The whole thing with Computer Science degrees?

Bchen22

Whats up with this degree its like so asked everywhere but can't just someone who just wants to be a programmer just take an internship would it really matter what tech degree you have?
Lets say I have a Bachelors of Arts in Computer Technology and Im either trying to be a programmer but if I did computer science isnt it the same thing?
As long as you have a degree?
I ask cuz everyone nowadays to me was like
you should have gone instead to computer science instead
your more valuable with that degree
why didn't you you go with computer science?
I ask cuz i dont really see the big deal why computer science and not CIS? i mean if you seen computer science curriculum you need to take calculus discrete math and physics which is why i switch my major to computer technology why do you need that to do a help desk desktop support or even a programming job?
When I went to college my goal was to be a IT Field Service Technician for a government agency in some places you actually need a bachelors degree to do that in public schools and universities

iBrokeIT

Being a GOOD programmer/software developer in professional business environment takes more than just learning the syntax of a programming language, writing code and compiling it.

Comp Sci traditionally teaches things like logical program solving, a few languages and the SDLC. The abstract thinking and theory parts of Computer Science are just as important as knowing the architecture of a system.

If you cant follow the logic of a Calc problem how are you going to follow the logic in a 1000+ line program?
If you never learned the SDLC, a lot of programming theory and other industry knowledge why should a software development company hire you as a programmer over someone who has learned those things?

If you want to work IT then a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Technology is fine but if you want to be a programmer then you need a Comp Sci degree.

Legacy User

I 2nd what iBrokeIT said its generally assumed Computer Science and Engineering graduates are excellent of thinking logically and solving complex problems. Thats why the bigger companies tend to advertise non programming positions specifically to Computer Science and Engineering graduates.

Specific to your question I'm not sure what your comp tech program consisted of but Computer Science programs teach the fundamentals and best practices of building a structured program. Without the structure you end up being a cowboy coder which means you bust out programs without having a structure which leads to bugs, problems, and messy programs.

kly630

I think some of the information systems and information technology programs are basically watered down computer science and a lot of people with CS and computer engineering degrees recognize it as such. In particular, I think the coverage of computer architecture and operating systems is really kind of minimal in IS and IT programs. And data structures and algorithms and computability theory (i.e. finite state automata) too. Those last two are a bit less useful though.

You can basically think of a computer science degree as giving you all the tools researchers in the past used to do things like develop C compilers, the unix OS, databases, etc. In theory that is. In practice, I've done very little practical programming in my career since I've gone down a network support/sys admin track and don't really think learning about the techniques and algorithms people used makes you an expert at using them yourself. But you will have a tool bag of algorithms to pull from taking a CS degree.

Also AI is a pretty cool subject though I think, and kind of neat to learn about. If there's one course I really liked during my CS degree, it was the AI survey course I took. Some of the algorithms and subjects you learn about in there are pretty deep.

IIIMaster

If you want to be a programmer get a cs degree, dont be cheap as you will **** yourself down the road. Yes you do have a chance at being a programmer with a computer technology degree but your chances decrease. The computer science degree goes over many program languages and science courses. It is a science degree for computers. I will advise you to go for a cs degree if programming is where you want to go, dont waste your time.

alias454

I agree with everyone else sort of. What I see as the main difference between IT degrees and CS degrees is that IT degrees are geared for teaching you how to find solutions using software at a human level, where CS degrees are geared at solving problems with code at the machine level (a few exceptions exist). The difference is subtle. I took an IT degree and had some fundamental classes in system design, programming logic, Java etc. but it was not geared to give me anything more than a basic understanding. I had a greater depth of understanding because I taught myself how to write code long before I decided to get a degree. However, I can honestly say that having the formal education helped refine some rough spots and clarify a few things for me.

With that said, I don't believe the degree has anything to do with how good of a programmer you are. If you cannot find opportunities from companies, you can always cut your teeth on one of the several hundred open source projects that need volunteers. Ya, your working for free but if you are any good you will build a body of work and a reputation that can surpass any piece of paper you might obtain.

Regards

TDS

You do not need a CS degree for help desk or other support roles. I think it's pretty laughable seeing companies listing CS or CE for a 35k/40k a year support job. A sign of the economy I guess. But programming is another ball game. It takes years and years of practicing coding/logic to be able to do it in an enterprise setting. Only CS degrees have a curriculum that rigorous.