Software engineering/development degree or apprenticeship
Im considering a career in software development and I have 2 options currently. Do an apprenticeship after a levels that is equivalent to the first year of a degree or do a degree in software development. Which one would be more beneficial for my career?
Original post by jwaldo23
Im considering a career in software development and I have 2 options currently. Do an apprenticeship after a levels that is equivalent to the first year of a degree or do a degree in software development. Which one would be more beneficial for my career?
Why not do a Degree Apprenticeship? Where you'll get a degree in: BSc Digital & Technology Solutions, perhaps with Software Engineering pathway and earn a decent salary.
It's a fantastic alternative, the fact that you're (usually) working for a great company, fully funded tuition and earning a salary are great benefits. But, the Digital & Technology Solutions degrees don't seem as technically strong as a Computer Science degree., they seem more like a Computing or ITMB based degree.
The practical skills being tools and languages that can change all the time. The theory that they are based on rarely changes. Having a strong grasp on the underlying theory makes you a stronger problem solver and enables you to pick up any particular tool and be able to learn it much quicker. Almost the equivalent comparison to an Engineer vs a Technician.
Not detracting from the degree apprenticeships however, they are very good programmes and ultimately each route will result in similar jobs. It's just the degree is is a bit different where computer science is generally more academically rigorous and theoretical which can potentially open more doors.
Not detracting from the degree apprenticeships however, they are very good programmes and ultimately each route will result in similar jobs. It's just the degree is is a bit different where computer science is generally more academically rigorous and theoretical which can potentially open more doors.
(edited 5 years ago)
The Digital & Technology Solutions degree has multiple paths - there are some which are more business focused (Business Analysis or Project Managment), and others which are technical (DevOps, Networking, Software Engineering) - but the university study portion of the degree is really much less important than the apprenticeship placement.
Whether it's the best choice depends entirely upon what you enjoy, and to some extent how firmly you've made up your mind about your career objectives - you cannot "switch" paths halfway through. The apprenticeship is technically much stronger than a Computer Science degree for someone who has already firmly made up their mind about one of those specific paths. CS Degrees are a better choice for people who enjoy the mathematical side, or unsure about their future / keeping their graduate options open, or considering other careers outside of computing/technology.
Whichever way you look at university, it's first-and-foremost an academic pursuit - while there's a lot of practical work in CS, there's also plenty of lectures, exams, coursework and assignments. Even those which focus more heavily on technical skills are fairly general and don't cover any topic or technologies in anywhere near enough depth. The experience of learning something for the purpose of an exam/coursework often doesn't seamlessly translate into the workplace. Most Computer Science graduates require a lot of training and mentoring in their first 12 months at work in order to make that leap (or 12 months on an industrial placement), which of course is why graduates tend to have a much lower salary than someone who has been doing the job for several years.
Apprentices start out at a very basic level compared to a CS graduate of course, but the level of training and mentoring is much the same as a graduate training scheme, albeit supported by university studies in-tandem for one day per week. Otherwise, the vast majority of learning and training happens as part of the job, apprentices tend to be embedded into working engineering teams, with some of the same duties and responsibilities as graduates and other permanent employees, but with more leniency and space to learn, extra guidance, and some training.
The reality of software engineering as a career path is that Computer Science education has absolutely no impact on long-term (i.e. beyond 5 years) career development or career opportunities. The time when graduates get the most benefit tends to be in the first 2-3 years for securing good graduate jobs and being able to fast track away from the entry-level roles into mid-level salaries.
Otherwise, somebody who has never been to university but has 3-5 years experience in the job will have a depth of knowledge and understanding about the necessary skills far beyond anything they'd pick up on the equivalent university modules, especially if they've spent time working with new technologies (e.g. Cloud platforms, modern web/mobile frameworks, etc.).
