COMP SCI UNI VS TAFE

[Momboom]

Hi Atar Notes,

Just found out today that I suffer from a noticeable brain damage so no med for me!! time to move on to plan b where I really belong, which is engineering/comp sci at monash,swinburne or unsw.

so my question is:
 -"If I do decide to pursue a comp sci degree, is it actually worth it for me to go to a university VS a tafe (in terms of tuition fees, time invested and future employability)?"

from what i can gather from my friends and families, universities in australia are a scam except for med and law because tafes are much cheaper, have better teaching quality due to smaller cohort size and generally provides a more hand-on experience. Therefore, I was wondering whether it would be a better idea to quickly gain some experience in TAFE and move on to the industry as fast as possible (I already have some comp sci experience from learning at home) as opposed to the traditional uni way of wasting 3 or 4 years at an "elite institute", then stressing out for entire year job hunting, only for it to be a sub 100k salary job

But then again, universities do have a much better reputation than tafes and I am not entirely sure how important that is when it comes to future employability. So, any insights from current or past comp sci students regarding this matter will be extremely appreciated.

[DrDusk]

Hi Atar Notes,

Just found out today that i actually have autism so no med for me!! time to move on to plan b where I really belong, which is engineering/comp sci at monash,swinburne or unsw.

so my question is:
 -"If I do decide to pursue a comp sci degree, is it actually worth it for me to go to a university VS a tafe (in terms of tuition fees, time invested and future employability)?"

from what i can gather from my friends and families, universities in australia are a scam except for med and law because tafes are much cheaper, have better teaching quality due to smaller cohort size and generally provides a more hand-on experience. Therefore, I was wondering whether it would be a better idea to quickly gain some experience in TAFE and move on to the industry as fast as possible (I already have some comp sci experience from learning at home) as opposed to the traditional way of wasting 4 years at an "elite institute", then stressing out for entire year job hunting.

But then again, universities do have a much better reputation than tafes and I am not entirely sure how important that is when it comes to comp sci job hunting. So, any insights from current or past comp sci students regarding this matter will be extremely appreciated.

Firstly I can assure you universities in Australia are not a scam =). I'll explain why.
I have a friend who just finished his Diploma in tafe in Information technology. Comparing what he learnt to what I learnt there is a stark difference in terms of difficulty. I'm not saying Tafe is bad, but University is certainly not a scam as such =). Now my friend actually has told me many things about Tafe such as how unorganized they are etc. Generally university degrees hold more value than a Tafe Diploma, however if you are a good student something which employers can find out easily, then you should have no problem finding a job.

Teaching quality at tafe for IT from what I've gathered from a lot of people I know who went there is of less quality compared to a university, it is much less difficult as well. There is no definitive answer as to whether you should go to Tafe or Uni. It depends on each person individually. Some people may find University as the right option and others Tafe.

Also if you want to become like a programmer you will most likely need a degree from a university. Tafe actually does not teach you all the stuff you require. It teaches you the basics like Information technology and some programming to get you a start in industry but you will definitely have a large gap in knowledge. I'm just being as transparent as possible here =)

So in the end do what you feel is best. No one here can tell you exactly what is best for you. That is for you to find out =). If your gut is saying Tafe, then go to tafe or otherwise university.

[Aaron]

No entry level position in IT/CS pays 100k or more a year. With experience and opportunity comes bigger rewards.

I firmly believe that IT/CS is an applied discipline and after completing an academic IT degree (by the time I completed all my electives you may as well call it CS, I did most of the course map anyway), I would say that TAFE probably would've been the better option for me as I barely learnt any practical skills throughout my degree. Since completing, they've introduced an internship and industry project which helps I suppose but it doesn't beat learning hands on.

In terms of employability, it really does depend on what you intend on doing after you do said uni/TAFE course. If you planned on doing your own thing rather than working for someone else, a TAFE course could be sufficient. If not, I would probably say if you intend on doing something other than this, an academic course would probably be better. Unfortunately the perception of TAFE in general is quite negative and it's a shame because TAFE and uni can co-exist and be valuable based on an individual's circumstances.

It really is a crowded space due to the ease of outsourcing and cheaper labour through overseas workers, which makes it difficult to secure anything decent.

[DrDusk]

. Unfortunately the perception of TAFE in general is quite negative and it's a shame because TAFE and uni can co-exist and be valuable based on an individual's circumstances.

Correct. I think this comes from the fact that TAFE is seen as more of a place for trades and so when it comes to things like IT people's views become negative.

[Unsplash]

No entry level position in IT/CS pays 100k or more a year.

You sure about this? Plenty of junior/graduate DS roles go for in excess of 100k in Aus.