British Computer Society, or local university college in Norway?

Discussion in 'IT and Computer-Related Degrees' started by Norli, Sep 24, 2011.

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  1. Norli

    Norli New Member

    I want to work outside Norway someday, and while I already have a degree in auditing (and accounting) - I want to get a second degree. I am thinking of either studying by DL at the British Computer Society or going to a local university college here and only attend a few classes now and then....

    What do you guys think? The local university college in question here is "Høgskolen i Telemark" - it's public and therefore free
     
  2. mintaru

    mintaru Active Member

    Hi Norli,

    The answer to your question is not that easy. First of all, it's hard to beat the ROI of a free degree. However, I think the real question is where outside of Norway do you want to work? If you want to work in Ireland or the UK then go for the BCS qualification. But if you want to work in Continental Europe (or the US) then the the best choice would be the (free) degree from Høgskolen i Telemark. BCS qualifications are of course also recognized in Continental Europe, but such a qualification is not more reputable than a degree and I would always choose the degree in that case, if it is free!

    I hope this helps you a bit.

    mintaru.
     
  3. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    You can get both, to have a degree and BCS qualification would be a good combination.
    I think in US Degree and vendor certifications will take you further.

    I'm MBCS CITP, CEng and value greatly BCS qualifications, so you can achieve both. The degree and BCS.

    But also expand your profile with vendor certifications.
     
  4. don2

    don2 New Member

    yup thats true like ccna ccnp mcsc etc it will really help u to boost ur carrier and if u interest in programming and developing then u must have to do took some professional skills from different companies like they hired people for internships.........
     
  5. Norli

    Norli New Member

    Hi! Thanks for the reply. I want to work in either continental Europe, or in Asia (including the middle east...)

    The pros about a BCS diploma is that I don't have to do assignments or any kind of school projects, whereas in a university here there will be assignments and maybe projects in groups too which I don't have time for.

    The cons about a BCS diploma is that it doesn't seem to be known outside anglo-saxon countries.
     
  6. mintaru

    mintaru Active Member

    Yes, the BCS diploma is relativly unknown outside the anglo-saxon world, but that's not so much of a problem within the European Union. The BCS diploma falls under the so called European directive 2005/36/EC of the European parliament and of the council on the recognition of professional qualifications. (Here is the text of that directive: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2005:255:0022:0142:en:pDF ) It is therefore fully recognized all over the EU and also in Switzerland. The only disadvantage is that you may need a formal recognition of your qualification (depends on the laws of the respective country) but thats really only a formality which, however, may take some time in some EU countries.

    In Asia, however, it's much more complicated. Some Asian countries are former parts of the British Empire and I think the BCS diploma is at least partly recognized there, but a degree is the better option in that part of the world, and that's of course even more the case in the other Asian countries and the Middle East.

    I think Lerner is right, your best option would be the BCS diploma and a degree. But maybe not necessarily a degree from Høgskolen i Telemark. You could also complete the BCS diploma first and then complete a degree at one of the Big Three. With the BCS diploma and your degree in auditing, that's probably faster and more convenient than a Norwegian degree. But it's not free, of course.

    By the way, I fully agree with Lerner that you should expand your profile with vendor certifications.

    mintaru
     

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