Max Veteran Posted December 6, 2003 Veteran Share Posted December 6, 2003 I would like to do a degree which involves hands-on computer repair, maintenance and upgrade. I am a U.K student. What qualification would be close to this? Computer engineering? What would the UCAS code be for this degree? EDIT: Also, what is university like in general? How big is your room? (any photos?), Internet connection in your room? (hehe) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benindev Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Ola, Im Studying Computer Science. Dont know what to say on your choice of course really, so i'll move swiftly onwards... 1) University will change your life. Who ever said school says were the best day of your life, was wrong. University all the way. 2) Big enough for 8 people to play monopoly in! 3) 10Mb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGM Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 You really dont need to go to university to learn the stuff you just mentioned, i would advise you tp do a computing degree however, or some other technical degree. Many jobs simply ask for you to be educated to degree level, therefore you could have a degree in farting and still get to the interview. Computing i believe just looks good, and if your into it you will enjoy it, and thats the main thing. I find it interesting and it keeps me motivated to do the work because it interested me. I study Computing and IT at Uni of Surrey and love it. :) As for your other questions.. 1) Uni is ace, and you should not miss out.. yes it will change your life, muchly forthe better 2) Depends where you go, my room is plenty big enough for 2 computers a bike, a small (ish) bed and a wardrobe.. with plenty of room left to swing a cat. 3) Again depends where you go. Iv only got 56k in my room (that i have to pay 1p/min to) but its not a big deal. I go out more and do other stuff such as EXERXISE rather then being online.. if you desperately want internet make sure you have it before you apply and not just promises!! - most major UK unis have campus networks in the dorms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Veteran Posted December 6, 2003 Author Veteran Share Posted December 6, 2003 Whoarrr, 10MB! Which university do you go to? Computer science...what kind of coursework do you get in this? Also, do universities consider any other qualifications you may have except A-levels? (I am nearly CompTIA A+ certified, and wondering whether this would make a difference when I apply) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benindev Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Whoarrr, 10MB! Which university do you go to?Computer science...what kind of coursework do you get in this? Also, do universities consider any other qualifications you may have except A-levels? (I am nearly CompTIA A+ certified, and wondering whether this would make a difference when I apply) Exeter. The work is all pretty easy so far (im a fresher), except for some horrible diverse boring maths. And i dont think Uni's are interested in anything other than yout GCSEs/A Levels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Veteran Posted December 6, 2003 Author Veteran Share Posted December 6, 2003 I have just read that at Exeter uni, you have to pay an admin charge for the internet. How much is this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyC Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 I am a Comp. Science grad (2:1 from Warwick Uni) and if I were you I would not do a degree entirely computer repair etc (if such a degree exists ... from what I have seen there aren?t any the specifically do what you?re asking). Instead I would try and head down the Computing with Engineering side of things ... I know that they cover all sorts of topics that will hopefully make you more marketable in the workplace when you leave uni (as your job ideas may change in three years time!). About the university decision, its not for everyone ... its tough (you freshers no nothing yet ... wait till the end of the 2nd year ... and all of the 3rd!), and the student lifestyle can be a real pain (little money, working while going to uni etc.) Best of luck whatever your decision... -RandyC- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Veteran Posted December 6, 2003 Author Veteran Share Posted December 6, 2003 (edited) Thanks guys, ive got a lot of time to decide where to go and what to do, etc. I am a bit worried about money. Theres like people coming out of uni with like ?10,000+ in debt. What are your 'timetables' like? If I was to take one degree, how many lessons/lecture hours would I have per day? Will I have enough time for a part-time job? Edited December 6, 2003 by absolutemaxpayne.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neowin_hipster Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 (edited) What qualification would be close to this? Computer engineering? Hell no! It would be quite the overkill. If you wanna design cpu's, do research and develop new technologies then you would computer engineering. I'm in 2nd year and only the first semester of it and i can design isa cards, pci cards, dsp chips and whatnot using fpga's (reconfigurable chips to save fabbing costs and for testing, low volume production etc) In first year i did a risc cpu but just at the logic level and debugging using waveforms. University is a place that you go to where you wanna be able to do anything. It's a hell of a challenge but you come out of it ready to develop new technologies and do leading edge research. If all you wanted to do was repair and assemble best off going to some technical college and getting in a 2 year program or getting an A+ and MSCE Edited December 6, 2003 by Goalie_CA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
