Switching from bsc It to applied computing.

techer

I plan on ringing the college after the bank holiday Monday but i just wanted to see if anyones done something similar. After completing year 1 of bsc in information technology is it possible to switch to year 2 of applied computing? I meet all criteria such as coa points etc for applied computing if that matters.

techer

techer wrote: »

I plan on ringing the college after the bank holiday Monday but i just wanted to see if anyones done something similar. After completing year 1 of bsc in information technology is it possible to switch to year 2 of applied computing? I meet all criteria such as coa points etc for applied computing if that matters.

I don't think its possible to switch to second year Applied because in first year Applied there is a lot of maths, which you wouldn't have done in first year IT.

Out of interest may I ask why you want to switch?

Digital Society

Youll either start again or go to 4th year IT and swap to 3rd year Applied. Start again would be a lot less hassle.

To be honest they are pretty much the same difficulty wise until the electives in Applied come in with 2nd year. And then its not that its more difficult but just different.

Theres no reason apart from silly rules that you need to start over. Youre just gonna be repeating the same thing. They probably dont want people with low points kopping on to it and taking that route.

Download the past papers from Moodle and you will see how similar they are. You will be able to reuse your projects but you wont get exceptions from class as its lvl 8 and not lvl 7.

spaceCreated

techer wrote: »

I plan on ringing the college after the bank holiday Monday but i just wanted to see if anyones done something similar. After completing year 1 of bsc in information technology is it possible to switch to year 2 of applied computing? I meet all criteria such as coa points etc for applied computing if that matters.

I know the level 8s can switch at the end of first year but not sure about level 7 to 8, can;t see the problem tbh. Try emailing the course leaders, Mairead Meagher is the course leader for applied. Shes very approachable, might take a couple of days to get back to you when you email her though. Her email is on wit applied computing page just google it and go to the contact section. There's nothing complicated about the maths done in first year, its about leaving cert standard, loads of people who can't hack maths scraped through it and we haven't really seen maths stuff after second year.

John05sy

I met the Applied Computing course leader and she said that no way to start from the second year because there are some different modules and although some modules are similar in names but they're different in their contents.

In addition, people who say that both A.C & I.T are same , I can say after many search and after I asked many specialists in both fields that in A.C they focus more on the programming languages and less on the d*** system analysis which is a nightmare for students who are interested in practical things because as you know there is abundance of system analysis and project management in I.T course.


There is another advantage in A.C over the I.T which is the six streams of specializations and the 9 elective modules thought all the 4 years.
Cloud Infrastructure is very important these days.
Game Development provides you more with programming languages.
Computer Forensics & Security is very wanted position nowadays.
and a lot of other streams.

The only frustrating thing is that you need to start from the first year , on the other hand you can apply for exemption for the modules that are identical between the A.C and I.T in the first year.

John05sy

I met the Applied Computing course leader and she said that no way to start from the second year because there are some different modules and although some modules are similar in names but they're different in their contents.

In addition, people who say that both A.C & I.T are same , I can say after many search and after I asked many specialists in both fields that in A.C they focus more on the programming languages and less on the d*** system analysis which is a nightmare for students who are interested in practical things because as you know there is abundance of system analysis and project management in I.T course.


There is another advantage in A.C over the I.T which is the six streams of specializations and the 9 elective modules through all the 4 years.
Cloud Infrastructure is very important these days.
Game Development provides you more with programming languages.
Computer Forensics & Security is very wanted position nowadays.
and a lot of other streams.

The only frustrating thing is that you need to start from the first year , on the other hand you can apply for exemption for the modules that are identical between the A.C and I.T in the first year.

John05sy

John05sy wrote: »

I met the Applied Computing course leader and she said that no way to start from the second year because there are some different modules and although some modules are similar in names but they're different in their contents.

In addition, people who say that both A.C & I.T are same , I can say after many search and after I asked many specialists in both fields that in A.C they focus more on the programming languages and less on the d*** system analysis which is a nightmare for students who are interested in practical things because as you know there is abundance of system analysis and project management in I.T course.


There is another advantage in A.C over the I.T which is the six streams of specializations and the 9 elective modules thought all the 4 years.
Cloud Infrastructure is very important these days.
Game Development provides you more with programming languages.
Computer Forensics & Security is very wanted position nowadays.
and a lot of other streams.

The only frustrating thing is that you need to start from the first year , on the other hand you can apply for exemption for the modules that are identical between the A.C and I.T in the first year.

Switch over to SSD, I'm pretty sure you can before the streams start (which start in second year). Don't worry about Applied/IT/SSD, if you want to program more there is nothing stopping you from doing it on your own free time. If you like programming and are good at it you will get a job no matter which course you pick.

Also there isn't that many project management/ system analysis projects throughout the whole degree. I think I did like three in total throughout the three years and each project was done within a day or two, its hardly a reason to want to leave the degree.

John05sy

Man I had a look at the syllabus of the Software System Development course , there are a lot of system analysis things
Are you sure that this course much interest in Programming Languages and Software Engineering?
Regards

John05sy

John05sy wrote: »

Man I had a look at the syllabus of the Software System Development course , there are a lot of system analysis things
Are you sure that this course much interest in Programming Languages and Software Engineering?
Regards

You get out of a course what you put in. What Im saying doing Applied Computing over SSD wont necessarily make you a better programmer. Do whatever course but try and take an interest in coding outside of college hours and learn by yourself. Don't worry about what degree you are doing but make sure if for example you want to be a programmer that you learn languages outside of college, put in hours, make programs for fun outside of college, use youtube/books. If you want to be a programmer it doesn't matter which course you are in, just learn and build a portfolio when doing your course.

edit: I would try to move over to SSD from IT in fourth year if possible, purely because they have extra programming modules. I wouldn't go starting all over again though, just to do Applied.

John05sy

No bother man , but you can have a look at the modules of SSD , maybe it's changed since last time you knew it.


Year 1

Object Oriented Programming Fundamentals
Object Oriented Programming Principles
Systems Analysis Fundamentals
Systems Implementation Fundamentals
Web Programming
Client Side Programming
Computer Essentials
Statistical Analysis
Mathematics
Business Processes
Communication Skills
Critical Thinking & Learning

---

Year 2

Data Structures
Event Driven Programming
Database Fundamentals Database Systems
Software Engingeering
Server Side Programming
Human Computer Interaction
Systems and Information
Network Fundamentals
Internetworking
Stream Electives*
Stream Electives*

---

Year 3

Flexible Semester
GUI Development
Advanced Databases
User Centred Design
Organisational IS
Security Principles
Stream Electives*

*In semester 3, students choose a stream option and choose electives from that stream in subsequent semesters. Elective options currently include: French, German, Psychology, and Software Business.

Digital Society

SSD and AC are pretty much the same except AC has the streams and SSD has the Business modules. They both lead to the same Master and jobs.

Huge demand in industry for both Business and the Streams.

Either way you will be experienced in Java, Javascript and Ruby and the frameworks that use them.

The biggest surprise to you will be how independent you will have to be. No one in either course will hold your hand and you will just get back what you put in for 4 years.

A graduate with either degree will have their choice of good jobs. Thats the main thing.

John05sy

Digital Society wrote: »

SSD and AC are pretty much the same except AC has the streams and SSD has the Business modules. They both lead to the same Master and jobs.

Huge demand in industry for both Business and the Streams.

Either way you will be experienced in Java, Javascript and Ruby and the frameworks that use them.

The biggest surprise to you will be how independent you will have to be. No one in either course will hold your hand and you will just get back what you put in for 4 years.

A graduate with either degree will have their choice of good jobs. Thats the main thing.

I think you need to update your information and look how much A.C is different from SSD
If you want to list the differences , it will be a long script for ya to read ;-)

John05sy

John05sy wrote: »

I think you need to update your information and look how much A.C is different from SSD
If you want to list the differences , it will be a long script for ya to read ;-)

Applied Computing is a great course alright but you seem think hold it in this 'god' like esteem. I saw the Applied and SSD fourth year projects last week and both had some very good projects and both had some average ones. It's not the course you do but the work you put into the course.

You are in first year now? See can you switch to SSD now before the streams start is the best advice. You seem hell bent though on wanting to do Applied, so I think no matter what you are told you wont believe it. If you are that convinced about applied then you will have to start again and pay all the extra fees associated with starting again

edit: just realized that you aren't OP. Just to clarify Applied has a different name for a lot of modules but when you look at the content they seem to be similar to a lot of stuff in SSD.

John05sy

Deleted User wrote: »

Applied Computing is a great course alright but you seem think hold it in this 'god' like esteem. I saw the Applied and SSD fourth year projects last week and both had some very good projects and both had some average ones. It's not the course you do but the work you put into the course.

