Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Is a Year in Industry worth it?

Hey,

I'm currently a Year 12 student who has just sat their AS Exams and am now waiting for the results. I definitely want to study CS at degree level however I am now deciding what flavours of CS to study (Straight CS, AI etc).

I'm also wondering whether to apply for a course that includes a year in industry. Has anyone had experience with taking a year in industry and if so, is it worth it?

The universities I am interested in are York, Durham, Lancaster, Sheffield and I am still working on a 5th choice.

Thanks

Reply 1

mailmerge

Original post by JASApplications

It gives you context for your degree, real development/engineering experience, "on paper" experience to add to a CV, insight into industry/how the real world works, likely have a fun and carefree year messing around with other interns, management/self-discipline skills that help the rest of your studies, exposure to some specific field which might become part of your thesis...

I don't know exactly how finances work these days, but I'm fairly sure it's still gainful overall. (You earn, but also pay some tuition fees, with another year of living costs.) I think this is totally offset by employability.

Personally, I don't think anyone should be in such a hurry to start work, especially true since you're set on computer science. Regardless, there's no reason not to apply for it as your course choice, since you'll always have the option not to take a year out once you start the course.

Reply 2

Fallen

I wouldn't think it would make much difference. There are loads and loads of opportunities for summer internships and the like, so even if you don't take a year out there is a lot of time to get real-world experience (and get paid).

Personally I'd rather not do a year in industry. I am likely to do 40 imminently, so would rather just get out there are start. But, as I said, I really don't think it makes any difference in the end. Apply to the courses you like, and you can always take/not take any sandwich years later.

Reply 3

Xenite

I don't know the specifics of those Universities, but at the ones I applied to (Lboro, NTU, DMU, Coventry) the majority of their computing-faculty courses shared common first years, so if you decided at a later date that you preferred one 'flavour' - as you put it - over another you could easily switch at any point in that first year.

The only ones which may have been slightly different in first years are joint-honours (CS+Maths, for example) or the more business-related computing courses...

Oh, and years in industry are definitely worth it. The employment rate for those taking an industry placement is much higher in the months after finishing the degree, and there's a chance you could be offered a job at the placement you had anyway. It may help you decide if you really enjoy a certain sector of the industry, and there's even a small chance that the company may sponsor you in your final year.