UWI BSc Computer Science VS BSc Information Technology?

[smithmj678]

Hello folks

Has anyone got first hand experience in both these courses at UWI? There seems to be very little difference between these 2 courses. IT just seems like an easier version of comp sci. Where are all the hands on practical experience for UWI's IT Bsc?

I see the Information Technology has a lot of maths etc. I am contemplating doing Bsc in IT from UWI on a part time basis OR doing the final year CIS Greenwich at SBCS.

I have to save up the necessary funds as I currently do not have it, but SBCS is very expensive and from what I see here, UWI has an excellent IT program.
Is there a big difference between the Computer Science and IT bsc? and how would you compare the UWI IT to say SBCS final year in CIS?

Also interested in the cost of the IT program, UWI for some reason does not list the price and well calling is impossible.

thank you

smith

[VexXx Dogg]

Should find fees here:
https://sta.uwi.edu/resources/documents ... eeBklt.pdf
If you're GATE covered, it'll be cheap.

[smithmj678]

^ thank you its $350 per credit. I would have to refund gate for a different program I was doing but decided not to continue it. I believe the fee would be $16K

If I don't it would cost me approx $35,000 for a BSc in either Computer Science or IT at UWI. Seems like a better bet to simply refund GATE and have them fund the BSc in IT at UWI for me. I will admit the IT degree at UWI is rather impressive, its quite similar to their computer science but not as difficult.

[Racegod]

Gotta look at the modules within the programs and determine which makes sense for your career plan. UWI while having a good program is very centric in the softer skills, whereas UTT for example gives a very good blend of both hard and soft.

You need to know what your career plan is long term and figure out where you want to go. Specifically, in IT you need to do certificates to demonstrate skills in specific areas such as Directory Services, Routing, Switching, Security, Databases, Virtualization.... You should choose a degree program that builds your knowledge in the specific competence you want to grow in.

I did a dip in UTT as the 2nd batch of UTT students. Back then it was the best program in trini, can't say what it is now. I would also consider mobility from the perspective of staying in Trinidad vs Migration to another country. Recognition of UWI degrees are limited, and often considered less than by companies abroad with limited experience of UWI grads, and that is even with assessment of your education from somebody like World Education Service.

My advice is research the field, determine where you want to go, find the right program, chart your career, and work toward your goals in a fixed time-frame...

[Infodude]

hey guys
is there anyone who did the bsc in infomation technology at uwi and willing to share their experience and if jobs are available or is the field saturated??

[smithmj678]

Thank you Racegod, much appreciated on the advice.

Infodude, I will tell you this from life experience. The fields that are saturated? those are the fields with the biggest growth. The fields that are not saturated? its near impossible to get into and or the growth is far too small making it just as difficult to get into.

No matter how you look at it, the balance is always there. Remember when they said IT was dying? it wasn't. It was simply evolving, shifting etc. Think about it if you do mechanical engineering in UWI where are you going to find work? Petrotrin isn't hiring right now and not in these times of low oil prices. So tell me, whats so different with that vs saturated IT? If anything might be harder to find a Job with a mechanical engineering degree as we speak.

[The_Honourable]

Great topic, subscribed

I like to repair, upgrade and maintain computers as a hobby. I would like to know where and how far I can go with this. I got the suggestion to do the CompTIA A+ certification and move on from there.

I am also running into the Degree versus Certification argument. What is the position with this locally? Thoughts?

Thanks!

[TiidaBanton]

Fiber optics is the way forward...specialize and make money. IT is OVER saturated.

[Daran]

To be honest, in today's world (not in trinidad that much)....Comp Sci skills are invaluable.

However, in Trinidad there's a distinct lack of appreciation and confusion surrounding Comp Sci, and it is UWI's fault to an extent. Their admission standards let almost anyone in.

In MIT, Stanford, Imperial etc....Comp Sci is equal if not a head of Engineering in terms of respect, difficulty and admission standards. I've seen UWI's Comp Sci and honestly, anybody off the street (serious) can complete it.

Personally, I know a girl who got upper second class in Comp Sci....does not know how to crop images, or setup Outlook, or configure drop box on she phone (god i hope she doesn't read tuner, that one will give it away).

Note Comp Sci isn't about computer hardware, IT BS (i really hate that crap) and programming...why? Cuz that sh*t is easy yo, any idiot can program if you give them an algorithm. However, Comp Sci is really about understanding and developing algorithms. And you need to know math, like some really hardcore math.........which is why in Trinidad these things aren't really useful for jobs per say.

My advice, do Elec and Computer Engineering and figure out what u wanna do after. Why? You'll have a degree that can take you anywhere, plus if IT is really your calling, all them IT Certs will be all to easy for you.

[Daran]

Fiber optics is the way forward...specialize and make money. IT is OVER saturated.

Yea you're right. Become a certified splicer, buy some equipment, start a company, and you'll be making 30k-100k per month easy.

