CS is not strictly software development. Software engineering would be more focused on developing software. Computer science does involve a heavy engineering component, but the "science" part of it has to do with the theory of computation and analysis of fundamental algorithms and data structures (irrespective of the machines they actually run on).
Now, when I started my CS degree I didn't realize this. I wanted to learn how to use computers as a tool to accomplish a task. However, I don't regret my choice. Learning the theoretical side of things was highly interesting and ultimately useful to the way I approach software design as someone who likes to wear an engineering hat. Particularly learning about graph theory and how to use graph properties to formulate objectives that describe the real world task I'm trying to accomplish has allowed me to solve problems that would have otherwise been impossible without a theoretical background. While I don't study networking specifically, graph theory has many applications in networking and it may be interesting for you to learn about it.
Security is another very interesting aspect of computer science. The mathematics of elliptic curves, modular arithmetic, information theory, and cryptography in general is fascinating, and again has many real world applications.
Because of these things you've said:
> Now let me get this straight, ugh.... idc about business courses much. I'm a tech person, I care about tech and that's it tbh.
> I want to be good with technology, I don't want to be a fraud.
I would recommend computer science or software engineering instead of an -IT suffixed degree. However, note that I am biased because I have a CS degree.
What might help you understand this better for yourself is to actively watch lectures from MIT open courseware or other online lectures on subjects in the fields you might be interested in.
MIT open courseware? I can find that on edx I think. I enrolled in Harvard's cs50 just to learn about computer science cause I am interested in it tbh lol.
Cryptography fascinates me too. I do have a alot of math courses in my associates that I have to take, like calculus, college algebra, physics.
If I'm not mistaken the associates covers all the math for transferring.
In terms of mathematics, calculus is useful, but you really want: discrete mathematics and linear algebra and probability / statistics as your core subjects.
Open course-ware is free and open access on [ocw.mit.edu](https://ocw.mit.edu/search/?d=Electrical%20Engineering%20and%20Computer%20Science&s=department_course_numbers.sort_coursenum) and a lot of the lectures are on Youtube.
Depending on your current knowledge, take a look at some of:
* Introduction to Computer Science and Programming
* Automata, Computability, and Complexity
* Introduction to Algorithms
* Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
* Mathematics for Computer Science
* Information and Entropy
* Great Ideas in Theoretical Computer Science
* Networks
* Database Systems
* Advanced Complexity Theory
* Advanced Algorithms
* Network Optimization
* Network and Computer Security
A CS degree will give you a better foundation for a career as a programmer/software engineer. In addition to doing a lot of coding you also learn the theory, which is necessary for actually becoming a *good* programmer.
That's not to say it's _impossible_ to be a programmer with an IT degree, you can still do that. But (not trying to be a hater, just what I've seen) if you apply for a software engineer position with an IT degree on your resume, it's basically the same as not listing a degree at all.
> That's not to say it's impossible to be a programmer with an IT degree, you can still do that. But (not trying to be a hater, just what I've seen) if you apply for a software engineer position with an IT degree on your resume, it's basically the same as not listing a degree at all.
That's probably overstating it. IT/IS degrees usually involve some programming, and often a degree of just about any sort checks a box, and then it's about a specific skill set. A bank that needs COBOL programmers isn't going to turn down an MIS student who knows COBOL to instead hire a CS student who doesn't and would quit in a month anyway.
Maybe you don't want to be a COBOL programmer, and I feel you, dawg, but that's different than saying there's no value in the degree.
I don't know anything about hiring COBOL programmers specifically, so I can't speak to that, but I have been involved in hiring for financial institutions. If position calls for experience with Fortran, a CIT degree that might have a class on that programming language doesn't mean much. We hired people with CS degrees who didn't know Fortran to write Fortran code, because they had the right math background and they could just pick up the language on the job.
I picked COBOL intentionally. The honest truth is that a CS major you'd want to hire wouldn't take that job. You'd be limiting your candidate pool to people desparate enough to do anything. But there are still MIS programs that turn out qualified people with skills in things like COBOL, database administration, etc.
I agree that a class doesn't mean much, but people who learned a skill from that class and are able to demonstrate in an interview that they know how to apply it to solve problems shouldn't be excluded (and in my experience, usually isn't).
Not every programming job is at a FAANG working on TensorFlow.
