can i do a computer science degree or apprenticeship without doing it at a level

I am currently doing btec IT extended certificate, ctec business extended certificate and A level maths. I want to pursue a career in computer science but with no prior experience in Computer science will i still be able to do a level 6 apprenticeship or degree in university and if yes will it be difficult or Should i just do 2 more years in college studying a level computer science, electronics and maths and then do an apprenticeship or a degree in uni. I am really struggling to figure out what to do right now and some advice would be helpful

Reply 1

MindMax2000

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by jim090

I can only answer a few of your questions.

I want to pursue a career in computer science
Would this be in academia or industry? If this is in industry, you can go into entry level roles with little to nothing or via an apprenticeship. Relevant professional qualifications tend to be more credible than academic qualifications in general (to my knowledge), but from what I have heard from people in the industry skills and relevant experience matters more than knowledge and experience.
There have been case studies of people with zero background and no degree in computer science getting jobs in tech, after a lengthy period of self study (you still need to know your stuff).
If it's in academia related to computer science, you would need a degree in computer science.

will i still be able to do a ... degree in university
You would be able to so long the university accepts your BTEC (and possibly CTEC, but it's usually BTEC extended diplomas). If your BTEC is not the equivalent of 2 A Levels, then you would need to possibly do an extra A Level or an alternative Level 3 course that the uni accepts. I have not come across CTEC before, and I have not seen it being a qualification unis accept, so you would need to check.
The A Level Maths would be a good subject to have in your application.

For some universities, they would accept prior accredited learning. This means you can substitute relevant work experience for certain entry requirements set by the uni. However, this is usually 2 years' experience for every A Level, if the uni offers this as an alternative i.e. 6 years' work experience in IT to be eligible for a CS degree at some universities.

Is it difficult without experience in computer science? I haven't done the degree, so I can't answer that.

Should you do 2 more years in college? If you uni accepts alternative qualifications or offer foundation years, I would recommend looking into those qualifications before doing the A Levels. I would then check whether the unis that you want to apply for accept the qualifications that you're doing now.
If they say you would need an extra A Level, you can try to do an A Level by yourself (privately) - I would avoid the ones that have NEA requirements or coursework.
If they say you would need 2 more A Levels, check to see if they accept qualifications like Access for their course. If they do, then an Access can be completed in 1 year.
I would do a foundation year as a last resort; it costs £9k (even though you would get funding for it) and it generally limits you to studying at the uni that you did the foundation year at.

The drawback of doing further Level 3 qualifications (other than foundation years) is that you would likely need to pay for it since you are currently doing Level 3 qualifications like A Level and BTEC as you are. Some can be in the region of £1k-3k, depending on where you go.
If you do these at your local offline college, you might get access to Advanced Learner's Loan (a loan still), but I would check with Student Finance to see if you're eligible first.
Where possible, I would switch out the BTEC and CTEC in something like A Levels that the unis would accept (assuming that they don't accept them).

I don't know enough about the apprenticeships to comment.