To Degree, Or Not Degree ?

To Degree, Or Not Degree

Something that comes up a lot when I talk to anyone wanting to start out in the development sector, is whether I have a degree and whether you need one.

The answer? Yes I do, I have a BSc in Applied Computing, do you need one, well that opens up a whole can of worms, and this is what i'm here to discuss from my experience.

Does a degree instantly get you a job?

If only, If I could simply walk into an interview, show my certificate and they throw a job offer at me, we'd all be employed. Sadly this is not the case, although having a degree in some jobs is a necessity, meaning having one already gets you through the metaphorical turnstile. Some companies believe that having a degree gives you more credit than someone who hasn't, that you'd be a better candidate, which obviously isn't necessarily true.

In my opinion, a "good degree" (2:1 upwards) shows you can apply yourself, work hard towards a goal, as well as retain knowledge and learning. After speaking to employers at tech talks and networking evenings, a lot of them share this view. 

Do you need a Degree though?

In this day and age i'd say no you don't need one, but when i was younger i think it was more important. It can sometimes depend on the course you take whether it has any benefit.

 Having a degree can get your foot in the door, offer you a more theoretical side of development / the industry, which could help you going for those higher tier roles in the future, faster. 

I would have never got my first job without a degree (job requirement), but even then it was a junior web developer role. I've still had to work my way up, gaining experience over the last 7 years to a senior role. A lot of things I've learnt have been through experience, and putting things into practice. 

On the flip side though, doing a more varied computing degree has given me a much broader knowledge base. Helping me in areas such as project management, understanding the development life-cycle, and the theoretical side of computing. This has aided me throughout my career to offer my thoughts, and opinions on improving processes within the businesses I've worked in, fully understand how all layers of dev interact and believe has got me to where i am today.

Could i have done this without a degree ? Of course, i could have taken a multitude of courses, online training modules, and gained knowledge and experience through my jobs. The only downside to this is, if you're company isn't doing something right you learn bad habits. It's like your parents teaching you to drive, you'll still want some lessons with a qualified instructor before taking your test.

Should i go to University and get a degree in 2020 ?

When i attended Uni, tuition fees were £3,500 per year, nowadays the costs can be anything upto £9,000. Statista states that the average student debt leaving university is £35,950. This is an amount that a student will be paying off for the rest of their life, losing a chunk of their salary each month to repay.

Is it worth it? In my opinion no. After being to Uni myself, I learnt that 75% of a University degree can be self taught, and it was. I attended lectures which gave me the direction of what and where to learn. However I still then had to teach, and do all the researching myself (some may say this is a skill in itself).

I would advise people wanting to pursue a career in I.T or development to start early. Get online and learn as much as you can, learn a coding language, find your passion and what excites you. Do you have a flare for front end, the inner mechanics of back end, or what about both and be a full stack developer. Check out my other Blog Post 'Identify Yourself - Are you full stack' to see what this actually involves. 

The main negative with this approach, is prepare to be knocked back from a lot of jobs due to lack of experience when trying to get your first developer role, but maybe you can prove your knowledge and passion to learn by doing some courses in your own time.

So what do I do

If you want to spend £35k on going to Uni, experience the student life,  potentially gain a qualification, as well theoretical and textbook knowledge. Which may lead to unlocking those more demanding jobs, go for it.

If you're a more hands on learner, and want to work your way up from the bottom, learning on the go, gaining "life experience" and saving yourself a pretty penny, i'd say teach yourself. Look at popular coding languages, local job requirements, frameworks and learn them. Sign upto online tutoring sites such as PluralSight (i couldn't recommend them enough). 

Any questions, or advice on attending University and course material please don't hesitate to comment below or contact me via Twitter.