Msc Computer Science Conversion

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Hi Amadeus777, I am in a similar position to you but a year behind, I am about to study a computer science MSc (conversion) but at the University of Birmingham instead of Newcastle. I have little to no prior computer science training minus the small amount of prep I have been doing for the masters. I am also hoping to move careers into software engineering. Just wondering how your job hunt was going and if you managed to get any offers or interviews for grad schemes or junior developer/engineer roles and how competent you feel in coding after a year? Also did you end up doing much prep work for the course prior to starting? Finally, out of interest what did you end up doing your final project on? I know at Birmingham your are expected to develop a piece of software as your project and just wondered if it was the same for you and how easy/difficult you found that or how much help and guidance the university provided you with for that?

Hi AD8888,

1. About job prospects: I would say that they look pretty good. The problem though is this: The deadlines for all (or most) graduate schemes are end of February. If you apply and get an interview, then you will have to go through a technical interview, which usually consists of small programming challenges, logic problems etc. The problem is that by that time (February-March), I -personally- did not really feel ready for such an interview. Also, if you apply late, i.e. in February, you may not find a place, because they are given on a first come, first served basis. So, I missed -unfortunately- all the graduate schemes and I will have to wait until next year to apply. However, that doesn't mean that it has to be this way for everyone. If you start preparing yourself early, you might very well be ready for interviews in Spring. Find a coding challenge web site and start preparing early, if you can.
2. Yes, I am now pretty confident about my coding skills. But I have put in a lot of work.
3. My final project is an application. Very demanding in terms of time, but very fulfilling, too.
4. I did some prep work, before starting (introductory coding courses.) The course was pretty intensive, so time was tight. I don't know how Birmingham is, but if you apply yourself to it, after 12 months a whole new world will open up for you, because you will learn a lot. Again, remember that's largely up to you. And yes, even though I missed last year's graduate schemes, I am optimistic about this year. People who are doing a 3-year BSc have an advantage on this over conversion students, because by the time they apply, they already have 2 years on their back.
Good luck with everything!
Amadeus

(edited 5 years ago)