Information Communication and Technology and Computer Science degrees have an excellent reputation and are very popular amongst employers because graduates exhibit high level computer skills, are superb project managers, logical and develop good problem solving skills. Plus most industries are driven by computers and software.
- Software Engineer
- Video Games Developer
- Web Designer/Developer
- Graphical Designer
- Systems Engineer
- Software Developer
- Business Analyst
- Systems Administrator
- Project Manager
Careers in Technology
- Broadsheet daily and Sunday Newspapers, particularly the Guardian and Telegraph
- Computer Weekly Magazine – also available online www.computerweekly.com
Useful Websites for Computing or IT careers:
Computer Science Degrees
Subjects to study at A Level:
Entry requirements for computer science degrees usually require an academic background in mathematics. It is not essential to have studied computer science at school, however experience in programming is very desirable. It is also desirable for applicants to have studied further mathematics, pure mathematics, and/or a physical science (chemistry and physics).
IT Degrees
Subjects to study at A Level:
There are no specific A Levels required to study IT at university however a good background knowledge of IT would be desirable.
Gaining Additional Skills:
Should you wish to beef up your programming or IT skills there are a vast array of online courses available that teach a huge variety of skills. Some of these websites are:
www.codecademy.com
www.khanacademy.com
www.code.org
www.learnpython.org
Plus www.youtube.com has a huge library of video tutorials.
Computer Science can be studied at over 100 different universities and colleges.
The top 10 UK Universities for Computer Science according to the Complete University Guide are:
- Cambridge
- Imperial College London
- Oxford
- St Andrews
- Durham
- University College London (UCL)
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- Exeter
- Glasgow
(check UCAS website for entry requirements for these universities: www.ucas.com)
Other interesting information:
According to a recent Sunday Times survey, computer science graduates topped the top 10 of the average annual salary earned by graduates entering employment six months after graduation in 2012-13. Computer science graduates were also placed 6th and 7th in the same poll with the top salary close to £44,000. Not too bad for your first job.
According to the Complete University Guide, the average starting salary for a computer science graduate was £22,311 and the average non-graduate salary £15,370.
Internships and Work Experience:
Gumtree recently completed a poll of employers with the results showing that work experience makes you 95% more employable. The good news carries on, two thirds of employers think candidates with work experience were more knowledgeable, 44% think they are more confident and 40% say they are more committed.