Information technology or Computer science

I am a Computer Science major and as of now, I am starting to feel like this is not want I want to do with my life. I am currently taking Data Structures and I hate that class. I feel like I can't even grasp the concept and I know it gets harder as I move up to the next class. Since this semester started I've been lost. I've been doing my programs through my TA's guiding me step by step. My grade in this class is decent thus far but I feel like if I continue on with this major, I will not have TA's guiding me step by step anymore. I spoke to my adviser and found that I can major in IT with a concentration in Network Security and Health Informatics and minor in Computer Science. I will still be able to graduated the same amount of time it would have taking me to finish with a BS in Computer Science. What is your opinion on this? This decision is killing me because I don't want to make the wrong choice and regret it. What do you think?


Also personally which is the better degree to have?

 

That is a good choice. If you're enjoy doing computer networking, then I recommend you to take CompTIA Network+, Cisco CCNA and CCNP certifications. If you plan to work for the Government, then I would recommend you to take CompTIA Security+ and CISSP as possible (CISSP requires 5 years experience in information security).

 

What's wrong with Data Structures? Now you're making me nervous...I have that class in May (I start Control Structures next week).

 

Nothing wrong with the Data Structures, except it is harder than any other courses. Well, at least for me when I got my BS in Computer Science from Troy University.

 

Its not that its hard its just I came to realization that I hate programming and all it's aspects. I don't want to continue this being unhappy with my life and always stress about programming assignments and projects

 

I agree with TEKMAN, Information technology is not bad but if you can put some emphasis on Health Informatics I believe you will be OK. Personally, I am contemplating of getting a Masters in Health Informatics. Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is the future.

 

wannabeit
how was the job market when you received your BS?

 

Keep in mind the nature of the board and the nature of the average IT respondent. We don't have many programmers here. We do have a lot of IT networking guys.

From a hiring perspective, if I'm presented with a guy who has an IT degree or a CS degree, even if I'm hiring for a networking position, I will hire the guy with a CS degree and a bunch of IT networking certs over the guy with an IT degree and a bunch of networking certs.

Why: Because I know he can code and so much of networking and operations these days is based around automating things so I don't need to hire guys who know networking and server ops and I can run my farm from my iPhone enabled webpage that lets me reboot stuff from the garden chair.

You'll be better off finishing the CS degree, getting the certs and working in the field than you will be with the pure IT degree. If the above isn't a good enough reason, here's a very basic occam's razor approach. IT degrees are easier to get than CS degrees. With more competition there's less money to be made.

Nuff Said.
ITJD

 

I quit college after a few years and went straight into software development, oop java, design patterns but programming is in my blood. I used to write computer games for fun. College seemed irrelevant. I also picked up mcse,mcsd, network plus scjp and CiSSP over the years.
Follow your own path but keep in mind that real programming in the real world is very unlike college courses. It is easier and more difficult at the same time. Its hard to explain but the challenges we face as developers supporting the corporate consumers have nothing to do with computer science. Its more like custom accounting systems, new reporting systems, dashboards, data loading, enterprise integration projects, federated identity management with partners, building interactive websites for customers, setting up web services for channel partners, hooking up yo salesforce.com etc etc.

It's rarely a quick sort, binary tree, merge sort etc. There is no artificial intelligence or computer vision systems here.

Plus as a hiring manager I don't mind if you have a mis, it or cs degree. I have had to let people with a masters in computer science go for incompetency so the degree is not going to keep you employed if you can't produce.

Pm me and we can chat more. I want to encourage more people to get into the sw development field as it's very hard to find candidates for jobs right now.

 

Any good online programs in this area?

 

Online schools? Well I am graduating from Thomas Edison State College very soon with a bsba computer information systems. My degree was a combo of old credits a bunch of clep and dsst tests, credit for my mcsd and other credits. I didn't actually learn any computer skills but I did learn a lot about business. If you need to learn java development I would suggest getting a dummies book and spending your weekends and nights writing code.
Classroom learning is fine but you must learn this on your own in the end and while on the job you will not be trained, they will expect you to learn by yourself when new technology comes out.

 

Thanks for the reply.

I learned HTML a few years ago and recently played around with a few tutorials one night at work and loved it. I actually remembered a lot of the stuff I learned in that ed2go class I took back in 06-07.

I've always loved coding and took my first coding class back in middle-school.

 

Isn't software development more of an MS degree? I know that most CS curriculums teach you software development and you can always take electives that emphasis it, but I don't think I've seen an undergrad program that is strictly focused on it. I know a couple online MS programs for software engineering. USC has one, as does Regis University. I plan on getting my MS in sw engineering from Regis after finishing undergrad. They have a pretty decent combo program where you can substitute 3 graduate classes for the undergrad electives if you plan on getting the MS as well.

There must be quite a few schools that have online MS in SW Development but those are the only two I know off the top of my head. I think Columbia University CVN might have one as well. (USC and Columbia have completely outrageous and absurd tuition rates, BTW).

 

Regis University offer several software engineering/development MS degree:Master of Science in Software Engineering and Database Technologies Degree - Regis University CPS. National University also offers a computer science MS with many software development courses:http://nu.edu/OurPrograms/SchoolOfEngineeringAndTechnology/ComputerScienceAndInformationSystems/Programs/720-609.html. If you want to go the IT degree route, Towson University offers a nice program too:http://grad.towson.edu/program/master/ait-ms/dr-ait-ms.asp

Like mentioned above, real-world programming in a work environment is totally different from programming small class assignments. The best way to really learn software programming is to do it because you want to learn it, and not part of a class, where you're busy doing assignments to pass the course. That is why many very good programmers don't have "big" degrees in it. Some don't even have any degree, they just bought books, and then learned to program by actually practicing with real-world projects.

 

I've been told this a lot. I know I can learn coding on my own but I prefer getting credits I can use towards my degree.

 

A computer science degree is much much better than anything IT. Because it is usually ranked alongside engineering, you typically would have better opportunities in terms of job opportunities, and in getting into technical graduate programs like engineering doctorate. However, if you can't relate to the work, no need to waste time pursuing what you can handle. Information security is also good to get into.

I was once interested in engineering. My inability to get through several calculus courses killed my interest. To compensate, I have decided to get an IT master's degree (another one) with "engineering" in the name (Regis University, Capitol College, and Western International University offer IT degrees that suite my naming preference), as long as calculus is not required. Goodluck with deciding...

 

In that case, if you become degreed in the field, it'll be much more beneficial to you. I thought you were new to programming (like I am). I'm currently doing a CIS MS right now and I start my first programming (Visual C# 4.0, and then Java in the summer) class March 14. I'm not planning on being a professional software programmer, I just want to understand it as well as have it recorded in my academic transcript. Maybe, at the end of the course, my decision will change who knows. We'll see.

 

I play around with internet marketing and would love to get a solid understanding of Java and PHP. I'm not trying to work in the field, just understand a little better so I can build simple tools and make small adjustments.

 

Truthfully, my certs and experience has gotten me works as a consultant. So far, I have not seen any difference with the degree. However, I am still pursuing a Masters degree in Health Informatics.

 

unless you get your dream job of working at blizzard and building diablo 3 and their next mmo
or at apple making their next iPhone/iPad OS

those are the really cool jobs that most programmers want

how many programmers dream of sitting at desk all day working with excel making charts and tables showing changes and trends per quarter over the past 3 years