123_kid Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 what is university like in general? How big is your room? (any photos?), Internet connection in your room? (heh 1. Really boring! Here in the US, you go to class for 16 hours a week and the rest of the time is yours. You can either study or just chill. I'm personally partial to just sitting around. 2. About 20 x 12. I share it with my room mate. We have a loft so space isn't a problem. 3. Yes, wireless. 6mb/s shared among 550 students...not so fun but it's alright most of the time. We also get 100MB of storage for a website that the school hosts. I just have a simple site up right now but 100MB is more than enough to store a couple of desktop screenshots which is what I mainly use it for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Veteran Posted December 6, 2003 Author Veteran Share Posted December 6, 2003 Is uni 'better' in America than in the U.K? Probably is, but what about financially? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrentNewbury Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Hiya absolutemaxpayne.co.uk, I'm currently in my second year of a BSc (Hons) Degree in Software Engineering. University is a great place to socialise with friends and obviouly; learn. At University you'll learn the very deep, technical aspects of Computing, depending on the course you choose. However, you may not need to study as deep into computing as a degree will take you. You need to look into University aswell as other options. Please be aware that you'll need atleast 3 A levels or equivalent to study at University. I completed a BTEC National Diploma in Computing which is recognised as a more focused qualification that the A Level. "Is uni 'better' in America than in the U.K?" >> No. A UK Degree is usually 'better' than it's US counterpart, depending on the Univeristy. However, Yale, MIT, and Princeton are equal, if not excelling, Cambridge and Oxford. - Tranquility Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Veteran Posted December 6, 2003 Author Veteran Share Posted December 6, 2003 I'm currently in my first year of A-levels (yes, im planning early). I am doing AVCE Business Studies (double), ICT and General Studies. After I have completed these, I would like to take AVCE ICT (single) as I have heard this has a more practical approach than the A-level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyC Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 (edited) Hiya absolutemaxpayne.co.uk,I'm currently in my second year of a BSc (Hons) Degree in Software Engineering. University is a great place to socialise with friends and obviouly; learn. At University you'll learn the very deep, technical aspects of Computing, depending on the course you choose. However, you may not need to study as deep into computing as a degree will take you. You need to look into University aswell as other options. Please be aware that you'll need atleast 3 A levels or equivalent to study at University. I completed a BTEC National Diploma in Computing which is recognised as a more focused qualification that the A Level. "Is uni 'better' in America than in the U.K?" >> No. A UK Degree is usually 'better' than it's US counterpart, depending on the Univeristy. However, Yale, MIT, and Princeton are equal, if not excelling, Cambridge and Oxford. - Tranquility Oxbridge have for many years relied on their name rather than supplying the best teaching/courses. I for one thought Oxford was very bad in terms of computing with poor tuition, out of date course material and poor equipment (didn't manage to get over to Cambridge but I would say it would be better but not my a huge margin I can imagine). As for US degrees, overall the UK degree is more respected but as US degrees are 4 years in length rather than 3 that UK degrees are. In the top US universities, the courses on offer do cover more material than the top UK university purely because of the course length, but I would say that all in all that the UK degree is better overall. I would have liked to do a term (semester) or two in a US university to make the comparison but I was not able to during my time at uni :( I'm surprised no one yet has brought up the tuition fees argument. I for one am opposed to any increased to fees (they are high enough already). Due to them and the student loan, I am one the vast majority of students who have graduated with ?10,000 + debts through no fault of my own. It is a issue and one to be taken into account if you are unlucky enough to be 14 at the moment and thinking of going to university (the ?3000 or above tuition fees are slated to be introduced by the time this age group gets to university age apparently). If you don't make the grade (in terms of A-Level points) you could always look to joining a company at a junior position, perhaps in the tech. support call centre and work up from there. I took a summer intern at a fairly large PC builder company two years ago and found out that many people who didn't have a degree took this path into the business. Most employers do actually take notice of people who show potential and work from the ground up in the company instead of jumping in as an inexperienced graduate ... remember that! -RandyC- P.S. I had around 18 hours a week timetabled in uni (split between lectures, seminars and lab sessions). The rest of the time is yours to do, as you want! Tremendous freedom but remember each module (at least in my university) represents 150 hours work, so you better get some after hours study in as well! My hall room in my first year was a bit of a nightmare. It was located between the toilet, the kitchen (very noisy as my bed was right next to the microwave and the work unit draws - there was a thin wall in the way also) and the most randy couple ever in the room next to mine. Ear plugs and a good sense of humour is a must for uni hall living! Edited December 6, 2003 by RandyC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Behold! My Pants Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 i'm going with uni in the UK and the US are very different. 