Will doing an Msc in Computer Science help?

Hey,

I'm a Business graduate (graduated last year from red brick), and already have 8 years experience working within finance/estate management.

Struggling to find a niche/specialism as Business degree is such a broad subject.

I've always had an interest in IT, having done the odd evening class in Web Design/Networking and worked on a small scale IT project in former job. Not enough experience though to get into IT industry.

Would doing an MSc in Computer Science help me break into the IT industry? Computer science jobs are massively in supply at the moment, and there is an Msc offered by University of Hertfordshire for non-cognate graduates with no prior experience.

My previous job i got after i graduated was in Commercial property - rental and disposal of commercial properties and land. Experience was brilliant and could see myself being a surveyor, but feel that it would be easier getting into IT than Surveying industry. I was considering doing MSc in Surveying (conversion course), but again, i've always enjoyed working with computers so makes sense to consider a Masters in Computer Science.

Would appreciate your help in terms of the feasibility of doing the MSc in Computer Science.
Cheers

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 1

ttoby

What kind of IT roles are you looking at going into? More technical roles or non-technical roles such as business analyst or project management? You may not need to take computer science.

Reply 2

ScouseEmma28

Hi there, thanks for the reply :smile:

I've always had an interest in Networking, and seeing as there is a demand for Networking Security, I would probably pursue this route.

Im wondering whether doing the CISCO certified quals would be better for progression/prospects than doing the MSc in CS?

I think my biggest concern is lack of experience which appears to be the barrier for graduates getting a job....

Reply 3

ttoby

Original post by ScouseEmma28

Hi there, thanks for the reply :smile:

I am a bit unsure what would be best for you. I'm guessing you're looking at the MCS course on http://www.herts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/27524/MSc_on_campus_module_table_2013.pdf - the modules look fairly relevant to you although I couldn't find anywhere on the site where it went into more detail about what was covered in each module. I think you should only take the course if the content is directly relevant and useful for you - you already have the general soft skills gained from studying a degree.

If it helps, I'll tell you a bit about my background: I'm on a graduate programme in IT in a large bank, and have been on this programme for 1 year. The role I'm in is primarily 1st/2nd level support - other roles offered by the company for people in a similar position include 3rd level support&rollouts of configuration changes across several computers at once, as well as handling mass emails/communications to users about IT changes, handling the process for setting up new servers. There are other roles but these are the sorts of things most relevant to you.