have done, they are lazy and never, not in my experience any way, done something from the ground up.

    Those that I have noticed perfer English speaking ppl who know how to follow instructions to the letter.

    Any ways, good luck at what ever you decide to do, though I recommend programming since that's where the money is, especially so in the I.M industry.

    Originally Posted by Pattaya-Addict View Post

    hey guys, im a 29 year old male from dublin who finished high school when i was 18. I have had various jobs over the years and the two years i have been making money from trading sports. Sometimes it gets lonely sitting at home all day, and i dont get to interact with too many people. I have decided recently that im going to do a degree and am thinking about computer science but a friend suggested this was not an ideal course to do because alot of the bigger companies outsource their work to countries like india due to lower labour costs. Also i googled some sample exam questions for computer science and it looked really difficult. Can anybody tell me if a degree in computer science covers web design from start to finish or does it focus more on software development?

    I definately want to do a degree related to computers, Is it worth doing a CS degree?

    If you were going to do a computer related degree, what would it be?

    would love to hear some opinions

    cheers

    Alan
    Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author PrettyJenny
    I think it is a great idea to go back to college. I am going to do a second degree next year, I just love going to university, I dont know why. I'm a nerd probably
    And yes why not taking a degree in CS if you want it? There will always be demand for people with computer science knowledge even if companies are increasingly outsourcing. It also helps your making money online journey a lot easier if you have CS knowledge and skills. But before spending the next 3-4 years studying, take a short course on programming or something, to see if you are really into it. Real interest is the only thing that will keep you motivated and eager to go to classes every day.
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  • Do what makes you happy. Your friend doesn't live your life and won't be taking those classes for you.

    I have no idea what things are like in your country. But I can tell you that having a piece of paper will help open doors for you ... but you still have to walk through them.

    I have one of those magical pieces of paper... but I still choose to work for myself. To each his own!
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  • Profile picture of the author Gabe77
    Going back to school would be great. I finished a business degree with a major in computer applications. The course is 50/50 -- business and computer (a bit of hardware, software and programming).

    If you like math and breeze through logic, then CS would be easy for you.

    Good luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ernie Lo
    Are you making enough money from "trading sports"?? If you just want to go to college because your bored at home, then forget that!

    Why not take a bowling class, or join a reading group or something else that gets you out of the house....don't study/work unless you have to! (Unless you really really want to)

    Because it may sound like a good idea now, but when your stuck in a crumy office 9 till 5 every single day....you'll probably regret your choice
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