1, there's not so much planning. bascially, you just take the ACT/SAT (SAT 2's too, but those aren't required), and you go to uni. where you go doesn't really matter, if you go to most any state university or private college and study hard and get good grades it won't really matter, esp if you decide to get a masters or doctorate later. true, harvard, yale, etc have more prestige, and perhaps if two equally qualified candidates were up for a job and one went to State U and one went to Yale, the Yale guy might get it. also...i don't pay for school, plenty of people do, but its quite easy to get scholarships, well, if you're smart. the cheapest its going to be is roughly $13,000 a year for in-state public university (unless you live in Georiga). private colleges are a bit more, around $27-38,000 year) that sounded really bad. oh well. but yeah, get good grades in high school (or whatever you guys in the UK have) and then do good on your standardized tests (i'm guessing that's what A-levels are). but 14's a bit early to be thinking about this sort of thing (i guess, it is if you live in america). but college is fun times, no doubt. lots of drinking. plenty of ass. okay, actually, not so much ass, well, maybe, it depends. great parties. football games (i'm still really bitter that we lost to LSU). just make sure you go to class. that's important. and study. i don't really think you have frats over there, those can be fun if that's your thing, they throw some pretty sweet parties (personally, i'm waiting for next semster for the sigma chi's big party....they've been on voluntary social probation, so they have like $100,000 saved up in party money. oh yeah.) yeah, i'm pretty sure you can't get a degree in "computer repair" per se. computer science, or computer engineering, yes, but that'd be a crapload of math and science probably. besides, that'd be no fun, do something like history. that's where its at. i have 10mb ehternet connection, room is big enough. desk, bed, tv and then my roommate's desk and bed, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyC Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 ... besides, that'd be no fun, do something like history. that's where its at. i have 10mb ehternet connection, room is big enough. desk, bed, tv and then my roommate's desk and bed, etc. Don't get me started on Arts degrees. Most of the people in my union were on the history or sociology courses and did bugger all work from all accounts! Still if you want to live it up in university and don't feel like you want to learn something meaningful for later in life ... go ahead! Only joking it isn't my bag that?s all, I did English at A-Level and felt that it was far to regimented for my liking ... I like analysing books and writing; but some of the things they made us read and analyse were gut wrenchingly boring (bloody modern women?s short stories - what a load of feminist bulls***!). I managed to go along to two unis in the states in the summer (not as a student though). The first was University of Georgia - Athens, great town and some of those frat. girls ? wow ... no brains but a great time was had by all! The other was University of California San Diego, huge campus and I saw Jack Johnson and Ben Harper playing on the "football" field ? great stuff! -RandyC- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Veteran Posted December 6, 2003 Author Veteran Share Posted December 6, 2003 (edited) I would like to avoid all the maths and physics if possible :) I am 16, and will be 17 in 8 months time. I'm looking into these 'new' MCSE's that specialise. Has anyone here tried them, or are they too new? EDIT: I got a double B grade for my GNVQ Business Studies, and I am taking AVCE Business now. I don't think I will take any other subjects like business after A-Level. Edited December 6, 2003 by absolutemaxpayne.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimplyPotatoes Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 school doesnt matter its who you know when my father was working he took 1 year of college then had lunch a few times with the boss and started making over 150k a year because they created a new position for him at HP...remember no matter how much you goto school other people are doing the same. bachelors degree ha! 20years ago no one was getting them and the people with the were held high, now everyone has them, masters are getting so much more common as well, and BSA degree. well in a few 4week course you can have your BSA as well its not like it used to be sucks for all the people trying to get tech jobs now :( so much more competition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyC Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 (edited) MCSE's are not that new, they have been around for many years in fact. The problem with getting professional qualifications is that you have to pay for them. Usually the best way to get these qualifications is through a company who not only pay for you to do them, also keep you up to date when new technologies arrive. I know the company I currently work for will subsidise MCSE, MCP, CCNA etc. and even some degree/masters courses! -RandyC- Edited December 6, 2003 by RandyC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranceSphere Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 Im in my 1st year at uni. So far its been good :) im starting to feel the pressure tho (week 12 i have gotta hand in 3 assignments and do a presentation) eeekkk. :( I dont live in the dorms but from what i hear from ppl they arnt that big (depends where u go). Im doing a Computer Networks course. The first 2 years is a mixture of different stuff (not just networking) we do 3d studio max work, programming in java (not java script), systems analysis, computer systems architecture etc. I do 14 hours a week (lectures, tutorials and practicals) but they also have clinic's on which is optional (u only go there if u need help etc). I dont know what our net connection is at the main site but its damn fast :p (i get downloads over 2mbps). On the 3rd year we get a job placement for a year :o (paid job :woot: ). And on the 4th year we have our final project which is based on networking. :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts