Guardian-Mage Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 I not sure which I should go into. Which gets paid more, which has more available jobs, what are the benefits of each. I already know HTML,CSS,JavaScript,PHP,SQL, and ASP for web, and C, C++, Java, Visual Basic, C Sharp and a little assembly for software programming, and I like both, so I don't know which to take. I also would like to know which you think is better. College or University, and which level if university (Bachelors, Masters, PhD) and will a PhD pay off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcombs_31 Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 That's a loaded question. Honestly if you know all the languages you stated then you should have a clear understanding of what you want to do and know the differences between them. The question about salary is relative. You can make a good living in either field, or you can make a crap living in either field. I personally feel that being a web developer is more of a freelance job and a software programmer you would typically work for a company. I don't know the difference between college and university, unless you are referring to a 2 year vs 4 yr school. Try starting with a Bachelors and see how you feel from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ardyandkari Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 or you could get both degrees/certs. or neither... if you want to freelance and are good (or if you find a place that is hiring and can demonstrate to them your experience)...i dont see why you need a slip of paper saying that you can program in HTML,CSS,JavaScript,PHP,SQL, and ASP for web, and C, C++, Java, Visual Basic, C Sharp and a little assembly for software programming my 2 cents... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerRobot Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Well, I'm about to embark on a university course - a four year masters in computer science. I've a couple different reasons why I'd much rather do this than just get a job/freelance as a web developer. Firstly, I think the experience of uni will be something well worth getting both for personal and academic development. Second, I'm fairly confident I'd get bored after a while if I did web development. That's just the kind of person I am - I know ill need to change what I do otherwise I'll become bored. And tied into that is the fact that a university degree gives me far more options. I need not stay in the computing field at all with the degree if I dont want to. All of that was a roundabout way of saying that it really depends on you as a person. You'll have more options if you go and get a good degree, but if you know you want to stick with, say, web development then there might not be much point. From a purely salary orientated point of view, you'd probably make most money by going and getting a cs degree and working for a big bank. Might not be as much fun, however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ok Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel0 Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Daniel0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maq Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 I agree with jcombs, you obviously have a good taste of software vs web programming if you know all of those languages. It's really your preference. I'm sure they will both be needed in the future and the demand will still be high. College just gives you a piece of paper telling you you're smart and a flexibility of careers. I am in school right now and yeah, I've learned some things here and there but when I started interning I learned 5x the amount than from school in only 6 months. Working and being on these forums have taught me more than school itself. But some companies require a B.S. or some certs to get hired. It all comes down to what you want to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel0 Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Learning programming languages is not the point of studying computer science just as studying English doesn't just teach you to speak English... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mchl Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 University can do strange things to you. I went to university willing to become an IT engineer, preferably a software developer, maybe a database developer. After five years I'm now qualified mostly as a PLC programmer (think industrial automation), and my first job was a training specialist (I used to by so shy of people, and then I had to give live seminars... unthinkable). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maq Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 (I used to by so shy of people, and then I had to give live seminars... unthinkable). Haha, that's funny. I'm actually going to apply for a job soon. What's a good place to look? Dice.com, Monster.com, what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mchl Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Friends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guardian-Mage Posted September 16, 2008 Author Share Posted September 16, 2008 Well I know which I prefer, but I like both, so I would prefer the one that would work out the best. I think I will go with web development. Still, I don't know about College or University. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkWater Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Daniel0 I actually laughed pretty hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maq Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Still, I don't know about College or University. I thought they were the same... What's the difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guardian-Mage Posted September 16, 2008 Author Share Posted September 16, 2008 College gives you a diploma, university gives you a degree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corbin Posted September 17, 2008 Share Posted September 17, 2008 The way I've always understood it, universities are composed of colleges ;p. IE: Engineering college, agricultural college, so on. Then again, that doesn't explain where community colleges would fit in. Hrmmm.... I should probably know this stuff considering my age. x.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.