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Robaggio · 07-25-2005, 06:21 PM

If you're looking for a more programming-oriented degree you'll probably have to go all out and hit the Computer Science programs.

To elaborate on what theFez said: That degree you listed covers a lot of what I've done in my "Management of Computer Systems" degree. It's a lot about the "concept" and "structure" of programming but not a lot of "nitty gritty number crunching". MANY students drop out of the program here because they're either A) Confused as hell (It's hard! It's a prestegious MCS program) or B) They thought they'd "learn programming".

Basically, this degree and many other "managing/it" degrees will give you the skills needed to "understand" what's going on around you. You'll know how a car works, how to fix it, and how to replace parts, but you won't necessarily know how to design your own engine from scratch. On the plus side, you'll be more versitile- which seems to be more in line with what you want. On the negative side, given your previous degrees, this might be too much. You know how to manage things already- you might just need a push in the right direction to start thinking like a programmer. Getting another management degree might be redundant. Maybe all you need are 1 or 2 classes about a new language or databases?

As for me, my solution to not learning "nitty gritty" programming with my degree is to just do it myself. When I graduate I'll have the piece of paper saying "I have the tools", but I'll also have the hands on independant projects that say "I have the experience." So you might be able to get away with the same thing and just use the "Masters of Progrmaming" degree to jumpstart your own "nitty gritty" endeavors.

I'm kinda rambling here, so I'll sum things up with this:
Mangement/IT Programming degrees focus too much on management and "problem solving design" and not enough on "nitty gritty programming." A team of these graduates suffers from the "Too many generals, not enough troops" phenomenon. You'll have a killer plan to solve a problem... but not enough knowledge or power to solve it.

Computer Science degrees focus too much on math and "nitty gritty programming", but not enough on "problem solving design". A team of these graduates suffers from the "Too many troops, not enough generals problem". This team's projects (if they ever finish them) will be horribly designed without the guideance of those with more conceptual degrees.

Yeearrrgh!

07-25-2005, 06:21 PM	#7 (permalink)
Robaggio Crazy	If you're looking for a more programming-oriented degree you'll probably have to go all out and hit the Computer Science programs. To elaborate on what theFez said: That degree you listed covers a lot of what I've done in my "Management of Computer Systems" degree. It's a lot about the "concept" and "structure" of programming but not a lot of "nitty gritty number crunching". MANY students drop out of the program here because they're either A) Confused as hell (It's hard! It's a prestegious MCS program) or B) They thought they'd "learn programming". Basically, this degree and many other "managing/it" degrees will give you the skills needed to "understand" what's going on around you. You'll know how a car works, how to fix it, and how to replace parts, but you won't necessarily know how to design your own engine from scratch. On the plus side, you'll be more versitile- which seems to be more in line with what you want. On the negative side, given your previous degrees, this might be too much. You know how to manage things already- you might just need a push in the right direction to start thinking like a programmer. Getting another management degree might be redundant. Maybe all you need are 1 or 2 classes about a new language or databases? As for me, my solution to not learning "nitty gritty" programming with my degree is to just do it myself. When I graduate I'll have the piece of paper saying "I have the tools", but I'll also have the hands on independant projects that say "I have the experience." So you might be able to get away with the same thing and just use the "Masters of Progrmaming" degree to jumpstart your own "nitty gritty" endeavors. I'm kinda rambling here, so I'll sum things up with this: Mangement/IT Programming degrees focus too much on management and "problem solving design" and not enough on "nitty gritty programming." A team of these graduates suffers from the "Too many generals, not enough troops" phenomenon. You'll have a killer plan to solve a problem... but not enough knowledge or power to solve it. Computer Science degrees focus too much on math and "nitty gritty programming", but not enough on "problem solving design". A team of these graduates suffers from the "Too many troops, not enough generals problem". This team's projects (if they ever finish them) will be horribly designed without the guideance of those with more conceptual degrees. Yeearrrgh! Last edited by Robaggio; 07-25-2005 at 06:26 PM..