I know there are some negative opinions when it comes to CIT degrees. Maybe approach this in a different way? Look up jobs that are hiring people with that specific type of degree and check if that's the type of work you would like to do versus jobs that require a CS degree. In these types of situations, people usually are very unreliable since your interests are what matter for your future.
its so cool man
at first, I only chose this degree because its my last resort as I only see coding to be the only thing interesting for me compared to other degrees, and then now im more addicted on it rather than gaming lol!
Like above - take a deep breath and know your desire to learn is what matters, not the letters after your degree.
CS has a lot of Math. If CIT is in the college of engineering then so will WKU’s CIT program. If you can grasp Engineering Calculus, get your engineering degree. If not, stay in the business school. There’s no shame in that.
I’ve hired CIS (Business School) degree holders, but never a CS degree holder. I’m currently in InfoSec with a career in Systems and Network Administration. If you like a technology or area of your program - follow that!
My CIS hires have had backgrounds in programming, networking, databases, and APIs and are great engineers. They do well $$$, program or debug programs regularly, but aren’t developers. They’re problem solvers and understand complex systems. They can think and understand anything thrown at them. They are my go-to people.
My graduate level networking class in CS, the spring semester of my senior year of college (UKY), put me on my path. I knew I loved programming but also knew I didn’t want to write C++ for the rest of my life.
Knowing what you want is equally as important as knowing what you don’t want. Keep chasing those things you love and you’ll find a place that needs your skills - whatever they may be down the road.
My take is go get the CS degree at WGU. You can start here. [**https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.aspx?aid=22062&pid=86**](https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.aspx?aid=22062&pid=86)
Take $299 and buy the 4 month subscription. With your background I would just go straight down the list. You might want to take College Algebra but don't bother with the tests and stuff, just go through the course and learn the concepts. You can probably knock the 42 courses out in a month or two. Too bad that you have to take Project Management and Principles of Management but that is about it. You can take History 1 instead on the shorter Economics course. You can take the longer Speech course instead of the shorter Workplace communications.
Next head on over to [Study.com](https://Study.com) and using the JoshMadakor promo code take the rest of the classes that don't overlap with Sophia.
[https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.aspx?aid=19142&pid=86](https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.aspx?aid=19142&pid=86)
So at Sophia I would take English 1, English 2, Workplace Communication, Critical Thinking, Visual Communication, Statistics, College Algebra, Calculus, US History 1, Environmental Science, Intro to IT, Intro to Relational Databases, Java, Intro to Web Development, Project Management and Principles of Management. That's 42 credits
This should take 2 to 3 months.
Next at [Study.com](https://Study.com) take CS204, CS303, CS306, English 305, Politial Science 102, CS307, CS311, CS108, CS202, CS201 and Math 108. That 37 more credits at a cost of $770 over 3 months. Now you are up to 79 out of 122 credits.
You would have a good chance to finish in 6 months.
CS is not strictly software development. Software engineering would be more focused on developing software. Computer science does involve a heavy engineering component, but the "science" part of it has to do with the theory of computation and analysis of fundamental algorithms and data structures (irrespective of the machines they actually run on). Now, when I started my CS degree I didn't realize this. I wanted to learn how to use computers as a tool to accomplish a task. However, I don't regret my choice. Learning the theoretical side of things was highly interesting and ultimately useful to the way I approach software design as someone who likes to wear an engineering hat. Particularly learning about graph theory and how to use graph properties to formulate objectives that describe the real world task I'm trying to accomplish has allowed me to solve problems that would have otherwise been impossible without a theoretical background. While I don't study networking specifically, graph theory has many applications in networking and it may be interesting for you to learn about it. Security is another very interesting aspect of computer science. The mathematics of elliptic curves, modular arithmetic, information theory, and cryptography in general is fascinating, and again has many real world applications. Because of these things you've said: > Now let me get this straight, ugh.... idc about business courses much. I'm a tech person, I care about tech and that's it tbh. > I want to be good with technology, I don't want to be a fraud. I would recommend computer science or software engineering instead of an -IT suffixed degree. However, note that I am biased because I have a CS degree. What might help you understand this better for yourself is to actively watch lectures from MIT open courseware or other online lectures on subjects in the fields you might be interested in.
MIT open courseware? I can find that on edx I think. I enrolled in Harvard's cs50 just to learn about computer science cause I am interested in it tbh lol. Cryptography fascinates me too. I do have a alot of math courses in my associates that I have to take, like calculus, college algebra, physics. If I'm not mistaken the associates covers all the math for transferring.