[greenlime100]

Consider the fact that within about 5 years UWI's IT and Comp sci degree will be one - confirmed by senior UWI lecturer.

If you plan on staying in Trinidad only a small minority of employers ask specifically for either comp sci or IT. The rest of employers dont and cant differentiate between the 2 degrees.

Comp sci does hardcore math to prove algorithms as well as do corresponding programming in C code.
IT students learn the same algorithms (without having to prove them) and the corresponding programming on JAVA. IT student also have to learn the business aspects of planning/developing/integrating softwares in a business environment with respect to the corporate strategy etc.

IT students are referred to as system analysts while comp sci students are referred to as developers.

Almost 90‰ of comp sci and IT courses are equivalent. For example COMP2000 and INFO2410 use the same lecturer, same notes, same past papers, same slides...only difference the programming language.

Comp sci and IT students are very very similar the major difference comp sci focuses on math and programming, IT focuses on business and programming.

You can visit the UWI dcit website and actually go through the programme structure and compare both degrees.

[abbow]

dont waste your time....

50 % of IT jobs wouldnt exist in a few years....by the time you attain that degree and start getting experience the entire IT scene worldwide would have changed...

pay attention to whats happening in India right now...one of the biggest IT job producer around..

get a degree that will give you more options with some overlap in IT if you really wish to pursue IT

if you do get into the IT field make sure you could work worldwide with your qualifications rather that locally alone.

[smithmj678]

Consider the fact that within about 5 years UWI's IT and Comp sci degree will be one - confirmed by senior UWI lecturer.

If you plan on staying in Trinidad only a small minority of employers ask specifically for either comp sci or IT. The rest of employers dont and cant differentiate between the 2 degrees.

Comp sci does hardcore math to prove algorithms as well as do corresponding programming in C code.
IT students learn the same algorithms (without having to prove them) and the corresponding programming on JAVA. IT student also have to learn the business aspects of planning/developing/integrating softwares in a business environment with respect to the corporate strategy etc.

IT students are referred to as system analysts while comp sci students are referred to as developers.

Almost 90‰ of comp sci and IT courses are equivalent. For example COMP2000 and INFO2410 use the same lecturer, same notes, same past papers, same slides...only difference the programming language.

Comp sci and IT students are very very similar the major difference comp sci focuses on math and programming, IT focuses on business and programming.

You can visit the UWI dcit website and actually go through the programme structure and compare both degrees.

hmm very interesting bit here.

I checked both Computer Science and IT on UWI's website and you are right they are about the same. A lot of the courses including discreet math is the identical modules. I assumed due to different names there would be different lecturers and different slides, past papers but seems I was wrong./

I got the gut feeling that IT and comp sci at UWI were the same course. And after looking at the subjects offered in IT I asked myself who would do IT and go through all this when you could just do comp sci? but they are the same pretty much with different names.

It is shocking at how large the IT outsourcing business is in India. The Indians are making a lot of money from the US who wants software developed cheaply or pretty much any IT related service that can be outsourced. China takes a lot of contracts but they are nowhere near the scale of India.
Freelance.com for example pretty much 90% of freelancers are Indian. Infact I think we in Trinidad could even open companies that does the same thing.

I checked what am employer pays locally, average of $5000 to $6000 TT a month for a programmer with lots of skills and experience.
If you are successful in bidding on these freelance websites You could make that much money in a week.

[Daran]

That's why unless you get into some really hardcore bit (and even then the indians will replace you still), you're best not doing IT or CompSci.

Unless....your plan is to launch your own startup. Then it's useful.

[smithmj678]

^ unless offcourse you manage to work for less than the Indians.

here is the thing, the average IT company in Trinidad pays about $5000 to $6000 TT a month for a software developer. This is probably less than what Indians make.

The indians can only work so cheap and I estimate their prices will go up as they become more successful and the quality of their work improves. But one thing is certain its not hard to start a software development company in Trinidad and just take work from freelance website. I also suspect some of our companies locally does this.

[smithmj678]

BTW anyone knows why info tech caribbean always has vacancies?

[Daran]

Acutally, just out of some personal experiences, I always prefer to NOT outsource, since most times those indians (or eastern europeans) don't speak proper english, are fast with giving you what you want, but slow on changes or updates.

In the end I just went on udemy, paid $20 for a course, and took about a month to do over what I had paid $25,000 TT (minus the graphics, but i re-used what I got before for......it was then i realized programming is easy and I verified the validity of the old saying, 'if you want something done right, you have do it yourself'.

In my experience, there are some excellent programmers/developers/software engineers out there in Trinidad, some work cheap, some don't, but all are pretty well off and they love what the do.

[smithmj678]

Acutally, just out of some personal experiences, I always prefer to NOT outsource, since most times those indians (or eastern europeans) don't speak proper english, are fast with giving you what you want, but slow on changes or updates.

