I am currently a college student and I am planning to go to university this September, to study computer science.
I am quite passionate and enjoy working with stuff like web design and digital graphics. I have mostly learned the skills and knowledge of HTML and CSS independently in my spare time as I found a lot of interest towards it.
I also have a lot of skills in using Photoshop- creating logos, editing photos etc.which I really like. College studies have also helped me to develop my skills and knowledge in these areas further.
I also find interest towards programming/ coding such as PHP for web development- which I have recently started learning/exploring the basics of. And other stuff such as software programming in visual basic which I have started learning in college.
In the future I want to be a web designer and developer as I really like both of the subjects.
As I hear and read a lot that in web design/development a lot of people are self thought and in some cases university degrees and not that important. As I have already achieved a lot of my skills in this area through self-learning based on my own interest I guess I would do fine.
From the other side people keep telling me that with a degree it is much easier to build a career and earn a decent wage.
So I really need advice for what I should do. If I was not to go to university what would the down sides be and vice versa.
First, you don't need any degree to do this professional. I work in an office where the majority of people haven't completed university and the ones that have did it in a completely unrelated field.
Furthermore, if you're leaning towards being a web designer and a front end developer (you just said 'developer', so I'm not sure which side of the coin you're looking at), then a Computer Science program will not help you learn any of those technologies, especially design. It will teach you certain disciplines and there are lots of transferrable skills, but a computer science degree is geared towards programming or back-end development, building applications instead of websites (even though that line is getting quite blurry).
From the other side people keep telling me that with a degree it is much easier to build a career and earn a decent wage.
Those people are wrong, in my opinion. I'd say 'easier' is debatable, especially depending on what type of career you're really looking to have.
I agree with @TheDoc. I'm currently completing a double degree in Media Arts / Computer Science and can honestly say that the majority of my learning has taken place independently on the internet. If you intend to take up a career in front end development or web design, then I think that independent learning and practical work/work experience would be a far better education/path to a career.
However, if you are looking for a career in back end development, then university is definitely a good option. The courses that I've taken in database design, programming languages and information security have been informative and practical.
Hi
I am currently a college student and I am planning to go to university this September, to study computer science.
I am quite passionate and enjoy working with stuff like web design and digital graphics. I have mostly learned the skills and knowledge of HTML and CSS independently in my spare time as I found a lot of interest towards it. I also have a lot of skills in using Photoshop- creating logos, editing photos etc.which I really like. College studies have also helped me to develop my skills and knowledge in these areas further.
I also find interest towards programming/ coding such as PHP for web development- which I have recently started learning/exploring the basics of. And other stuff such as software programming in visual basic which I have started learning in college.
In the future I want to be a web designer and developer as I really like both of the subjects.
As I hear and read a lot that in web design/development a lot of people are self thought and in some cases university degrees and not that important. As I have already achieved a lot of my skills in this area through self-learning based on my own interest I guess I would do fine. From the other side people keep telling me that with a degree it is much easier to build a career and earn a decent wage.
So I really need advice for what I should do. If I was not to go to university what would the down sides be and vice versa.
What are your thoughts/advice?
First, you don't need any degree to do this professional. I work in an office where the majority of people haven't completed university and the ones that have did it in a completely unrelated field.
Furthermore, if you're leaning towards being a web designer and a front end developer (you just said 'developer', so I'm not sure which side of the coin you're looking at), then a Computer Science program will not help you learn any of those technologies, especially design. It will teach you certain disciplines and there are lots of transferrable skills, but a computer science degree is geared towards programming or back-end development, building applications instead of websites (even though that line is getting quite blurry).
Those people are wrong, in my opinion. I'd say 'easier' is debatable, especially depending on what type of career you're really looking to have.
I agree with @TheDoc. I'm currently completing a double degree in Media Arts / Computer Science and can honestly say that the majority of my learning has taken place independently on the internet. If you intend to take up a career in front end development or web design, then I think that independent learning and practical work/work experience would be a far better education/path to a career.
However, if you are looking for a career in back end development, then university is definitely a good option. The courses that I've taken in database design, programming languages and information security have been informative and practical.