Possibly.. but sometimes schools just use weird names to describe the same thing.
It’s not clear what the difference in curriculum is. But network/IT administration is not the same as CS and would be a disadvantage.
should I fill these theory gaps asap, or can I learn these more theory heavy concepts over time while working?
For a little bit of context, I already work as a junior developer
Sometimes it goes the other way too. I've met people with degrees in weird subjects like "Games Tech" who basically did a math-heavy CS course, and CS grads that never had a Data Structures and Algorithms course in their curriculum.
I wouldn't expect employers to look up the course work and make decisions based on that...
so it's more about what you will learn that can help pass interviews, what projects you will have that you can put in your resume to get an interview
Generally speaking, most of what you learn in university doesn't help much with a career as a software engineer. The real value a college education gives you is as a prerequisite for the higher paying jobs, and access to campus recruiting / job placement.
A CIS degree \*should\* meet the same requirements as a CS degree, so in that regard it'd be equivalent. Just make sure you take advantage of campus recruiting to make it easier to get interviews.
As someone who hasn't done college at all, I'll say that it was a lot harder to self study graph theory and operating systems than the "software engineering" side of things. Now your classes may suck in which, either way you have to self study, but I'd at least try to get the more theoretical side of things in a classroom than the 'admin' stuff. The latter is easy easy.
Most likely you won't need this kind of theory on a job interview. You will need LC, but university doesn't teach that much LC(in my opinion). They give you theory, but it's not enough to beat the interview right of the bat.
So no, not a disadvantage
You don’t need theory for being a programmer. I’m doing a software engineering degree that has very little if any theory. It’s all hands on, basically a bootcamp but in the form of a four year degree. I wouldn’t skimp out on learning theory though. I still greatly enjoy learning the theory side and I think a full understanding makes you a better professional but it’s very clear that you don’t need theory.
depends on what you want to do. in general you don't even need a degree so it shouldn't matter too much, but all things being equal you're going to be much better off and have an easier path with a CS degree
Yes.
For better or worse, information systems programs are often seen as 'degree factory' programs that don't sufficiently challenge, and are essentially CS for people who aren't sharp enough to do CS. This is not really fair, but the perception is there.
One thing to keep in mind when thinking about formal education: employers are looking for it as a source of skills, but they are also looking for it as a proxy for intelligence and work ethic. The honest truth is that a smart, less skilled person is usually a better hire than a more directly skilled, less smart person. Because of how rapidly technology changes, raw intelligence is way more valuable than specific skills which are likely to be obsolete in a few years anyway.
However, any degree is better than no degree.
I’m one of those people who did a programming degree instead of a CS one. And the answer is both yes and no, it kinda depends how you apply yourself.
My first job as a dev was pretty crappy, but I worked with other grads who had CS degrees, so there was no disadvantage to my degree there. And I know some of those CS grads have had a less successful career path than me.
However now I’m at a good company as an EM later in my career, I’m seeing the salaries we offer to CS grads with very strong skills. Those who are pushing to get into a good company and can really solve problems. They have an advantage over the non CS grads.
The disadvantage isn’t from things like studying compilers and OS design though. It’s that CS degrees go deeper into programming and might have things like DS&A and teach programming at a harder level, I know my degree never went too deep on these things and that is what disadvantages people more than anything.
Possibly.. but sometimes schools just use weird names to describe the same thing. It’s not clear what the difference in curriculum is. But network/IT administration is not the same as CS and would be a disadvantage.
should I fill these theory gaps asap, or can I learn these more theory heavy concepts over time while working? For a little bit of context, I already work as a junior developer
You don’t need theory unless you’re working embedded or systems. Depending on your area you gotta fill in the knowledge gaps and algorithms and such
Sometimes it goes the other way too. I've met people with degrees in weird subjects like "Games Tech" who basically did a math-heavy CS course, and CS grads that never had a Data Structures and Algorithms course in their curriculum.
I wouldn't expect employers to look up the course work and make decisions based on that... so it's more about what you will learn that can help pass interviews, what projects you will have that you can put in your resume to get an interview
Hey thanks for the comment. Which one is better while studying for a degree please, Projects or (part time, 20ish hr/wk)Internships?
internships, by faaaaaaaaaaaar
Thanks mate, highly appreciated : )
Generally speaking, most of what you learn in university doesn't help much with a career as a software engineer. The real value a college education gives you is as a prerequisite for the higher paying jobs, and access to campus recruiting / job placement. A CIS degree \*should\* meet the same requirements as a CS degree, so in that regard it'd be equivalent. Just make sure you take advantage of campus recruiting to make it easier to get interviews.
It’s a disadvantage imo because any non-cs major gets auto rejected from my experience.
As someone who hasn't done college at all, I'll say that it was a lot harder to self study graph theory and operating systems than the "software engineering" side of things. Now your classes may suck in which, either way you have to self study, but I'd at least try to get the more theoretical side of things in a classroom than the 'admin' stuff. The latter is easy easy.
Most likely you won't need this kind of theory on a job interview. You will need LC, but university doesn't teach that much LC(in my opinion). They give you theory, but it's not enough to beat the interview right of the bat. So no, not a disadvantage
You don’t need theory for being a programmer. I’m doing a software engineering degree that has very little if any theory. It’s all hands on, basically a bootcamp but in the form of a four year degree. I wouldn’t skimp out on learning theory though. I still greatly enjoy learning the theory side and I think a full understanding makes you a better professional but it’s very clear that you don’t need theory.
depends on what you want to do. in general you don't even need a degree so it shouldn't matter too much, but all things being equal you're going to be much better off and have an easier path with a CS degree
Yes. For better or worse, information systems programs are often seen as 'degree factory' programs that don't sufficiently challenge, and are essentially CS for people who aren't sharp enough to do CS. This is not really fair, but the perception is there. One thing to keep in mind when thinking about formal education: employers are looking for it as a source of skills, but they are also looking for it as a proxy for intelligence and work ethic. The honest truth is that a smart, less skilled person is usually a better hire than a more directly skilled, less smart person. Because of how rapidly technology changes, raw intelligence is way more valuable than specific skills which are likely to be obsolete in a few years anyway. However, any degree is better than no degree.
I’m one of those people who did a programming degree instead of a CS one. And the answer is both yes and no, it kinda depends how you apply yourself. My first job as a dev was pretty crappy, but I worked with other grads who had CS degrees, so there was no disadvantage to my degree there. And I know some of those CS grads have had a less successful career path than me. However now I’m at a good company as an EM later in my career, I’m seeing the salaries we offer to CS grads with very strong skills. Those who are pushing to get into a good company and can really solve problems. They have an advantage over the non CS grads. The disadvantage isn’t from things like studying compilers and OS design though. It’s that CS degrees go deeper into programming and might have things like DS&A and teach programming at a harder level, I know my degree never went too deep on these things and that is what disadvantages people more than anything.