Computer Science Jobs (Explain the Difference)

[misstj555]

I am currently studying for an "Associates in Computer Science" with the intention of tranfering to a four year collage to get either a "Bachelors of Computer Science" or a "Bachelor of Applied Computer Science" hopefully this spring.

Before I can make a decision on which Bachelors I would like, I have to know what type of job the Computer Science field I would want however I currently don't know the exact diffrence between some of these jobs in programing. Can anyone (perhaps who is more expreince in this job field) first explain the diffrence between some of the jobs listed below and what they do (or if there are other jobs, I would like some insight of those jobs also).

1) Software devloper/ Software application developer

2) Software Engineer

3) Computer Programmer

4) Network system administrator

Lastly, would an empolyer would prefer a "Bachelors of Computer Science degree" or a "Bachelor of Applied Computer Science degree" in evey job scenario.

[rproffitt]

I'm going with these can be nearly the same and YOU matter more than the degree title. Your skills and drive matter more here. From the web you read "You can work in the field of your choice with a Bachelor of Computer Science or Bachelor of Applied Computer Science. From healthcare to social media, ocean data to online commerce".

What matters is what you want to do during your coursework. You may find a passion in the ocean or what's in big data. Both degrees are just the paper that gets you in the door. It does not dictate what you will or can do.

[misstj555]

Thank You. What you are saying sounds true.

[Reverend Jim]

Two skills you will absolutely need:

1. Ability to quickly pick up new skills.
2. Ability to communicate clearly.

Pay special attention to #2 and remember that listening is a very important part of communication.

[misstj555]

Thank you for the added information. I will try to improve on both skills listed during my classes if possible.

[Tom Chiconi]

I can give you my experience, please note, that it is extremely subjective. There is no way to tell how you would .... experience the same experience :).
Firstly - try everything you can and see what you like. You can start programming/networking today and see how you like it.
Secondly - do what you like and enjoy.

A degree matters only to a degree (I like English:)), but it is always nice to have one if possible.
Skill, experience, and ability to sell it (ie. the ability to communicate + self confidence + rudimentary knowledge of the market) is going to matter the most.
I myself worked in networking for five years. I have limited personal experience with programming job - I just know quite a lot of programmers.

as to the insight 1 - 2 - 3 are almost interchangeable in practice. It mostly depends on the company and its HR how they call it. You can learn more in the job description as well as at the interview.
In theory ... well you can google theory.
All of these jobs involve knowledge of some programming/scripting language. Usually you need more than one and you need to be able to combine properly. It can be more about a design than the hard coding of course, it really varies. Developers have lot of deadlines usually, so there is ever-present long term pressure. Also clients/customers are quite unknowledgeable at times about what they want/need, which could be pretty good at times, but also very bad :).

4 - again this wildly varies. It could be handling of networking equipment - modems, routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers... is involved, often from various manufacturers - Cisco, Juniper, HP, Aruba, Palo Alto, Fortinet ... there are tens of manufacturers.
Also you may need to know how windows/unix servers operate and how to administrate it - including some sort of active directory, exchange, how to set up DHCP services etc. etc.
There is a lot to know in general and it depends on specific role/ company.
Working in networking is closer to support positions, so you have to deal with other people troubles, which is sadly quite often their own incompetency - again for the better or worse :).
Most of networking jobs are stressful as well, but I would say it is more of a short-term stress. Few weeks at most for the bigger and more difficult problems.
Programming tends to be a little bit more creative if you ask me, but all roles have their chores.
Security is a big issue in all of these positions - especially in the corporate environment. At the same time, the work is usually very distributed on the corporate level, but you should care about the security even if you are not responsible for it per se.

[misstj555]

Okay. That helps alot also. I only ask becasue I have heard alot of unfortunate stories of people who ventured into this degree field and already started to feel like they would not want to do this job forever. Some of them figured this out during their last year in school! I am worried (though trying to stay optimistic) of approaching the same fate if I don't figure some of this now so any added assistance would be appreciated also.

[Linda_10]

First learn to spell college.

[chuckc]

As an old timer who graduated with a computer science degree many years ago, I found your posting thoughtful, interesting and worth more that a quick comment. Computer technology is changing rapidly, and if you enjoy learning new things you will find much to learn about, probably for the rest of your life.

I agree with almost everything rproffitt said. In addition I suggest you consider finding one or two areas in which to specialize. These could be markets or fields where computers are used, such as business or finance, automation, aerospace, education, gaming, medicine, or my favorites are nanotechnology, molecular biology and genetics. Or, consider computer-related areas, such as cloud computing, block chain, development of apps for smart phones, networking, development of microchips, or database technology, i.e. handling and quickly searching huge, almost incomprehensible, amounts of data. I don't mean to overwhelm, just to show the incredible variety of area in which computer science people can work.

Use your time to, in school and on your own, to learn about as many different areas as possible, and when you find something so fascinating that you can develop a burning desire to learn more and more about it, you will be on you way to a great career, where it won’t make much difference which degree you have. Some areas may require a graduate degree to get the best jobs, but even without that you can do extremely well. Eventually you may find that knowledge you have acquired, possibly on your own, will be more important than the programming. I wish you lots of success.

[misstj555]

Thank you "chuckc" for your input. I was told that a person can add a masters in managment (what I mean is a "MBA") with a degree also so upon reading your comment, I though that this could something to think about as well in the future (since after getting a bachelors I would like get some "hands-on" experience in the field before attempting another degree). If any older workers in this field have other pieces of advise, it would also help.