My experience within higher education in the UK

I should point out from the get-go that this isn't about funding.  There are plenty of blogs elsewhere about that and this isn't the time or the place.  What this is about is my experience, which could differ to yours and indeed the place where you reside (if you do not reside in the UK).

This is more for those wishing to undertake computing courses similar to what I undertaken and what it could mean for you.

So, its that time of year when your current course is on its final stretch, or you are in work and looking to improve your skills, or unemployed thinking it's time to improve your qualifications.  You then have the bright idea - you visit Gamasutra almost every day! Tom's Hardware and Anandtech warrant a visit at least twice a week and you probably build your own PCs and/or produce content (be it programs, artwork or game levels etc)!  So why not study a course in the field of computing? You know a fair bit already and you may even have some qualifications to back all your experience up.

That's more or less me in the above paragraph, here's what I came across:-

The classes I experienced were varied in terms of the students, age-wise many of us were over 20 (some beyond 30, I'm 26 at the time of typing), some were willing to learn whilst others hadn't a clue and were (and still are I suspect) just going through the motions.  What's important to note, before I continue, is that all these people were vastly qualified over myself - as much as I have a great deal of knowledge and experience gathered over the years, I don't have any specific qualifications as regards computing.

I'm always the first to say that as much as you can study independently and as much as you can get first hand experience by doing, there are always going to be things that someone who has studied in classroom will have either more knowledge than you or simply know something that you don't.  Unfortunately, these were mere glimmers rather than vast expanses as big as the Eastern Kingdoms themselves, so I personally found myself bored.

Worse still when, and keep in mind that everyone else had many qualifications, a diagram of a motherboard was displayed and not one of the other students could identify any part of it.  Obviously, I did and was soon told (predictably, albeit with humour) to be quiet and let others answer.

Six months into the course and there I am, arriving into class an hour late (having spent a good 30 minutes or more in the library) and before I've sat down, I'm answering questions on database concepts, SQL, PHP etc...all before anyone else.  Before I enrolled on the course, I knew very little about SQL and PHP (other than what they stood for and a brief summary of what they're about) and what I know now about SQL and PHP comes from the 3D Buzz tutorials (which, lets not forget, are free for the most part).

It all came to a head however, in this very class when the question was asked:-

Tutor: What's a G...U...I? (Daniel's note: having already just talked about front-end applications and all had completed their programming assignments using Java)

*class silence, sounds of crickets can be heard*

Me (confidently with a dash of arrogance): "Graphical User Interface, or 'gooey' for short".

Class rep: "Daniel, can you be quiet? [I had answered pretty much every question prior] We're not at your level!"

Me: "This is basic stuff, you should know the answers to these by now!"

Anyway, I was asked to leave the class and I did so as I fully understood for why on many levels.  Although, as far as I'm concerned, I was effectively leaving the course itself.  With that in mind, if you're anything like me in terms of knowledge and understanding, foundation degrees are not for you - I don't want to be on a course where the other students know very little about the subject at hand, yet invariably will get through (which, in all honesty is good for them) and get the same piece of paper that I would have, so why should you? And whilst I stated this isn't about funding, and it isn't as such, but you will be held liable for many or even all the costs and any loans taken out.  Keep that in mind.

Also, when those and the tens of thousands of others (if not hundreds of thousands) are graduating with similar level qualifications covering the same or very similar content, who are just as green as some of those I seen, and you aren't, you're doing yourself a disservice and devaluing yourself.  If you can program effectively in C++, do make a variety of programs, publish them on your own website (anyone who programs in C++ should find HTML and PHP an absolute doddle) and direct potential employers to them.  Will that land you a job? No, not by itself.  Nor will a CV by itself (that's why we have covering letters and the ability to contact employers directly).  That ultimately comes down to your personality and what you want to achieve, which is an entirely different blog post.