You are in first year now? See can you switch to SSD now before the streams start is the best advice. You seem hell bent though on wanting to do Applied, so I think no matter what you are told you wont believe it. If you are that convinced about applied then you will have to start again and pay all the extra fees associated with starting again

edit: just realized that you aren't OP. Just to clarify Applied has a different name for a lot of modules but when you look at the content they seem to be similar to a lot of stuff in SSD.

Having you said so; here is my little advice for ya: please don’t judge things according to your feelings.
I can see that you may have finished I.T or SSD course and feel frustrated, I can understand ya.

There is a huge difference between SSD and A.C (and by the way I am not dat fancy to A.C , I do fancy Computer Forensics more but I should judge things based on facts not on my feelings!)
1. If the student doesn’t like business modules especially system analysis and other yolks, the student will hate the moment he/she decided to join SSD course because there is a lot of business modules (more than 12 modules are pure about business and IS out of 37 … that means more than the third of the course is about business).While A.C has very few modules about business!
2. There are more than 8 main modules talking about Maths, Cryptography , OS and others in A.C that don’t exist in SSD!
3. When it comes to the Programming Languages, SSD is incomparable with A.C; if the student chooses to specialize in Embedded System or Game Development (which SSD knows nothing about’em!) he/she will study intensively a lot of different languages, for example but not limited to: Java , JavaScript, HTML, CSS , PHP , Python, Perl , C++ , C , C#, SQL , JQuery and others. On the other hand, in SSD they study few modules about programming languages (not more than 6-7 modules , approx. 15% of the course).

However, I am not arguing this with ya, there is no doubt that both courses are good to find a good job, and there is no doubt that students must work and self-learn and and not relies only on the course content. Finally, there is no doubt that the employers are not dumb not to distinguish between who has been through many different programming languages and acquired a programmer mind & skills (untrue in you doubt about W.I.T course quality) and who spent most of his time doing Agile and Waterfall projects!

Finally son, take it from me, it is up to the person’s willing and preferences, some people may find it difficult to learn programming languages (presume you) and others do not.

Sorry I cannot continue chatting with ye, I do want but I ain’t find enough time.

counterpointaud

Deleted User wrote: »

It's not the course you do but the work you put into the course.

+1

I started in IT, swapped to SSD in 2nd year. Was approved to switch to AC in fourth year but I took a job offer instead. I learned principles of OOP and relational databases, Java, JavaScript, Angular, HTML, CSS, C#, Android, Bash scripting and a bit of Python during my time there. Not all of these are taught there, but even with respect the ones that are, you should put in extra study and practical work outside the syllabus anyway.

I will add that not all the business subjects in SSD are a waste of time if pursuing a career in development, some of the electives in particular are very relevant.

Digital Society

John05sy wrote: »

Having you said so; here is my little advice for ya: please don’t judge things according to your feelings.
I can see that you may have finished I.T or SSD course and feel frustrated, I can understand ya.

There is a huge difference between SSD and A.C (and by the way I am not dat fancy to A.C , I do fancy Computer Forensics more but I should judge things based on facts not on my feelings!)
1. If the student doesn’t like business modules especially system analysis and other yolks, the student will hate the moment he/she decided to join SSD course because there is a lot of business modules (more than 12 modules are pure about business and IS out of 37 … that means more than the third of the course is about business).While A.C has very few modules about business!
2. There are more than 8 main modules talking about Maths, Cryptography , OS and others in A.C that don’t exist in SSD!
3. When it comes to the Programming Languages, SSD is incomparable with A.C; if the student chooses to specialize in Embedded System or Game Development (which SSD knows nothing about’em!) he/she will study intensively a lot of different languages, for example but not limited to: Java , JavaScript, HTML, CSS , PHP , Python, Perl , C++ , C , C#, SQL , JQuery and others. On the other hand, in SSD they study few modules about programming languages (not more than 6-7 modules , approx. 15% of the course).

However, I am not arguing this with ya, there is no doubt that both courses are good to find a good job, and there is no doubt that students must work and self-learn and and not relies only on the course content. Finally, there is no doubt that the employers are not dumb not to distinguish between who has been through many different programming languages and acquired a programmer mind & skills (untrue in you doubt about W.I.T course quality) and who spent most of his time doing Agile and Waterfall projects!

Finally son, take it from me, it is up to the person’s willing and preferences, some people may find it difficult to learn programming languages (presume you) and others do not.

Sorry I cannot continue chatting with ye, I do want but I ain’t find enough time.

A lot of that info is wrong. Interesting that you could believe that a course called Software Systems Development is only 15% Software.

