The Times They Are A-Changin’
Not even that long ago, it was assumed that to gain a career in the tech and IT industries, one would need higher education qualifications. But as with so many things in life, things have changed and evolved of late. With online resources such now, whereby anyone can instantly access information that only those in education once had, and with technology such an indelible part of Generation Z’s life in a way no other previous generation has experienced, the concept of needing a college education to be tech savvy and competent with programming is becoming an increasingly archaic one. Not just because young people are growing up with programming skills entirely self-taught from an early age, but also because college is becoming an increasingly less appealing prospect, with many young people balking at the idea of leaving college with major student debt before they’ve even started a career. Silicon Valley, for example, is rife with young programmers entirely uneducated in established academic institutions but with a degree of tech ability and innovative approaches that make them much sought-after in the industry at large.
IT Industry Education in Ukraine
Even in a wartime environment, the IT industry in Ukraine continues to thrive, with many young Ukrainian programmers-to-be opting for the higher education route in training, with around 90% of those who did so saying they would still choose this path were they to do it over again. Of that number, 30% would have studied in a different university given the choice again while 20% would have chosen to study outside of Ukraine. This underlines the point of choosing your university carefully prior to application so there are no regrets later on.
Will An Employer Ask For A Degree?
The answer to that question very much depends on the prospective employer itself. Some larger companies may ask for a degree in tandem with your relevant experience, your existing tech skills, and critical thinking abilities. For some companies, a degree is mandatory as policy, so even with a sympathetic hiring manager ready to give you a chance based on your skills alone, they may not have the authority to waive that mandate. Smaller startups may be more flexible, seeking as they usually are, young, hungry, innovative programmers eager to get their first foot in the industry and may more often than not bypass any need for a degree in lieu of assessing the programmer’s skills over their schooling. That being said, it’s probably useful to have a degree as a back-up, although don’t think it’s a passport to instant employment just because you have one, employers will want to know your abilities as much if not more than a nice piece of paper you have. Companies will want to know what you can do for them now, not what you have done in the last few years. So make a point of telling them during an interview how higher education has broadened your horizons, given you a perspective and a solid ground of knowledge that will make you an invaluable asset for any employer. Accentuate the positive, in other words!
University: The Pros and Cons
Many young people seeking a career in programming will ask if going to university and studying several years for a degree is both the best and/or only way to gaining a foothold in the industry. The advantages are obvious in that not only do you gain professional skills and knowledge of programming, but also in quick-solving solutions, critical thinking, analysis, and communication, all valuable traits to possess admittedly. On the other hand, there is much to be said for being self-taught, a degree of flexibility and innovation, a thinking outside of the box that a more formal education can sometimes dampen. Genuine innovation and creativity is a factor many major tech companies prize above all else, regardless of qualifications, but having both may put you in a more sure-footed position. But before you apply for a programming course at a university, be sure to know this is really what you seek as a prospective career. If the answer is yes, then a degree could provide you invaluable grounding in a comprehensive foundation of programming skills and knowledge.
Do I Need Mathematics Education To Be A Programmer?
If you wish to be a basic front end/back end developer, then a basic high school maths qualification should serve you well enough. But in more skilled areas of programming such as AI, machine learning, cryptography, or systems programming, a deeper understanding – and necessarily a higher degree of qualification – is likely needed.
University Or Courses?
If you’ve decided to pursue a career in the tech industry and wish to gain a formal education and qualifications therein, you may wonder which option is the best for you; university or specialized course? A four-year university education is the pricier option and not necessarily a better indicator of you getting later employment in a company. Specialized courses are obviously a lot cheaper and considerably quicker than university, assuming of course you choose a reputable and professional one that is recognized and acknowledged as such by the industry at large. We would recommend a specialized course for anyone wishing to pursue a programming career, but do diligent research before signing up.
Summation
For those wishing to pursue a programming career, one of the most encouraging factors is that it has currently one of the lowest bars to entry for newcomers. Many professional programmers are getting employed in companies, both large and small, based solely on their personal skills and creative attributes rather than by formal qualifications. And it’s not surprising as a veritable unlimited wealth of tech knowledge is readily available at the mere click of a button on anyone’s phone or laptop. So in answer to this article’s question as to whether you need higher education to be a professional programmer, the answer is not necessarily… many have and will continue to gain a foothold in the industry without formal degrees, but it doesn’t hurt your chances if you have qualifications backed up with considerable personal skills as previously mentioned. Simply put, it’s not an either/or situation, some employers might take comfort in you having that accredited degree, others might be more flexible in that regard… but at the end of the day, all companies, regardless of size or recruiting policies, will care about what you can do for them, will you be a valuable, contributive asset to their professional growth?
And that is very much up to you…
