Programming jobs without a computer science degree

Question

At the end of this year (hopefully) I will be graduating from Penn State with a B.S. in IST (Information Sciences and Technology). For those not aware, this is a mix of computer programming, project management, and networking all in one degree.

Since I've recently begun looking at full-time programming positions most say that they require a degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience. Did I 'screw up' by not just going with the Computer Science degree or will experiences in internships + classes possibly be enough to get me a regular entry-level job.

Work Experience:

• Ruby on Rails
• C#
• asp.net
• Javascript
• JQuery
• XML
• HTML/XHTML
• CSS

Class Experience:

• C++
• C#
• Hopefully java by the time I graduate.

Personally I have way more web development experience, but do not want to rule out software development at all.

Edit Also have experience with databases (MySQL, Oracle, MSSQL, Postgres) and querying these databases as well.

Answer 1

You could probably do well as a backend web programmer who can makes things work with the frontend, or vice versa. You know both worlds so you'd do well integrating them.

Answer 2

It turns out a lot of companies don't really care about your education, they're more interested in your experience with the technologies that they use. The fact that you don't have a CS degree might raise a few initial questions, but if you demonstrate that you know what you're doing, and you understand modern design methodologies, you should be okay. Some companies care more than others, just look around. If the company is into processing a lot of data and organizing data in complex data structures, they might be more keen on a CS major, but if it's more raw web development, you don't necessarily need the CS background, although it probably helps.

Answer 3

No.

I don't think companies will care too much on what your degree was as long as you have one and can demonstrate what you can do.

Make a web page, put things you have done on it. Go to interviews. Tell them that your degree is the same (even if it isn't exactly).

You don't learn much at uni really. Just what exists and how to use it basically.

Answer 4

It looks like you have the work experience that you should be able to get a development job. Yes, as CS degree is something that HR people want, but most would rather have a competent programmer.

If you can demonstrate that you know your stuff, are a team player, and an all around competent individual, you should have no issues.

Answer 5

Speaking from experience (I have the same degree), most companies place emphasis on your experience and your knowledge of technologies rather than your degree. If you submit a resume with those technologies, you'll probably get an interview somewhere and be able to prove you know your stuff, which is all they're looking for.

I had the exact same doubts you currently do my senior year 2 years ago. With a little bit of luck and good interview/programming skills you will be just fine.

Answer 6

I don't know what it is like in other parts of the world but in Australia your CS degree just gets you an "in" into your first job, then after doing that for a couple of years no one asks about your education anymore, only about your previous work.

When I finished my degree I went straight into full time work a week after my last exam, before I had my final results published. They did ask for my latest available academic results, but I didn't get around to officially getting my graduation paper until years later, but no one ever asked to see it...

What I find with university is that it doesn't give you alot of up to date practical knowledge, but it does give you important grounding in theory...though there is also alot of theory I have never used again in my 4 years working professionally.

At the end of the day, there is no substitute for passion and experience. If you can show you have the first and have a bit of the second, you may well be in with a chance to build a career.

Answer 7

I personally don't have a degree at all, and haven't had too much trouble getting job offers from interviews.

During interviews, I stress the fact that I code for fun, on weekends, and do my own research. Being Autodidactic means you can pick up anything I guess, and if you show an interest in some bizzarre technologies and/or some deep technical insight you should do ok in technical interviews. Besides, Grad positions are usually pretty dull and non-challenging. When people are hiring for them, they are usually looking for someone to do jobs that the other devs are too far beyond. Your progress through the ranks will probably depend on inate ability from then on, but I wouldn't worry about it too much!

Answer 8

I have had programming jobs at several major companies without even having a college degree.

The lack of degree has not harmed my career in any way, although I wish I had been able to gain some of the knowledge in a more concentrated way...

Neither of the two best developers that I've known in my life had degrees, either.

Now, that's not saying that a degree isn't useful, or that skipping college is a good way to start a career (I estimate I could have been 5-10 years further along if I had finished school), just that it's not necessarily an unstoppable barrier.

Answer 9

The problem with most "on the job" programming is that it is taught by people who have bad practices and generally speaking are poor teachers. I think that it is essential to get a Computer Science degree in order to fully understand the complexity of software and all of it's layers of abstraction. Simply learning some new technology is not enough. It is probably the foremost reason why most software fails miserably. Knowledge alone is nothing without understanding. Be smart get your degree.

Answer 10

It is true that experience can take you places. But at the same time, the importance of earning a relevant degree should not to be overlooked. Many of us make the mistake of choosing a computer degree which leaves us as jack of all trades and master of none. The degree program that we enroll in must be comprehensive and entail courses and technologies that are sought after by employers. A good computer major is one which imparts optimum practical knowledge along with theoretical background. Therefore, we must explore computer degree programs and make sure that we choose the right one to achieve our career goals.

Answer 11

I majored in technical writing of all things and it has proven to be extremely helpful. I taught myself how to program and jumped into the open source community writing blogs, tutorials, etc. By writing about these things, it also helped me to understand the language (Ruby) I was learning as well as the framework (Rails). Now I get lots of interesting web development jobs with all kinds of interesting people. Often times I find that the people with the CS degrees tend to box themselves in to extremely technical positions. They are unable to see out of the box and get given the heavy-duty processing jobs. I have met other developers that never spent a day in school or majored in things as diverse as linguistics that are fabulous developers. It all has to do with your level of commitment to learning, passion for creating new applications and implementing new ideas, also it doesn't hurt to spend some time hacking on open source projects and contributing to the community.

Also, don't underestimate the importance of communication, whether it be verbal or written. When I first started as a Rails engineer I knew that I didn't have some of the programming chops that many others did; however, I was able to communicate well and showed a passion for learning. It did help that I was able to write all of the copy, help, and documentation for the site as well! However you start just get your foot in the door and never stop learning, both from books and people!