In the end I just went on udemy, paid $20 for a course, and took about a month to do over what I had paid $25,000 TT (minus the graphics, but i re-used what I got before for......it was then i realized programming is easy and I verified the validity of the old saying, 'if you want something done right, you have do it yourself'.

In my experience, there are some excellent programmers/developers/software engineers out there in Trinidad, some work cheap, some don't, but all are pretty well off and they love what the do.

This last bit has renewed my hope to peruse this career as a software developer. I was beginning to lose hope but this has convinced me to stay on track.

thank you

[greenlime100]

Don't lose hope pal. I disagree with the outsourcing aspect. I'm currently in the field and there are millions of opportunities and various aspects of IT you can branch into.

These degrees could be you foundation for advanced networking and cloud technologies. Many people don't know where the core of technology is in this country as our own citizens think we are backward. Many of you don't even know that a person in Trinidad has a patent on 4G networking technology which at&t uses today and pays him royalties daily.

Software may be outsourced, support may be outsourced ...cool. But its the programmers and analyst that implement, maintain, upgrade, recommend and do lots more than what you think. When you buy a car, that's a one time cost to the manufacturer, how much you spend on maintenance for the life of your vehicle?

The government outsources labour and engineering, should we shy away from these fields as well?

Microsoft in Trinidad is still a huge player and employer. Every company needs networking and data communication persons. Cloud and data centres are also on the rise in Trinidad. Fiber optics is also booming for some companies. While these are specific fields a degree in comp sci or IT along with the training and certs would guarantee a higher position amongst the competition who may have just the certs. Why learn how to run the cable alone when you could run the cable and setup/configure from the server to vpns to voip

I in this field day in day out and there's never a dull moment. I honestly see the need for IT persons increasing in years to come.

[smithmj678]

Thank you greenlime100

Those are great words of wisdom. I am now ever so confident in my dedication and pursuit to make a career in this field and perhaps make a name for myself aswell.

[The_Honourable]

Yeah greenlime100 for real, thank you for the information. I'll pm you soon to ask a few questions.

[VLDS]

Have you considered SAM's. Their computer degrees are only facilitated by them but offered by London Metropolitan University. So it's more globally recognised. They also offer many master degrees. It is harder I admit especially if taking the pure computing pathway but it's a degree that means something when u get it.

[smithmj678]

Yes I have considered it.

SAM's degree however is more business rather than Computing. Its called BSc in Business Computing so I am not sure how that will fly with HRs. Atleast its a related field?

Unfortunate they scrapped the CIS Degree.

[Advent]

i should go back to costaat and finish my degree yes, i do get interview calls when i send out my resume, but thats because i have a few years experience. i think you need both to survive in the IT industry unless you rell specialized

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

Came across this thread, was wondering something, how come UWI offers IT part time but not Computer Science?
I ask this because from what I have seen 90% of the IT and CS courses are the exact same thing. Does this mean that you could do the 90% of courses part time and go full time to complete the 10% other courses and actually get a CS Degree?

The way I see it, if you are working fulltime and you can only go to classes part time, would it then be possible to complete the IT credits and do the rest of the CS courses fulltime? I have my doubts about this since CS Degree in UWI does require A level Math and Physics to gain entry but I am not sure how this actually works. And since SBCS no longer has GATE I think people would save a lot more money by simply going to UWI.

[redmanjp]

Yes I have considered it.

SAM's degree however is more business rather than Computing. Its called BSc in Business Computing so I am not sure how that will fly with HRs. Atleast its a related field?

Unfortunate they scrapped the CIS Degree.

Heard from many sources includin here on tuner that SAMs degrees ain't good

[Fadakartel]

Yes I have considered it.

SAM's degree however is more business rather than Computing. Its called BSc in Business Computing so I am not sure how that will fly with HRs. Atleast its a related field?

Unfortunate they scrapped the CIS Degree.

Heard from many sources includin here on tuner that SAMs degrees ain't good

Depends on the degree heard also that SAMS BSc is not very good, but many people with their Msc/MBA work for some of the top companys especially in telecoms myself included like TSTT, Digicel, Flow even Massy.

[sMASH]

Nobody I know that has the sams degree, doing anything BECAUSE of the degree. All either went to different fields or got another qualification to reach them where they are.

[Fadakartel]

Also in Trinidad degrees are pretty much a luck based thing as experience and who someone knows would more likely get a job now.

[ruffneck_12]

Cant comment on the availability of jobs.
But I have a couple padnahs who did IT and Comp Sci.

The comp sci fellas ketching ARSE. Don't go into comp sci unless you really love it. If you hadda come on tuner and ask which one better, then doh bother with it. You'll hate it. IT is easier, but you'll get some entry level job to start with and you'll have to supplement with other courses to build your resume to move on up.


Not trying to discourage you, but shits hard yo. Unless you really love it, run een.