Degree qualified?
Discussion
I don't have a degree.
I did plan on getting one when I left the military but by then it had all got a bit too expensive and the actual syllabus (Computer Science) would bore me to tears. In the end I decided it would be a better use of my time and money to get professional certifications instead.
Obviously you need a degree to be a doctor or lawyer but for technical and IT related roles is a degree really necessary in 2019?
I did plan on getting one when I left the military but by then it had all got a bit too expensive and the actual syllabus (Computer Science) would bore me to tears. In the end I decided it would be a better use of my time and money to get professional certifications instead.
Obviously you need a degree to be a doctor or lawyer but for technical and IT related roles is a degree really necessary in 2019?
rog007 said:
Projecting your ability to do the job better than all the other applicants is what you’re striving to achieve via your CV and then subsequently at interview (if you get shortlisted).
Getting shortlisted is about showing in your CV that you have most of both the essential and desireable skills, experiences and qualifications.
If a role states that an academic qualification is either essential or desireable, then you’re clearly going to be at a disadvantage, particularly if others with similar skills and experiences do have one.
Are the roles you’re interested in asking for this?
Some do yes, and I must admit I have never applied for one that explicitly stated it - I immediately write it off as a no go.Getting shortlisted is about showing in your CV that you have most of both the essential and desireable skills, experiences and qualifications.
If a role states that an academic qualification is either essential or desireable, then you’re clearly going to be at a disadvantage, particularly if others with similar skills and experiences do have one.
Are the roles you’re interested in asking for this?
fat80b said:
It depends. Having a relevant degree definitely makes it easier to progress in 2019.
What exactly do you want to do? - You say Computer Science as a degree choice but then IT roles as a career choice.
I would say an IT role does not require a degree and in some ways CS would be way over qualified for a general IT role.
IT is also quite broad - an IT person can mean a tech support role with relatively little tech skills and knowledge (e.g. support desk) or it can mean a highly skilled expert in a particular area who spends most of their day writing lots of code / architechting a big project.
Someone who chooses CS is often someone who has been in and around computers and in particular programming as a hobby and would certainly not be bored to tears by it which to me suggests it might be worth a little bit more research into what exactly you want to do.
The syllabus put me off as a good percentage of it appeared to be at a much easier level than I was expecting and I simply would have been bored. I was doing linked-list and search algorithms 30 years ago. I used to be a fairly decent programmer in the 80s and was mentored by very beardy old gentlemen who would bash me over the head with a copy of Edsger Dijkstra if I ever pushed out sloppy code.What exactly do you want to do? - You say Computer Science as a degree choice but then IT roles as a career choice.
I would say an IT role does not require a degree and in some ways CS would be way over qualified for a general IT role.
IT is also quite broad - an IT person can mean a tech support role with relatively little tech skills and knowledge (e.g. support desk) or it can mean a highly skilled expert in a particular area who spends most of their day writing lots of code / architechting a big project.
Someone who chooses CS is often someone who has been in and around computers and in particular programming as a hobby and would certainly not be bored to tears by it which to me suggests it might be worth a little bit more research into what exactly you want to do.
I came to the conclusion I would be doing the course for a line on a cv and nothing more. I am sure I would have learnt some things but the cost/benefit ratio would surely have been appalling, especially as I am nearing the twilight of my working life.
drmcw said:
I'm a bit confused - roughly how old is OP? I thought relatively young until he said coding in the 80's so I'm thinking he's a good bit older now.
I switched to IT from Lecturing maths 30 years ago and went self employed probably doing what OP fancies. It was made easier by having a PhD in maths - being Dr drmcw got me in front of people. So no CS degree but no employer either. That was in the early 90's as I recall. Some cheeky devil suggested I sit some sort of test - I got up, apologised and walked out. However, my son when needing programming employment underwent telephone interviews, technical grilling and a coding challenge. I think if you could do this then a degree is an irrelevance.
I am 54 now so no spring chicken that's for sure.I switched to IT from Lecturing maths 30 years ago and went self employed probably doing what OP fancies. It was made easier by having a PhD in maths - being Dr drmcw got me in front of people. So no CS degree but no employer either. That was in the early 90's as I recall. Some cheeky devil suggested I sit some sort of test - I got up, apologised and walked out. However, my son when needing programming employment underwent telephone interviews, technical grilling and a coding challenge. I think if you could do this then a degree is an irrelevance.
I have no problem with the technical grilling and the coding challenges. I am fully employed and always have been so I have no trouble finding gainful employment in this domain. My issue is that there are a few roles that I thought I would have be perfect for until I scroll to the must haves and it cites a degree in CS or a related discipline.
worsy said:
Op - I don't have a degree although I'm currently doing a Masters, that could be a route for you. If a job says anything but "Must have related degree" then it's fair game. i just assume degree or relevant experience is required. I've also worked at a large military organisation combining several countries where the norm is a request for PHD or Masters as a minimum.
Yeah I have worked there as well as a contractor, a degree wasn't a requirement for the role I applied for though.boxst said:
As I'm just lazy (I could google it 
) how do you do a Masters without a degree? I thought that was afterwards ?
I got offered a Masters course by one university, they looked at my experience and certifications and said I could apply with those and I should be ok. Of course I then looked at the cost and promptly walked away. ) how do you do a Masters without a degree? I thought that was afterwards ?silent ninja said:
The baby boomers and anyone born in the 60's and 70's have had a major leg up. Free education, skilled jobs with progression, plentiful housing. The new generation don't, they're fighting for these opportunities and there just aren't enough. They have recessions, austerity as their leg up.
Please get with reality. You won a lottery. It wasn't your talent. You don't worker harder than everybody else. You're no smarter than everyone else.
Nah, I am not having that. Look at the unemployment levels in the 70s/and 80s. The despair in some places was palpable, you don't get that kind of general feeling these days and I travel a fair bit.Please get with reality. You won a lottery. It wasn't your talent. You don't worker harder than everybody else. You're no smarter than everyone else.
Edited by silent ninja on Friday 26th July 23:02
Free education? only the privileged few went to university in them days, no-one I knew went to university, none of my siblings, no-one in my street and no-one in my class at school.
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