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Looking for the right IT Degree

(edited 6 years ago)

I am looking for a degree in IT that involves general topics like Hardware, Software, Operating Systems, Communications Technology stuff like that but most unis don't seem to have IT courses like that. They mainly have Computer Science/Computing courses that involve programming and maths which I do not like at all (I previously did Computing in Year 10 and a year of Computer Science at uni before and didn't like the programming aspects at all and did not do well which was no surprise). I enjoy ICT alot and it is the subject that I do the best in. I am looking to be an IT Technician in the future.

Any help?

Many of the Computing Science courses are programming based, yes, but that's because it's such an enormous part of Computing in general. It's important to even understand the way algorithms, paradigms and general logic that are a core of how programming works.

That being said, undergraduate and postgraduate computing degrees are more than just programming. Before I did undergraduate, I had this misconception that it was going to be entirely programming which I was a little put off by. But it isn't. A lot of the modules have programming - but it's ultimately about the underlying structure. Whether it be the theory of networking, hardware, concurrent and distributed systems etc. A degree is far more rounded than one specific area, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised in almost any degree in IT/Computing how much non-maths and non-programming content there is!

Many modules in my undergraduate, for example, had some light programming exercises to support almost entirely theoretical content. There were also at least 3 modules in which no programming at all was involved. So don't be too disheartened. Do you have any universities which you have identified thus far that you are interested in?

Reply 2

username3079870

Original post by Code101

So you will be glad to know many unis offer the kind of degree you describe. To be contrary to a lot of people, you don't need to be a maths genius to be a good programmer. You need to know maths pretty well if you are going to be a computer science academic, work in data science or be a cryptographer, sure, but being good a maths (which does not, btw, automatically mean you'll be a great programmer) is not essential to be a good at programming. Be aware most degrees will have some programming in them, they just won't take a maths based, CS approach to teaching it.

So with all that said, reading your post one course immediately sprung to mind:

http://www.napier.ac.uk/courses/beng-hons-computer-systems-and-networks-undergraduate-fulltime

Napier has a strong industry rep for vocational courses, they are about employability. My cousin did this degree and got a gig with Oracle straight out of uni and then went to Dell. He had only good things to say about the course.

Reply 3

username3079870

Original post by Code101

Thanks for that but that course is more to do with networks & it is in Scotland which is very far from where I am. Im looking for something that is more to do with the general application of IT. Any other suggestions?

You're giving yourself a small target here if you want a tech degree with little programming or networking.

Honestly if you just want general IT support jobs you could get those without going to uni and do some industry certs. You really don't need an IT degree.