Computer Science at uni. Is it worth it?

[Blurryeyed123]

DC will be in Y12 in Sept and wants to do computer science at uni. With the advent of how quickly AI is developing and taking off in all sectors plus how competitive a course it is, I am wondering if it is the right decision.

Any thoughts from parents with recent graduates or those of you already in the sector would be most welcome.

There's a lot more lot CS than AI, and I think always will be.

I would suggest for all students to work in the holidays, especially during the summer. If he can afford it, take an internship (as much as I disagree with unpaid work) but it is so much easier to get that graduate job if you already have some decent work experience.

Internships shouldn't be unpaid nowadays!

@ErrolTheDragon My bad, I’m glad if that’s not the case anymore.

Our current intake of SW Engineering interns are on a salary of £32k pa.

I'm going to work them hard lol

Finally had a chance to catch up with the posts. Thank you for your insights.

@poetryandwine just checked the graduate prospects column in the Complete uni guide. interestingly I noted that Surrey comes up tops for grad prospects in computer science. Their entry requirement is ABB which I found interesting.

@TizerorFizz Maths or engineering do sound more versatile as degrees in terms of alternative job prospects but if you're competing against all the computer science graduates on top and still wanted to work in this field, I wondered if it might disadvantage you further..

@PermanentTemporary I suspect my DD will be like your son. I can't see her enjoying engineering or maths in the same way. She just finished work experience with an IT company last week and was excited about different roles esp digital forensics. She is only 16 of course and may change her mind yet but it seems sensible to consider options. I wish we had a similar system to the US where you could decide on majors/minors as you progress through uni not have to consider in Y12.

My DC is in fact a DD and having looked at number of offers to applications for some of the top ranked unis, it's somewhat daunting. I am reassured by Surrey's grad prospects though, but not sure how to interpret it. How come it is so high, and in fact higher than Oxbridge or Imperial at that!

... forgot to mention. Its DD and she's in a state grammar. She is looking at Oxbridge/Imperial aspirationally but hasn't yet looked at realistic or back up options yet. TBH a lot of the top RG uni's seem aspirational given how competititive it is. Given her past grades I think she is capable of ABB on a bad day, hoping she will manage AAA or better though. We will have to watch how Y12 goes ofcourse.

@Blurryeyed123 My guess would be Surrey has good employment stats because Guildford is home to many gaming/tech company headquarters . Also close enough to London for graduates to get jobs there. And it's affluent with plenty of work in sectors such as design or theatre for computer tech types. Guildford is a relatively easy place to stay on and live in after graduating as well.

It depends what units / modules you take.

I loved, "human computer interaction", you look at the human and the IT as one thing. The idea is to make the tech work for the user, but that depends on the user. So it could be some sort of booking system, software for use by medical practitioners, interactive teaching etc etc.

That can lead to a career in itself.

CS isn't all about IT / computers. Pacemakers are programable, that means somebody has to design how they react to the heart's underlying rhythms.

Lots of medical equipment is getting more sophisticated. There is potential for a Dr in the UK to use equipment in Australia to perform an operation. Or the other way round.

HCI and linguistics are becoming more entwined. That's probably more of a research role rather than a graduate role.

Also there is often a chance to do a joint or a major / minor option with another subject.

Dd boyfriend just finished his degree in CS at Bath. He did a year in industry last year. He's just got a graduate job in the city paying a bloody good wage for a graduate post. He didn't do CS at A-level so it was a steep learning curve for him but he really enjoyed his degree.

@Blurryeyed123 My ds is st Surrey doing CS. They do seem to have a focus on the year in industry which helps with future employment. As pp said it is close to London and lots of tech companies. But I agree the employment prospects figures do seem higher than you would expect.

Following as my son also wants to do this, hopefully at Oxford.

What about a degree apprenticeship? They're competitive but there are loads of them available.

We visited Surrey uni and I couldn't have been more impressed with the lecturers, really keen on teaching not just interested in their research which was the vibe we got from lecturers at some unis we visited.

@Ellerby83 I noted they pride themselves in their industry placement but a lot of other universities also seem to have these. Is there a difference? Would some universities expect you to find your own placement and this is what Surrey do well as the university actively support?

@Sue152 I couldn't find many degree apprenticeships when googling. Am I looking in the wrong places? DD found one that was linked with Birmingham/Queen Mary but wasn't too sure about these options. Do you know if these form part of the UCAS application or are applied for separately?

I couldn't find many degree apprenticeships when googling. Am I looking in the wrong places?

https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-students/planning-to-study/degree-apprenticeships-guide-for-apprentices/find-a-degree-apprenticeship/

The government offer loads. And so do large companies e.g. Rolls Royce, BAE Systems. See if there is a large employer nearby that offers them as that's how most people I've met get on them.

Maths or engineering do sound more versatile as degrees in terms of alternative job prospects but if you're competing against all the computer science graduates on top and still wanted to work in this field, I wondered if it might disadvantage you further.

The disadvantage at the moment is that you may have to do a bootcamp or Masters to get a job with larger organisations. I suspect it is the economic cycle.

However once you have done one you are seen the same as everyone else.

I know people who have done degrees like Music Technology, Physics and Geology. The older ones just got on graduate schemes and learnt to program there if they were interested, however the younger ones have had to get on a bootcamp or do a Masters degree.

In regards to Data Science - all the Data Scientists I've worked with have had a Masters in it after doing a Maths based degree. I actually have a relative who works in Data Science. He has lots of work experience simply because he didn't know what he wanted to specialise in. So when ads say he has to have 2 years or more experience, he like some of the people I've worked with had that before before they finished their Masters.

Also as lots of IT jobs don't involve programming I've met and worked with people with Marketing, Accounting, Economics and a random assortment of degrees. It really depends on what jobs you are focusing on.

You can easily move jobs with an engineering degree. Going into anything with IT is possible and engineering gives you way more choice. As does maths. However ABB on a bad day won’t mean Imperial for anything. AAA possibly isn’t enough for CS at top unis either. I would therefore research below elite and top tier.

@Reugny Thank you. I’ll show it to DD and consider all options and paths.

@TizerorFizz I have no idea how DD will fare with predicted grades yet. She has just finished GCSE exams and she is hoping for 9s and 8s. She should be capable of AAA but her and I think she is def capable of A*s. We will have to consider options next year this time with a bit more experience. It is difficult to narrow down target uni’s at this stage. She is gritty sort and perseveres so I am somewhat optimistic.

@DiscoBeat is your DC applying for 2025 cycle and are they already decided on course?

If your DD is hoping for all 8s and 9s at GCSE, I would expect her to be able to receive As at A Levels, at least in some subjects. She will have her pick Cambridge only wants AA*A (plus their admission test and interview).

Surrey University Computer Science department I love for personal reasons. I am glad to hear it is doing so well still.

Cambridge only wants AAA (plus their admission test and interview).

A doddle then 😉 . Not so, say all those with 4 A* predictions who get rejected each year

A doddle it certainly won’t be 😬… I’ve seen the admission statistics and the predicted grades that receive offers. DD will need to have a good dose of resilience that’s for sure.

And some common sense to look at a few less elite unis.

Yes definitely a spread of Uni needing different grades on the UCAS form!

DS visited Bath for 2025 and loved it. Your post is very reassuring so thank you.

Last year was full of Mums with DCs who had 4 A* predictions and zero offers. Very depressing.

I work in tech and most people don’t have Computer science degrees. I agree with other posters, better off doing a different STEM degree and learn to code on the side (computer science is more than just coding but 95% of the stuff you learn you won’t use in real life although it does help provide a good foundation).

Isn’t this more reflective of a generational difference in number of CS graduates for increased CS jobs at time of graduation? Would you say this rings true to the newer graduates too?