Can I find a school that teaches what I want to learn?

November 10, 2009 10:10 AM

I'm currently attending MyCounty Tech School, and have been planning to transfer to Local Private University next fall to finish my Computer Science/IT bachelors. The thing is, I really don't know if that's the right way to wrap up my schooling. Can I get some recommendations on what to look for in a good CS program, and recommendations on slightly non-traditional/accelerated ways of getting a degree in Computer Science? More background info inside.

Since high school I've been planning on studying some combination of computer arts/graphic design and computer science, both fields that I believe I have very good experience in. I was heavily involved in the graphics program at my school, and my junior and senior year took 300 level CS courses at Local Private University. I have also been working for several years at a job that has given me extensive real world technology experience.

Now I've effectively spent two years in college (I did take one year after high school to attend a leadership/volunteering program), I don't know if Local Private University is the way to go, for several reasons.

I would also call myself autodidactic, and I get very frustrated with the opportunity cost of school - I'm so busy ostensibly learning that I don't have time to actually learn (that is, teach myself). This feeling is exacerbated by the fact that I haven't found a school that teaches what I want to learn. I've looked at TESC as a way to finish school quickly, but they don't have a graphics program and I'm also wary of the benefits of "Computer Science by mail."


I realize that the 100 and 200 level courses are necessary for a good foundation, but is there a school out there that would let me roll my experience into a way to finish school quicker? I also wonder if there are any accelerated programs out there, where classes meet several times a week and finish after a few months, rather than meeting just twice a week for the entire semester.

Finally, is there a school out there that teaches the things I think would be useful and relevant? Local Private University has a "Web Development" major, but it doesn't cover things like AJAX or PHP, both things I've been teaching myself as time permits. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I think I should be able to take classes in topics like that, yet I can't find a school that offers that.
I've also been teaching myself After Effects and other video editing software, which has been a lot of fun and has even resulted in some side jobs, but again - I can't find a school that offers classes in what I think is a necessary skill set.


There's a lot more questions I have that I suppose would be nice to bounce off of a high school guidance counselor, as I don't imagine Local Private University will be handing out recommendations for competing CS programs, but I think this will cover it for this week.


Sorry this got so long. :/ I've highlighted the questions to make them more obvious.

posted by niles to education (7 comments total)

As a general rule: A CS program isn't designed to teach you "AJAX" or "PHP" per se; it's there to teach you the foundations of Computer Science - algorithms, logic, things like that. I had a Web Languages course that was pretty good, but it was just that - one course.

Warning: Highly opinionated mini-rant ahead:

I was a CS major. What most CS majors actually want, in my experience, is not a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science but a Bachelor's Degree in Software Development and Engineering, which would inevitably have a large CS component, similarly to how an Electrical Engineering degree is not a Physics degree at all, but inevitably involves learning quite a bit of Physics.

In practice if you want "the right kind of degree" to throw on your resume and back up with more practical skills, you want a CS degree, and then you take what relevant classes you can in, probably, the departments at your school that handle Film Production or Graphic Design. Video Editing, for example, is a totally unrelated skillset to programming, and while certain kinds of people will have both, it's still an interdisciplinary combination.
posted by Tomorrowful at 10:24 AM on November 10

Video Editing, for example, is a totally unrelated skillset to programming, and while certain kinds of people will have both, it's still an interdisciplinary combination.

Right, I should clarify that. I'm right now intending to minor in Web Media, which basically has a 2 credit class on video work. I can't imagine it goes much beyond how to load up your project in iMovie. It just seems to me that the minor doesn't really teach much, but I suppose I might be expecting too much out of what can be covered in a 20 credit minor.


Also, in regards to what a CS program covers, I realized I left that part out of my question. I realized the importance of a quality foundation in theory, but if something like, say, AJAX isn't taught in school, how are people supposed to learn it? I'm fine teaching myself, but wouldn't a class on today's trending web technologies make sense as even just an elective? Like I said, perhaps these aren't things that would be taught in college, but I want to make sure I'm not missing out if there is a school that teaches them.
posted by niles at 10:34 AM on November 10

I can't find a school that offers classes in what I think is a necessary skill set.

And you probably won't. The landscape changes far too fast for schools to cover anything but theory. You can take occasional classes at technical schools but that usually for certificates, not towards a degree.
posted by anti social order at 11:11 AM on November 10

IT Diplomas from MyCity Tech School are more highly valued by employers than Computer Science degrees from MyCity University. Tech school grads typically have more hands-on experience than comp sci grads, who know more theory.

This is not to slam comp sci, though. I'd love to take a couple of comp sci classes.
posted by kitcat at 11:51 AM on November 10

It sounds like you a pretty particular idea of what skills you want to pick up, but you don't mention what sorts of jobs you're interested in. A traditional computer science degree will teach about algorithms, operating systems, programming languages, and probably a lot of math. A lot of that won't be very useful to you in web development, if that's what you're interested in. If you want to write 3D graphics engines, or run scheduling algorithms on large datasets, or do high-performance scientific computing, then a CS degree is for you. It also leaves open the possibility of grad school.

I suspect a software engineering degree has a better chance of being useful to you, but those can be hit-or-miss. There's good agreement on what the fundamentals of computer science are, but lots of opinions on what software engineering should be about. You want a place teaches you more than just what you'd learn at your average coding job. Even this degree may not focus on specific technologies, as much as the processes and design patterns for writing maintainable code on a schedule.

Be aware that while software development is more meritocratic than some fields, a lot of employers may see a CS degree as more rigorous than software engineering, and not take an IT degree as seriously as either. There's sort of a weird situation where if you're a serious student you take go the CS path and then learn your most practical skills outside of class by working on personal or open-source projects. But my degree is five years old now, and maybe things have improved. I'm also not familiar with the web development field in particular.

Besides self-study, you can take a professional seminar in certain technologies, e.g. Big Nerd Ranch for Cocoa development. I don't know that if it makes sense in your case, since it's certainly not cheap. I'm sure there are at least a handful of universities currently with a Modern Web Technologies class, I'm just not sure that's enough to be worth transferring over.
posted by serathen at 11:56 AM on November 10

I'm someone who has made my living making software for 15 years. I got a Computer Science degree. I've run the gamut from entry level coder, to software architect, to manager of enterprise application development. The expectation placed on me, and that I placed on people who worked for me, was that learning a particular language or platform was just something you did on the fly as necessary. Obviously people have areas of expertise and interest that direct their growth but you don't always have the luxury of working in the language or tech you'd prefer.

If you're going to have any longevity in the field this adaptability is pretty much required. Any specific tech you learn right now will probably be out of use or changed beyond recognition in 5 years. The things you (should) learn in a CS program will apply to work in general. Algorithms, patterns, modularity, estimation of effort, etc. You ask about learning things that will be useful and relevant. Understanding those general areas will be more useful and relevant in the long run.

The problems you encounter as a software engineer tend to repeat no matter what industry you work in. Data has to be disinterred from a database, massaged by people or process, and then shoved back into the database. Users need visibility to process state and progress. No matter what language or platform you are on, those are the problems you will be addressing. I agree with serathen. Rightly or wrongly, most employers will take a CS degree more seriously than an IT cert.
posted by Babblesort at 1:03 PM on November 10 [1 favorite]

There's sort of a weird situation where if you're a serious student you take go the CS path and then learn your most practical skills outside of class by working on personal or open-source projects. But my degree is five years old now, and maybe things have improved.

I graduated last year and I'd say that in my experience this is still true. You can teach yourself PHP, you need classes for the stuff that requires explanation - computer science.
posted by jacalata at 6:26 PM on November 10