My now unemployed friend is thinking about further study. Already has a degree and wants to move into IT sometime in the future. Does anyone know of any diploma course where you can do the equivalent of a CS major and pay CSP rates?
Computer Science Diploma
Icecold5000 on 13/05/2020 - 15:40
Comments
Interesting stuff, but is it true the program hasn't been finalized and launched yet?
Thanks! Will pass it on.
What kind of IT job?
For programming I'd hire someone who had done a free online programming course, taught themselves, then built something they could show in action (with source code) over a Computer Science graduate who hadn't (I'm a CS graduate myself, it's useful, but if they want to get into IT it's not the quickest way).
Agreed. General IT diplomas are only a qualification to get an entry level support job. You can get an entry level support job without one, so not sure where the value is.
Practical experience, including 'taught yourself' abilities beat general qualifications, if you are any good. If there is a particular field OP wants (e.g. Salesforce or Fortinet or something) then the vendor certs are useful, but best if they are combined with real skills. But this doesn't work for entry level unless you have relevant experience (worked on projects in previous role which had a specific IT component maybe).
Bottom line is it isn't like other industries where a general qualification is necessary to 'tick the box', so might as well skip it and spend the time getting paid at a starter role.
I think they want a firm grasp on the basics like programming,
op systems, algos and data structures. It does kinda make sense. I guess the technology will always be changing so maybe having a sound foundation and being able to teach yourself new stuff is good. Sounds too intense to do online tbh. It’s bad enough my classes are online and it’s hard to get motivation up but it could suck ass for CSIf they can't do self motivated online learning, IT dev stuff is going to be a hard career choice.
Maybe that’s the whole point of doing it in one year. I did a online degree in 2.5 years and it was a terrible experience, just dragged on and on. I was working full time as well.
I mean the whole career is continuous, self motivated learning. I don’t know any programmers who do formal qualifications after they have a job.
Maybe an MBA or similar course unrelated to programming, or vendor certs.
The whole job is everyday learning how to solve an esoteric problem that has never been documented before and working it out from the breadcrumbs on stackoverflow or how somebody solved a similar problem in another language.I am not a programmer, but I work for a software company.
@mskeggs: That sounds horrible to be honest. Maybe being a business analyst is a better career. Draw up some charts and get some other poor sod to do the real work. I guess programmers get paid enough to do it
@Icecold5000: Lots of people really enjoy the daily challenge and reward of problem solving.
If it is in tune with your skills and motivations I think it would be an excellent job.
If you already have a degree, wouldn't make more sense to get a graduate diploma rather than a diploma?
I think graduate diplomas require your degree to be in a relevant field.
No, it doesn't. You just need to have completed 1 level computer science unit and 1 level 1 maths/stats unit previously.
Other Unis don't even have that requirement
I see, looks like you're right. I researched masters requirements previously and had that in mind.
@Dungeon Master: My wife has a bachelor of business/ bachelor of Information System and went on to enroll in a Masters of social work without any problem. Then to a Grad dip in Forensic Psychology and finally in a PhD in Maths.
The only prerequisite she was ever asked for was discrete maths, if I remember correctly.
OSSU - https://github.com/ossu/computer-science
CS50 Intro to CS:
edX link - https://www.edx.org/course/cs50s-introduction-to-computer-sc…
Hardvard link - https://online-learning.harvard.edu/course/cs50-introduction…Teach yourself CS - https://teachyourselfcs.com/
Some guy's post on Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/learnprogramming/comments/gicfez/le…
Khan Academy Algos - https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-science/algor…
FreeCodeCamp
Codecademy
etc,etc
Currently working through Intro to CS and the first Python course recommended by OSSU while doing a Master of IT through CSU. Followed the Khan Academy 'course' on algos and it was really helpful explaining in more detail. Depending how your friend structures his time, given he may have more of it now, this could be pretty manageable.
Thanks. I suspect going through these course prior to dropping 30k on a diploma may be the way to go.
Last year, nearly all of the (mostly Nepalese) cleaners at my local shopping centre graduated in IT and were desperately looking for IT jobs. And a lot of casual nurses and teachers are now unemployed thanks to Covid-19, which just so happen to be among the fields of "national priority". They even put science and medical science on that priority list, which have notoriously poor job prospects for graduates (since half of Australia's researchers work at foreign-student-funded universities, that's only expected to get worse in the short term).
So I understand why a person may be hesitant to invest $30k in the "next big thing". Australia has become a welfare state for permanent staff in the public sector. If you're mediocre in STEM skills but you have so-called soft skills it's a safer path to financial security, if you're happy to sit at a desk. Unless there was an upheavel.
Australia has become a welfare state for permanent staff in the public sector.
Damn, straight. Applied for APS grad programs the other night.
I was talking to an AIN in aged care who said they were getting a lot of shifts.
Maybe one of the courses Aus Government is partly funding (during COVID) would address their need? https://www.dese.gov.au/covid-19/higher-education/higher-edu…