There is also the problem with how classes are taught.  If you remember back to your school days, it was often the case that the class went at the speed of the tutor or the slowest kid(s) in the class.  So, if you're going at warp factor two and the tutor/slowest kid(s) in the class aren't even working on all thrusters, you've got a big problem on your hands.  It's no different now.  Fortunately, in other unrelated courses in further education, my tutors and respective classes encourage everyone to go at their pace and offer full support regardless of your level or command of the subject matter.  This I appreciate, and from the same organisation at that!  I add this just to show that its not all doom and gloom.

But, if you're like many as regards the foundation level computing courses, and don't know your motherboard from your GUI,  you'll be right at home.  That being said, unless you're like some of those I came across in other classrooms that I sometimes sat in (in that they'd go the extra mile and I applaud them for that, if also feel sorry in that their qualification will be worthless as regards employment), I say to you this: don't bother going.  Instead, when you've done your level 3 qualifications (or equivalent), go into the workforce, do volunteer, find out what the hell you want to do with your life and what you enjoy most of all.

Much of the training is available for free and legally, or for a nominal fee.  So if you're unemployed, that's a good option.  There is, though, one aspect of of these computing courses that are valuable: finishing something.  Although in my respect, I say its also recognising when to quit, before I waste my time pursuing something that won't get me to my overall goal.

It could also be argued that other computing courses from other providers won't be the same.  This is half-true, in that whilst the materials provided won't necessarily be the same (although in my case, they were from a partner university), they will cover the same content as these are nationally set standards.  There is no real getting away from it.

However, if you must go to college - if only for the social aspect which cannot be underestimated - then I would suggest the evening part-time courses should they be available to you.  They're focused on one subject usually (e.g. Direct3D programming), so if you're familiar with C# or C++ then you'll be okay.  I'd even go as far as to suggest learning to touch-type properly, it will be invaluable especially when typing up blogs like this one!  And to program whilst say, learning from a 3D Buzz VTM from one monitor and your chosen subject on the other.

Ultimately though, from the experience I had, I come away disappointed more than anything.  I wanted and expected an intensive, in-depth experience on the premise that my knowledge is primarily based on experience with little in book learning.  That didn't occur, but it did confirm that I do not belong at such a level and that perhaps, I do not belong in higher education at all in the computing side of things.

But what about the employers? It must be hell for them to find people, the right people, to fill the positions they have available.  Stories like that of Pete Waterman, who is more famous for his music perhaps, is also a great fan of steam railway locomotives and runs his own company repairing these locomotives and thus needs engineers to do this.  Skilled engineers.

In the BBC video link, which may not be available to those outside the UK, from about the 1 minute 36 second mark, Waterman speaks about how his apprentices leave with a level 3 NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) or City & Guilds with the experience to match.  But he also talks about how he hired (and presumably fired soon afterwards) a "skilled" engineer who came straight from university who, and I quote, "couldn't even turn a computer on".  This is very evocative of what I believe will happen as regards those I've come across during my tenure in higher education,  they'll come out and say things like "oh I done that kind of stuff in college" and not be able to put it into practice.

Indeed, I do envisage employers simply wading through a mire of CVs that tell them precious little about the person themselves, poorly typed covering letters - and I'm not even talking about spelling or grammatical errors, but simply poorly conceived from the very start - and even when some of these graduates make it to interview stage, I think to myself that its simply a case of hiring the least worthless graduate(s) just to fill the position(s) as opposed to the ideal person(s) the employer would infinitely prefer.  Although employers, should you be reading this, would have to confirm this from your perspective(s).

So in closing, for those considering taking up a place on such a course like I've went through, it's very much a case of student beware.  If you do go to study, understand that it had best help you on your path to your ultimate goal, else I'd advise the mentality of flipping burgers whilst studying on the side and at least return experience, funds and learning rather than it all being null and void.  Based on what I have seen and what I'm seeing now, I'm convinced that working and studying on the side is the ideal way to go for me at least.