I'm looking to re-qualify and go into software development / data science. I know one doesn't necessarily need a formal academic qualification to go down that path, but I feel having the qualification would look good on my CV and give me a confidence boost to apply for jobs I really want. My first degree is a liberal arts one with no quantitative element, but my work experience so far has been closely linked to systems admin / testing / development and working with databases - and that's something I would like to continue to do in the future in a more official/professional capacity (at the moment my role title doesn't indicate I take on the tasks mentioned at all, I largely got involved in the system-related projects out of interest.)
When I came to the UK to do my first degree I didn't know anything about Russel Group /red brick vs former Polytechnic etc and completed my first degree at a lesser university (that was nevertheless top 5 in the country for my chosen speciality, and hence my application.)
The second time around I really don't want to make the same mistakes as before, plus due to my family and financial situation, I need the course to be part time and not too far from Cambridge. I've been researching non-stop for the last few weeks and I'm unable to find anything that matches my criteria.
So to summarise, my criteria is as follows:
1) Good reputation, ideally RG but would consider other good unis such as East Anglia
2) Has to be part-time (this is crucial)
3) Within the East Anglia region (Cambridgeshire, Nottinghamshire etc) OR London
4) I'm keener on BSc rather than MSc conversion course, as the latter doesn't feel quite adequate (please note I and my husband might move countries in a few years, and as much as it is normal in the UK to do a Masters in a different subject to your first degree, this practice is not prevalent elsewhere, and I fear my future employers might be baffled to see an MSc Computer Science that follows a BA in English)
Believe it or not but there is absolutely nothing I was able to find so far. It seems that all top unis only run Computer Science as full time. Am I missing something in my research? Are my criteria a bit too much, and if so what would be the best compromise here (can't compromise on part-time.)
Please, guys, help me out here!