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Should I get a Computer Science degree?

I wanted to do a Level 3 Diploma in Computer Science but I spoke with my head of sixth form and she said that I'm already studying Level 3 subjects in sixth form. If I chose to do that, I would be moving across rather than up. I'm currently studying A Level ICT and Maths. She said if I get 2 good A Levels in those then I would be eligible for a degree in university. I'm hoping to be a Computer Game Developer in the future. Should I continue with my original decision or take my HOSF's advice?
Original post by _Eleven_
I wanted to do a Level 3 Diploma in Computer Science but I spoke with my head of sixth form and she said that I'm already studying Level 3 subjects in sixth form. If I chose to do that, I would be moving across rather than up. I'm currently studying A Level ICT and Maths. She said if I get 2 good A Levels in those then I would be eligible for a degree in university. I'm hoping to be a Computer Game Developer in the future. Should I continue with my original decision or take my HOSF's advice?


You will probably need a degree to get into the field so if you meet the entry requirements yes. What is holding you back?
Original post by _Eleven_
I wanted to do a Level 3 Diploma in Computer Science but I spoke with my head of sixth form and she said that I'm already studying Level 3 subjects in sixth form. If I chose to do that, I would be moving across rather than up. I'm currently studying A Level ICT and Maths. She said if I get 2 good A Levels in those then I would be eligible for a degree in university. I'm hoping to be a Computer Game Developer in the future. Should I continue with my original decision or take my HOSF's advice?


If you only have 2 A-levels you will have very little choice of universities, and they will all be at the lower end.
Original post by ageshallnot
If you only have 2 A-levels you will have very little choice of universities, and they will all be at the lower end.


I know OP personally and he originally started with three subjects like everyone else. However, his third AS (Chemistry) was stressing him out so he dropped it last term. He actually wanted to change it but by the time he sought permission, it was too late in the term to change subjects (deadline was around early October). However, HOSF let him drop Chem as she told him it was okay for him to do two. :s-smilie:

Original post by _Eleven_
I wanted to do a Level 3 Diploma in Computer Science but I spoke with my head of sixth form and she said that I'm already studying Level 3 subjects in sixth form. If I chose to do that, I would be moving across rather than up. I'm currently studying A Level ICT and Maths. She said if I get 2 good A Levels in those then I would be eligible for a degree in university. I'm hoping to be a Computer Game Developer in the future. Should I continue with my original decision or take my HOSF's advice?


I can't comment on the required A-Levels for your field, but you need a third A-Level to go to uni. You may have to ask HOSF about staying for a third year and studying a third full A-Level. I don't know what exact degree is required for your career but I agree with HOSF. You'll have to start looking at prospective unis and undergraduate degrees soon, unless you're happy to take a foundation year or go to a lower-end uni.
Your headteacher's advice sounds reasonable. If you're unsure about studying on a degree for any reason, then an HND might be another option too (From an academic perspective, the content of an HND is roughly equivalent to the first two years of a degree, but also that content also tends to be more vocational in nature. You can usually convert an HND into a degree later on anyway).

As the above poster mentioned, having 2 A-levels certainly won't get you into a prestigious university, although that's not really a problem for a future career in a technical IT/Computing related field.

A-Level Maths puts you in good standing for a lot of Computing-related courses outside of the Russell Group universities. From personal experience, Staffordshire University nearly always make offers to students on Computing-related subjects applying with 2 decent A-Levels - particularly if one of those is Maths (I was in exactly the same position applying to Staffs and ended up being given an unconditional offer - I eventually finished 6th form with A-Level Maths & Computing both at grade B ). Other similar universities might include Bournemouth and Southampton Solent.

Lastly, if you're looking at a career in anything related to computing (Game development in your particular case), then I would strongly recommend you look towards a degree which has a 4-year Sandwich option (i.e. a 3-year degree course with a 1-year industrial placement).

Having a degree is useful, but a 12-month work placement working in the industry that you're looking to move into for your career will put you ahead of the rest of the graduates you're competing against when you finally get out into the real world. (It's also one of the reasons why Universities like Bournemouth and Staffs are actually pretty good for future employment prospects, despite having relatively weaker academic credentials, those universities have decent relationships with businesses and tech companies)

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