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Software Engineering vs Computer Science Degree
12K views
Feb 6, 2024
"Software Engineering vs Computer Science Degree" is an informative video that compares and contrasts the two academic paths in the field of computer technology. The video likely discusses the key differences between a degree in software engineering and one in computer science, such as curriculum focus, coursework, and career outcomes. It may explore how a software engineering degree typically emphasizes practical application and development methodologies, while a computer science degree focuses more on theoretical foundations and algorithmic concepts. Additionally, the video may address factors such as job opportunities, salary potential, and industry demand for graduates with each type of degree. By providing insights into the distinctions between software engineering and computer science degrees, the video aims to help viewers make informed decisions about their academic and career paths in the technology sector.
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0:00
If you're thinking about getting a college degree so you can become a software engineer
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or get some other job in the tech industry, then this video is for you. First, I'll share the differences between getting a software engineering degree and
0:09
a computer science degree. Then I'll talk about how choosing one over the other will affect your long-term career
0:15
and I'll even share something with you that if you're leaning towards software engineering
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that is important for you to know. So let's get started. First off, there are thousands of universities and each of these schools have slightly different
0:27
programs and the programs can also vary from country to country. So in this video, I'm going to focus on more of the common aspects of the software engineering
0:36
and computer science degrees. I'm also focusing more on a four-year degree, not an associate's or a master's, though
0:42
a lot of things that I'm going to talk about in this video would actually apply to those
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other options. A CS or computer science degree is the degree that is most often associated with software engineering
0:54
In this degree, you're going to be learning a lot about math. You're going to learn everything up to calculus and linear algebra, differential equations
1:02
You'll learn a ton about how computers work, computer architecture, assembly language
1:07
and how the code that you write in higher level languages is compiled down into something
1:11
that a computer can use. You'll also be learning about operating systems, as well as networks, which is how all of these
1:18
complex systems communicate with each other. As part of a computer science program, you're going to be taking a couple of classes on
1:24
computer programming, where you're going to learn the core principles behind how to write good code
1:29
And you're also going to learn about data structures, which is basically different ways
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that we store data so that it's easy to access and easy to use
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For example, in objects, arrays, or linked lists. Often as software engineers, we have to deal with a ton of data in a ton of different data structures
1:45
And depending on how we interact with this data, it can be either fast or it can be really
1:50
really slow. So you'll be learning about algorithms, which are efficient ways to access and interact
1:56
with data, common patterns to make your code much better. Then there's putting all this together into something useful, an application
2:03
You're going to have to learn how to take all that data and put it into a database to store it and how to retrieve it, maybe directly or across the network from a user interface
2:11
You'll also learn how to design those user interfaces so that they're user-friendly and
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intuitive, which means you're going to be working across a bunch of different platforms. And you're going to be doing this for web development, it could be for mobile, and it
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could be for native applications. And as a computer scientist, you're going to be getting a healthy dose of the theoretical
2:29
and academic approaches to learning how to solve computer-related problems. With software engineering, the first couple of years are going to be very similar to computer science
2:38
And you will start off with learning a lot of math, but you won't be diving as deep into
2:43
the math. You will be learning a lot of the same core fundamentals of programming, but you'll also
2:48
be heavily focused on developing programming skills specific to getting a job as a software engineer
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Which means you're going to need to understand the fundamentals like the data structures
2:57
the algorithms, and how to write efficient applications. But instead of deep diving into math, you're going to be learning a lot more about the
3:05
software development lifecycle. You're going to be learning more about planning applications, gathering requirements, preparing
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design specifications. You'll probably spend more time learning different strategies for writing software
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such as Waterfall, Agile, Kanban, Scrum, or other similar methodologies. You'll need to learn about design patterns and quality assurance and soft skills, how
3:28
to work as a team, and you'll probably even explore some of the different aspects of ethics
3:33
in programming. So how do these choices affect your career? As a computer science graduate, you're going to be learning a lot of theoretical and academic
3:41
stuff, which means you're going to come out more as a generalist, but with a lot larger
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breadth of understanding. You're going to figure out your career path on the job, but you're going to come out
3:52
of school with a lot more options available to you, a bunch of more different career paths
3:56
that you can take because of being that generalist. Whereas with software engineering, you're going to be focusing a lot more heavily on
4:03
developing the actual skills of being a programmer, which is useful if you're going to be doing
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a programming job because you'll be better prepared for that right out of the gate on graduation
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However, there are going to be some of those gaps in the theoretical, so you might be precluded
4:18
from some other jobs that would be available to a computer scientist
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That said, both of these degrees are going to be advantageous in helping you get a job
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when you're getting started, especially compared to people who go the self-taught route or
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the boot camp route. Over time, as you get more experience, the differences between these degrees will become
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less important and experience will become more important, but there's an asterisk here
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because the reality is that a computer science degree will carry more weight than a software
4:48
engineering degree. It seems kind of illogical, but a computer science degree is the de facto degree for
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becoming a software engineer. One of the reasons for this is that some hiring managers and HR folks just aren't that familiar
5:01
with a software engineering degree, and so you're going to have to explain it to them
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Whereas with a computer science degree, that's going to be a degree that is immediately recognizable
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to them. For the most part, this isn't going to be a problem once you explain your program
5:16
That said, if you choose to go down the software engineering route, it may hurt you with some
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hiring managers. For example, a hiring manager I know described software engineering graduates as akin to
5:27
college dropouts because they didn't have the math skills or chops to be able to successfully
5:32
complete a computer science program and instead chose to take a shortcut
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This seems odd since a software engineering degree is going to focus on preparing a graduate
5:41
to do a programming job. But the reality is there are people out there who have very strong condescending attitudes
5:48
towards anyone who does not have a computer science degree. Right or wrong, you're not going to change their mind, so there's no point in worrying
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about it. You just have to be prepared that if you do encounter someone like that, there is a good
6:00
chance that you are going to miss out on a job due to their bias
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But the good news is there are far more companies out there who aren't going to care about
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this than there are sticklers for having a CS degree. In the long term, your experience is what is going to matter most, so be sure to choose
6:15
your job correctly. And I think you're going to really like this video up here, so you should click on that
6:19
and watch that one next. Thanks for watching and I will see you in the next one. Lates
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