Looking around at the landscape at people who have been in the industry for at least 5-10 years, there's no difference between an engineer with a computer science background versus somebody who started elsewhere; the industry is filled with people who have never been to university, or who studied a non-STEM subject like English or Music - it's a similar story in many vocational careers really.
Software Engineering isn't a mathematical career (some niche areas such as game programming or AI benefit from a maths background, but that's about it) nor is there much need for academic study of computer science (again, only some niche areas like AI might benefit because it's a cutting-edge R&D field). Otherwise, it's about delivering results for a client or employer by understanding technology, writing code, making use of the right tools, and knowing how to solve problems - the best way to pick up the skills is just by doing the job, so it's an ideal fit for an apprenticeship really.
Also on the note about 'future' employability for mid/senior-level Software Engineers; the key to employability is to stay on top of new technologies - having a degree makes no difference at that level; employers hiring into more senior positions are interested in how closely their skills and experience match the job, their track record of successfully delivering projects to clients on time, their leadership/teamwork skills, etc.
Whether it's the best choice depends entirely upon what you enjoy, and to some extent how firmly you've made up your mind about your career objectives - you cannot "switch" paths halfway through. The apprenticeship is technically much stronger than a Computer Science degree for someone who has already firmly made up their mind about one of those specific paths. CS Degrees are a better choice for people who enjoy the mathematical side, or unsure about their future / keeping their graduate options open, or considering other careers outside of computing/technology.
Whichever way you look at university, it's first-and-foremost an academic pursuit - while there's a lot of practical work in CS, there's also plenty of lectures, exams, coursework and assignments. Even those which focus more heavily on technical skills are fairly general and don't cover any topic or technologies in anywhere near enough depth. The experience of learning something for the purpose of an exam/coursework often doesn't seamlessly translate into the workplace. Most Computer Science graduates require a lot of training and mentoring in their first 12 months at work in order to make that leap (or 12 months on an industrial placement), which of course is why graduates tend to have a much lower salary than someone who has been doing the job for several years.
Apprentices start out at a very basic level compared to a CS graduate of course, but the level of training and mentoring is much the same as a graduate training scheme, albeit supported by university studies in-tandem for one day per week. Otherwise, the vast majority of learning and training happens as part of the job, apprentices tend to be embedded into working engineering teams, with some of the same duties and responsibilities as graduates and other permanent employees, but with more leniency and space to learn, extra guidance, and some training.
The reality of software engineering as a career path is that Computer Science education has absolutely no impact on long-term (i.e. beyond 5 years) career development or career opportunities. The time when graduates get the most benefit tends to be in the first 2-3 years for securing good graduate jobs and being able to fast track away from the entry-level roles into mid-level salaries.
Otherwise, somebody who has never been to university but has 3-5 years experience in the job will have a depth of knowledge and understanding about the necessary skills far beyond anything they'd pick up on the equivalent university modules, especially if they've spent time working with new technologies (e.g. Cloud platforms, modern web/mobile frameworks, etc.).
Looking around at the landscape at people who have been in the industry for at least 5-10 years, there's no difference between an engineer with a computer science background versus somebody who started elsewhere; the industry is filled with people who have never been to university, or who studied a non-STEM subject like English or Music - it's a similar story in many vocational careers really.
Software Engineering isn't a mathematical career (some niche areas such as game programming or AI benefit from a maths background, but that's about it) nor is there much need for academic study of computer science (again, only some niche areas like AI might benefit because it's a cutting-edge R&D field). Otherwise, it's about delivering results for a client or employer by understanding technology, writing code, making use of the right tools, and knowing how to solve problems - the best way to pick up the skills is just by doing the job, so it's an ideal fit for an apprenticeship really.
Also on the note about 'future' employability for mid/senior-level Software Engineers; the key to employability is to stay on top of new technologies - having a degree makes no difference at that level; employers hiring into more senior positions are interested in how closely their skills and experience match the job, their track record of successfully delivering projects to clients on time, their leadership/teamwork skills, etc.
(edited 5 years ago)
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