So you want to pursue a degree in CS/IT but everyone's been trashing about it and you're in dilemma? In this post, I'll explain to you about the pros and cons of CS/IT college degrees.

Pros

[1] CS/IT Degrees Set The Right Foundation For You

Unless you've been programming since you were 12, you'll probably get overwhelmed with the list of available domains in IT. You wouldn't know where to start. You certainly wouldn't know the available paths and the cool tech you will love. Therefore, a CS/IT degree will save you from this mess and equip you with good foundation of CS/IT.

[2] You'll Be Surrounded With Smart People

You can learn from them. Nothing much here.

[3] Colleges Can Make You Perform More

If you're a self-taught programmer, you probably have your own rules. If you want to procrastinate, no one can stop you. This will train you to be lazy. On the other hand, going to college will require you to complete tasks within deadline with various challenges (such as building a large-scale group project) and this will only make you stronger in terms of stress-handling.

Other Pros

• Hackathon experiences.
• Networking opportunities.
• Being able to make mistakes without affecting you much.

Cons

[1] Someone Messed Up The System?

Most of the time, you'll learn irrelevant subjects such as history too (at least in Malaysia) because the government wants it that way. Sure, knowing history is probably important but the knowledge you're getting in scattered around, and you know this is bad for you.

[2] Slightly Outdated Syllabus

Reason is cause tech evolves fast and there is no way for colleges to keep up with that. There is a high chance that you'll end up learning your favorite tech on YouTube rather than college.

[3] It Can Be Tiring

Before the pandemic happened, I used to travel on bus to campus and it would take me about 3 hours a day on bus from home to campus and back home. When I get back, I would set alarm to wake up an hour after, but I never woke up (and I wasn't very productive) because I'd always be super tired. Thankfully, the pandemic made me sit at home without requiring me to commute to campus and things have been great.

Other Cons

• You might need to take elective subjects, which can be super boring.
• You might fall in trap of chasing super high grades without being able to put the knowledge that you learn to practice (I didn't though).
• When a subject is difficult, it feels like you're in high school (with heavy workload), except that the high school is a juvenile school and the juvenile school is in a warzone.

That being said, I do have a high CGPA. However, a college degree might not be for aspiring programmers who want to specialize in a domain in tech especially since tech companies are welcoming candidates without a degree in 2021.