I hear a lot of negative input about how CS majors through most universities is nothing more than a vocational course plus calculus

they say oh well you can be a web developer or this and that without CS self taught blah blah waste of time etc.

what are some jobs that would strongly recommend a degree in CS?

I really don't know what type of careers I'll be looking at getting into, or even internships in the immediate future, as I move forward

any advice would be appreciated

This post was edited by NoMNoK on Aug 6 2014 03:10pm

Load of rubbish. You're looking at the problem backwards.

First, know that you have a passion for and want to study computer science in all of its incarnations. This will take you places that most of the people that argue, as you say, would call "a waste of time". I believe that you find employment as a side-effect of being interested in the field.

well yes but looking at it practically, people are discouraged from studying philosophy or art for example because the job market is not favorable

while I know that CS field is much more in demand concerning work, I'm just curious of what types of positions specifically favor a university route over someone who has self taught themselves to possess certain areas of expertise versus a broad range of knowledge

What would you like to do for a living? Do you want to be a programmer? I'd say top search job boards and find jobs that want/require a CD degree specifically.

This post was edited by Qord on Aug 6 2014 06:20pm

1: I quickly learned that it is never wise to listen to other people's opinions on shit that will have a huge impact on your life. Do the research yourself.

2: You can do A LOT of things without going to school, it depends on how dedicated you are and where you apply. Depending on various conditions, one without a degree can easily get a good CS job.

3: Having a degree will help your odds of landing an interview. I know some (not all) larger businesses tend to check if candidates have a degree before even looking at experience.

4: Try a programming tutorial or check a free course online and see if programming is for you. if it is, and you like it and want to do more with it, go for it.

This post was edited by Eep on Aug 6 2014 06:54pm

I would prefer a job such as systems admin, database admin, qa engineer, research developer, tester for games(not sure if this would pay much if at all)

or something outside the box like a biomedical advanced stats guy, or financial institution software guy

don't think I'd want to be a heavy programmer but I can definitely handle light to moderate programming in the work field

This post was edited by NoMNoK on Aug 6 2014 07:07pm

Most of the systems admins and DBA's I know have completely unrelated degrees. Just saying. The rest of what you mentioned do tend to need decent programming skills along with math competencies. And as Eep said, many employers look for that degree before anything else.

Sure, you can get a job as a developer at some start-up without a degree. Probably. If you know someone. But just submitting a resume with no degree, and expecting the tech screen to give a fuck about you? Not likely.

This won't happen at an established company though. Not unless you know someone with pull. You will need a degree at the least, and most likely some work experience (internships).

Don't let those people deter you from pursuing your degree

Glad I didn't drop 150k on an education i could have got for $1.50 in late charges at the public library.

This post was edited by carteblanche on Aug 6 2014 10:46pm

I dont understand