Whats the other 85% so? What might sound like a business module could be a business software module such as SAP or Databases.

Business is 1 module per semester.

Edit - Holy **** i just read that you are only in first year. You havent even done any of the courses and you already are up on the high horse thinking your course is somehow superior. Some serious dose of reality is coming your way when you realise how much of the courses are the same with a different title.

One day you will realise that the Java in AC is no different to the Java in SSD or any other course. Same applies for all the languages you mention really. Any course that involves programming is pretty much the same. IT is the only one that has no programming in 4th year.

Must be crazy to walk around with all this arrogance based on assumptions then one day realise they arent true.

Hope your not too busy to take the call from Mark Zuckerberg. Im sure he will be head hunting you soon with all those superior languages you have developed with that no one else has.

John05sy

Digital Society wrote: »

A lot of that info is wrong. Interesting that you could believe that a course called Software Systems Development is only 15% Software.

Whats the other 85% so? What might sound like a business module could be a business software module such as SAP or Databases.

Business is 1 module per semester.

Edit - Holy **** i just read that you are only in first year. You havent even done any of the courses and you already are up on the high horse thinking your course is somehow superior. Some serious dose of reality is coming your way when you realise how much of the courses are the same with a different title.

One day you will realise that the Java in AC is no different to the Java in SSD or any other course. Same applies for all the languages you mention really. Any course that involves programming is pretty much the same. IT is the only one that has no programming in 4th year.

Must be crazy to walk around with all this arrogance based on assumptions then one day realise they arent true.

Hope your not too busy to take the call from Mark Zuckerberg. Im sure he will be head hunting you soon with all those superior languages you have developed with that no one else has.

I finished now the SSD course and finished my work experience and got an offer to work as a software engineer in a very prestigious company and an excellent position.
My project during my 6-month work placement went viral and won the best project in the company.
Believe me, what I mentioned above already is nothing about showing off, it's just an introduction to say I am eligible now to stand here after 3 years of our discussion and give my humble opinion.
I went through your posts and without being biased to myself and with full modesty, what you were saying is a pure crap.
I understand now why you had to keep talking bull***t. I see it clearly.
RIP.

John05sy

John05sy wrote: »

I finished now the SSD course and finished my work experience and got an offer to work as a software engineer in a very prestigious company and an excellent position.
My project during my 6-month work placement went viral and won the best project in the company.
Believe me, what I mentioned above already is nothing about showing off, it's just an introduction to say I am eligible now to stand here after 3 years of our discussion and give my humble opinion.
I went through your posts and without being biased to myself and with full modesty, what you were saying is a pure crap.
I understand now why you had to keep talking bull***t. I see it clearly.
RIP.

What exactly is bullsh1t about what Digital Society says? He gave me some great advice when I was in college (he was a few years ahead of me) and everything he said came true. I put my head down, got a good degree and had multiple offers real quick.

spaceCreated

The baseline expectancy is different for courses, you might get a small introduction to some more cloud stuff on applied (which is useful I will admit) but if you actually put in the work and code in your spare time, know the languages inside out -> Java, Javascript there shouldn't be any real or notable differences. Tbh I'd doubt many full time developers could tell you half of the new ES6 functionality and how to implement it. If you really feel like youre missing out dont you have the option to do the four years and then do a masters, which would take the same amount of time as starting again in first year... plus youd have a masters for what its worth

DefinitelyMarc

Anyone reading this, please do not take Johns advice seriously.

He does not know what he's talking about and doesn't seem to get along well with others, which I'm certain will help him a lot in his new job.

The only time your course will ever matter is if you do a fetac course expecting to get a dev position, are applying to an "old boys" company of trinity/insert-UNI here graduates or if your interviewer was in the same course/year as you. College gets your feet wet when it comes to software, but jobs are where you will learn most of your new skills in depth. Self-learning is great for touching up on subjects you're rusty on or learning some new tech, but not in depth (The problems you solve on your own projects just won't be complicated enough for you to make the same progress that you would on a job). If I'm blatantly honest, most of my education was self-taught after college or earned through working jobs. After doing a few WIT MSc modules finishing my UCD MSc I realised just how valuable college is, by which I mean it's practically useless for your education after the first couple of years. Fun, but useless to your long-term educational goals. You can easily learn the useful and fundamental content by yourself, then solidify your understanding in a related job.

Also WIT's software development courses are all very, very similar. I suspect this is why it was so easy to roll out new courses a few years back, since so many classes are shared. Some will have a flavour (Math, games, business, tech, art, etc) but they're all quite similar.

spaceCreated

DefinitelyMarc wrote: »

Anyone reading this, please do not take Johns advice seriously.

