4 ms·

The Degree is technically an MComp not an MSc - and I understand that Newcastle is not the highest ranked University (it seems to sit around 13th for Computer S

The Degree is technically an MComp not an MSc - and I understand that Newcastle is not the highest ranked University (it seems to sit around 13th for Computer Science) but financially it is not viable for me to switch to another University at this stage. I would like to work for a large corporation - but I accept the reality that that may not be possible straight away. Thanks for all the comments by the way - peoples varied opinions have been very instructive.

sebkomianos 14y ago
For the record, I asked the same question 680 days ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2441751 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2441751 What happened after that is a some interviews (most of the successful) that, in a turn of events, led to a very well paying job in Greece (yes, that collapsing economy), a very short internship in Berlin, a 3 months gig as an iOS developer in one of Berlin's most upcoming startups and a few more offers for jobs. With that "average" mark from that "average" university and that "average" skillset. :)
- hugofirth 14y ago
  Thanks for coming back and helping me out! I think the difficulty I am having is that despite anecdotal evidence of people doing fine without it (which is fantastic) people continue to underscore the fact that an advanced degree is a plus for larger corporations (Google etc...). Whilst I am not someone who is married to a dream of working for MS/Goog etc... I certainly wouldn't want to rule it out entirely and would perhaps even like to aspire to it one day. A key concern for me is that the MComp course itself is 'deferred graduation' which means that I wouldn't leave University with a First class Bachelors and a distinction class MComp - just the MComp. This has often been the recourse for people who achieved less than a First at Bsc level to improve their employment prospects. I do not want employers to perceive it in that light as that would not be the case for me.

sebkomianos 14y ago

For the record, I asked the same question 680 days ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2441751 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2441751 What happened after that is a some interviews (most of the successful) that, in a turn of events, led to a very well paying job in Greece (yes, that collapsing economy), a very short internship in Berlin, a 3 months gig as an iOS developer in one of Berlin's most upcoming startups and a few more offers for jobs. With that "average" mark from that "average" university and that "average" skillset. :)

hugofirth 14y ago
Thanks for coming back and helping me out! I think the difficulty I am having is that despite anecdotal evidence of people doing fine without it (which is fantastic) people continue to underscore the fact that an advanced degree is a plus for larger corporations (Google etc...). Whilst I am not someone who is married to a dream of working for MS/Goog etc... I certainly wouldn't want to rule it out entirely and would perhaps even like to aspire to it one day. A key concern for me is that the MComp course itself is 'deferred graduation' which means that I wouldn't leave University with a First class Bachelors and a distinction class MComp - just the MComp. This has often been the recourse for people who achieved less than a First at Bsc level to improve their employment prospects. I do not want employers to perceive it in that light as that would not be the case for me.