Finished a degree in computer science, but didn't learn anything. Need a job.

ibrahimovic · 07-08-2021 3:42pm #1

Really got through it by nailing the theory and just getting by the coding by the skin of my teeth. Always found it immensely difficult. But did not know what else to do so just kept at it.

Now i'm in a position where I have a useless degree as I didn't actually learn anything so cant use any skills, and have no desire after this course to try and acquire some.

Anyone got any ideas of how I can get into some career and work my way up without being found out that I'm actually useless at computing? I'm thinking getting the degree at least shows some level of intelligence and an aptitude of finding a way to achieving a result.

ontour2 · 07-08-2021 4:05pm

So you know that you do not like coding and will get no pleasure out of working in such a role. If you pursued that you would be unlikely to be successful. It is a major achievement to have got the degree and means that you really focused on the areas that you could do really well at. It is likely that you have a far greater knowledge of technology than you are giving yourself credit for.

There are plenty of jobs that do not involve coding but benefit hugely from a technical knowledge. Everything from business analysis/ product management, UX design, business development/ sales, management consulting, presales, support.... the list goes on. I know people who were in exactly your position many years ago and have gone on to be founders of tech companies or senior execs in multi-nationals.

You know what you don't want to do. Time to focus on what will make you excited to work at every day. Ireland has a large number of tech multinationals with structured graduate programs for business development graduates.

LimeFruitGum · 08-08-2021 10:06am

How about a Project Manager or Scrum Master role in a tech company? You would know enough IT to recognize what resources you need etc for the project, but you would never be expected to code anything yourself. An Agile & Scrum Master course can be done in a few days and the Certified Scrum Master badge exam is open book. I doubt many new graduates will have an Agile course on their CV.

Grab All Association · 08-08-2021 10:10am

I know people who were in a similar position and got jobs with Apple tech support from home. Apparently they pay decently enough, are always hiring. Something else will come up. There was a thread on here, but you probably won’t be able to find it (Thanks Vanilla) with the recent updates.

listermint · 08-08-2021 10:13am

The route from a computer science degree to any of the thousands of roles in the technology sector is not fixed. You can quite literally choose a thousand directions. As above Project Management , Agile scrum masters. Technical project management. Product Manager / owner , Build Engineer , AWS cloud specialist , Systems Architecture, Support Engineer , DB Architect and so on and on.

Id probably advise you seek an entrance role such as technical support in a large company to then engage internally to see what other opportunities are there .

jjnaas · 08-08-2021 1:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117722763#Comment_117722763

Was it deleted? Any way to access it? I know someone looking to make a career change and the tech companies Apple, eBay, Shopify, Apple etc have these work-from-home support roles with very decent pay 30K upwards and benefits - health insurance, stock options. My friend is currently in the process of applying, he could move back down home and have the opportunity to save money and start a better life but it's so hard to find anything online about these jobs in Ireland. I thought there would be threads on here for sure. If these jobs are as advertised and there's no catch they should be gold dust opportunities esp in rural Ireland but....crickets.. Friend like OP did a computer science course, didn't like it esp coding, and has been up in Dublin managing a retail shop and living cheque to cheque. This could be a way out of retail and out of Dublin but the lack of info has him unsettled.

Mrs OBumble · 08-08-2021 2:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117723425#Comment_117723425

For most of them you need to have a secure workspace and wired broadband of good-enough speed to even apply. One (I cannot remember which) also asks that you have access to a backup space, in case your usual workspace is ever unavailable.

But keep an eye on job postings from Amazon, Apply, Spotify .. and there's a 4th one which has slipped my mind.

But I wouldn't advise these for the OP: they are basic support jobs, and because you're offsite, in most you don't get the chance to discover other options within the company.

antix80 · 13-08-2021 12:05am

I did a one year hdip in computers from an institute of technology that shall remain nameless.

The standard was atrocious. Ppl scraping by by learning "theory", group projects galore (to help weak students pass) and high marks for minimal programming skills. The lowlight was the project management lecture not knowing the formula for discount rates, setting an exam with no answer because she didn't understand how a PM tool should be applied, and miscalculating the payback method. She had a doctorate in IT.

These graduates were encouraged to continue on at masters level.

Then i saw the level 7 (3 year degree) paper and it was the same level as the 1 year hdip. Just with extra subjects like maths, marketing, entrepreneurship and the environment.

20 years ago, the level 7 had about 80% of students drop out. Nowadays, everyone passes as long as the government want to see degrees being pumped out and as long as the funding is there people can continue on to level 8, 9, skies the limit.

Anyway op, if you're a girl and want to work in a kick-ass MNC or high-tech environment that doesn't involve coding or being the best in the field, there seems to be jobs out there.- go in as customer service and you'll be promoted to AVP within 5 years - sooner if you're also a person of colour. If you're a guy, you just have to be really good at what you do because there's a lot of competition.

Jim2007 · 13-08-2021 10:35am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058202793/finished-a-degree-in-computer-science-but-didnt-learn-anything-need-a-job

You have got about 30 years to go... do you really want to spend it doing something you don't like. It is about time to face it head on, decide what you want to do and start figuring out how to achieve it. Nobody can answer that question for you, what do you like, what interests you, what would make you get out of bed each morning and go into work????? I know many people who work in very different areas to their degree, so that is not something new or difficult to understand for most employers.

And your statement about your degree makes no sense. On the one hand you are telling us you learned nothing and on the other hand you are expecting employers to somehow recognise your achievement in learning no skills of any use and having remained committed to it for 3 or 4 years.... Theory is very important, it's always the guys that don't understand the theory that fall over when they are expected to be able to apply their knowledge to a new area. If you are going to be able to sell yourself to an employer in a new area, you are going to need to have pride in what you achieved.

Finished a degree in computer science, but didn't learn anything. Need a job.

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