This is going to seem strange coming from someone who works in academia, but after nearly 30 years in the “business”, I can honestly say I don’t know if a computer science degree is warranted anymore. It was once, and may be useful for some people, but those who have the aptitude for computing might just find it somewhat of a hindrance. Here’s my perspective busting two of the most common myths in CS.
Myth: A computer science degree will provide the knowledge required to allow someone to build a website, or an app, or some piece of meaningful software.
Reality: In most CS programs, that’s just not the case. Many programs offer a lot of theory, and some throw in a fair bit of math. Yes, there are programming courses, but they almost always seem like a means to an end. You learn C, you learn more C, you learn data structures and algorithms… in C (or Java, C++, whatever language a school likes). And while come courses might help you construct small programs of sorts, very few actually allow you to build large programs, or apps, or anything of the sort. This may be in part because a semester is little enough time to achieve anything. In many respects a CS degree is like doing a massive jigsaw puzzle, but only solving small blocks of puzzle pieces, and never getting to the point where you see the entire puzzle completed, partially because there are pieces missing that prevent you seeing the full picture. Also, not all of the real-time skills needed will be taught in a university setting, in many cases you will need to take additional courses, and acquire real-world skills.
Myth: Computer science degrees offer a real-time, contemporary curriculum.
Reality: University CS programs tend to teach the same things they have taught for the past 40 years. Yes, there are sometimes newer upper-year courses covering in-vogue topics such as cyber-security, but they are never taught in enough depth to be of any real value. A course on image processing will only teach the basics of manipulating images, and will usually avoid delving into real-world projects (and may indeed focus on way too many low-level mathy things). Otherwise the first few years of every CS degree in every institution look roughly the same.
There is an inherent disconnect between CS courses and the skills required in the real-world. A CS degree doesn’t really teach anyone to become a software professional – it didn’t 40 years ago, and it doesn’t now. You also have to keep in mind that you are learning from people who in all likelihood have never worked in tech, or at least not in recent memory. They also likely have never build a large piece of software, app, or website – their primary job is as researchers. In part it is understandable, the tech industry moves too fast to enable CS departments to keep up. It can take years to change a curriculum, by which time industry has shifted again. Universities in general don’t have an agile infrastructure to allow rapid changes. Therefore CS degrees can’t really adapt to changes in industry. Instead they teach the “core” CS principles – things that haven’t changed much since the 1980s. And while these core skills are important, they may not always provide enough of the skills required to get a job.
So is a computer science degree worthwhile in 2024? I don’t know for sure, but I would lean towards saying no. There are some caveats. If you choose a school that offers coop, then these coop jobs are where you might actually learn something (and provide good opportunities for networking). But you usually have to weigh this up against spending five years in university – five years can be incredibly costly. So if you have a exceptional programming skills already, it may be better going the bootcamp route, and then getting actual industry experience. There are companies for whom a CS degree matters less than the ability to actually solve problems and think outside the box. There are people with a CS degree who couldn’t code themselves out of the fruit-loops packet, and have non-existent problem solving skills, but somehow they still get degrees. Degrees aren’t everything.
Unlike 40 years ago, where the only source for learning CS was university, today there are countless resources online to teach the skills required. Now if you want a CS degree, my recommendations would be to either choose one with a good coop option, or choose a short degree, i.e. three years, making sure to supplement your degree with side projects that help create a portfolio. However you be somewhat naive and think a CS degree will automatically teach you all the skills you need for your career in computing. The job you get after graduating is directly proportional to the amount of effort you put into both your education, and relevant experience.
Also, a career in CS is not for everyone. If you don’t like the idea of programming, don’t like to solve problems, and are adverse to lifelong learning, then CS is not for you. Choose wisely.
The Craft of Coding 