He does not know what he's talking about and doesn't seem to get along well with others, which I'm certain will help him a lot in his new job.

The only time your course will ever matter is if you do a fetac course expecting to get a dev position, are applying to an "old boys" company of trinity/insert-UNI here graduates or if your interviewer was in the same course/year as you. College gets your feet wet when it comes to software, but jobs are where you will learn most of your new skills in depth. Self-learning is great for touching up on subjects you're rusty on or learning some new tech, but not in depth (The problems you solve on your own projects just won't be complicated enough for you to make the same progress that you would on a job). If I'm blatantly honest, most of my education was self-taught after college or earned through working jobs. After doing a few WIT MSc modules finishing my UCD MSc I realised just how valuable college is, by which I mean it's practically useless for your education after the first couple of years. Fun, but useless to your long-term educational goals. You can easily learn the useful and fundamental content by yourself, then solidify your understanding in a related job.

Also WIT's software development courses are all very, very similar. I suspect this is why it was so easy to roll out new courses a few years back, since so many classes are shared. Some will have a flavour (Math, games, business, tech, art, etc) but they're all quite similar.

I'd be very careful about throwing the baby out with the bathwater. There are many many important things explored in college and someone who has zero experience won't be able to discern what is and what isn't important.

Everyone else don't listen to this guy learn everything you come across, you cannot know enough, and do work on the side. If you want more complex projects and to learn more on the side look up best practices, design patterns, contribute to open source.

DefinitelyMarc

spaceCreated wrote: »

I'd be very careful about throwing the baby out with the bathwater. There are many many important things explored in college and someone who has zero experience won't be able to discern what is and what isn't important.

Everyone else don't listen to this guy learn everything you come across, you cannot know enough, and do work on the side. If you want more complex projects and to learn more on the side look up best practices, design patterns, contribute to open source.

I've finished the four years of an undergrad and the masters that you put up as an example of what to do if you want to learn more, and I am telling you from the bottom of my heart that there are far more effective ways of learning than that. College is a great experience in itself and I don't regret spending five years of my life in third level education. It's fun and the younger you are, the more guidance it offers you. I think this is what you were getting at right? It railroads (Probably too harsh a word) you into learning, which is great if you're entering college as a teenager. Regardless of age though, the first four or so semesters of college are a period of exponential growth in software development. After that, your return on investment begins to peter off, which is my point.

Now, just because you could learn more at home at that stage doesn't mean you should leave college, and I'm not suggesting that. Two extra semesters for a degree is a bargain. My point is that third level education becomes far less effective the more time you spend in it, with regards to software development at least. I'm not saying that it's completely useless, and I will freely admit that I am at least a little biased against colleges and universities, but the lions share of education for a bright and driven student will be found in the first few years.

Lastly, I don't mean to come off as rude when I ask people to not take John seriously. He was still a student when he posted his advice and seems to have a chip on his shoulder about course status. I'm certain his tune will change after his first couple of jobs.

spaceCreated

DefinitelyMarc wrote: »

I've finished the four years of an undergrad and the masters that you put up as an example of what to do if you want to learn more, and I am telling you from the bottom of my heart that there are far more effective ways of learning than that. College is a great experience in itself and I don't regret spending five years of my life in third level education. It's fun and the younger you are, the more guidance it offers you. I think this is what you were getting at right? It railroads (Probably too harsh a word) you into learning, which is great if you're entering college as a teenager. Regardless of age though, the first four or so semesters of college are a period of exponential growth in software development. After that, your return on investment begins to peter off, which is my point.

Now, just because you could learn more at home at that stage doesn't mean you should leave college, and I'm not suggesting that. Two extra semesters for a degree is a bargain. My point is that third level education becomes far less effective the more time you spend in it, with regards to software development at least. I'm not saying that it's completely useless, and I will freely admit that I am at least a little biased against colleges and universities, but the lions share of education for a bright and driven student will be found in the first few years.

Lastly, I don't mean to come off as rude when I ask people to not take John seriously. He was still a student when he posted his advice and seems to have a chip on his shoulder about course status. I'm certain his tune will change after his first couple of jobs.

I think it depends on the lectures honestly, some know how to challenge their students, and some don't even know the course material (same across all colleges before anyone goes on an anti WIT rant). But yeah take college as the grounding and add to it, but learn everything you can get your hands on.