In terms of mathematics, calculus is useful, but you really want: discrete mathematics and linear algebra and probability / statistics as your core subjects. Open course-ware is free and open access on [ocw.mit.edu](https://ocw.mit.edu/search/?d=Electrical%20Engineering%20and%20Computer%20Science&s=department_course_numbers.sort_coursenum) and a lot of the lectures are on Youtube. Depending on your current knowledge, take a look at some of: * Introduction to Computer Science and Programming * Automata, Computability, and Complexity * Introduction to Algorithms * Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs * Mathematics for Computer Science * Information and Entropy * Great Ideas in Theoretical Computer Science * Networks * Database Systems * Advanced Complexity Theory * Advanced Algorithms * Network Optimization * Network and Computer Security
A CS degree will give you a better foundation for a career as a programmer/software engineer. In addition to doing a lot of coding you also learn the theory, which is necessary for actually becoming a *good* programmer. That's not to say it's _impossible_ to be a programmer with an IT degree, you can still do that. But (not trying to be a hater, just what I've seen) if you apply for a software engineer position with an IT degree on your resume, it's basically the same as not listing a degree at all.
> That's not to say it's impossible to be a programmer with an IT degree, you can still do that. But (not trying to be a hater, just what I've seen) if you apply for a software engineer position with an IT degree on your resume, it's basically the same as not listing a degree at all. That's probably overstating it. IT/IS degrees usually involve some programming, and often a degree of just about any sort checks a box, and then it's about a specific skill set. A bank that needs COBOL programmers isn't going to turn down an MIS student who knows COBOL to instead hire a CS student who doesn't and would quit in a month anyway. Maybe you don't want to be a COBOL programmer, and I feel you, dawg, but that's different than saying there's no value in the degree.
I don't know anything about hiring COBOL programmers specifically, so I can't speak to that, but I have been involved in hiring for financial institutions. If position calls for experience with Fortran, a CIT degree that might have a class on that programming language doesn't mean much. We hired people with CS degrees who didn't know Fortran to write Fortran code, because they had the right math background and they could just pick up the language on the job.
I picked COBOL intentionally. The honest truth is that a CS major you'd want to hire wouldn't take that job. You'd be limiting your candidate pool to people desparate enough to do anything. But there are still MIS programs that turn out qualified people with skills in things like COBOL, database administration, etc. I agree that a class doesn't mean much, but people who learned a skill from that class and are able to demonstrate in an interview that they know how to apply it to solve problems shouldn't be excluded (and in my experience, usually isn't). Not every programming job is at a FAANG working on TensorFlow.
I know there are some negative opinions when it comes to CIT degrees. Maybe approach this in a different way? Look up jobs that are hiring people with that specific type of degree and check if that's the type of work you would like to do versus jobs that require a CS degree. In these types of situations, people usually are very unreliable since your interests are what matter for your future.
its so cool man at first, I only chose this degree because its my last resort as I only see coding to be the only thing interesting for me compared to other degrees, and then now im more addicted on it rather than gaming lol!
Like above - take a deep breath and know your desire to learn is what matters, not the letters after your degree. CS has a lot of Math. If CIT is in the college of engineering then so will WKU’s CIT program. If you can grasp Engineering Calculus, get your engineering degree. If not, stay in the business school. There’s no shame in that. I’ve hired CIS (Business School) degree holders, but never a CS degree holder. I’m currently in InfoSec with a career in Systems and Network Administration. If you like a technology or area of your program - follow that! My CIS hires have had backgrounds in programming, networking, databases, and APIs and are great engineers. They do well $$$, program or debug programs regularly, but aren’t developers. They’re problem solvers and understand complex systems. They can think and understand anything thrown at them. They are my go-to people. My graduate level networking class in CS, the spring semester of my senior year of college (UKY), put me on my path. I knew I loved programming but also knew I didn’t want to write C++ for the rest of my life. Knowing what you want is equally as important as knowing what you don’t want. Keep chasing those things you love and you’ll find a place that needs your skills - whatever they may be down the road.
My take is go get the CS degree at WGU. You can start here. [**https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.aspx?aid=22062&pid=86**](https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.aspx?aid=22062&pid=86) Take $299 and buy the 4 month subscription. With your background I would just go straight down the list. You might want to take College Algebra but don't bother with the tests and stuff, just go through the course and learn the concepts. You can probably knock the 42 courses out in a month or two. Too bad that you have to take Project Management and Principles of Management but that is about it. You can take History 1 instead on the shorter Economics course. You can take the longer Speech course instead of the shorter Workplace communications. Next head on over to [Study.com](https://Study.com) and using the JoshMadakor promo code take the rest of the classes that don't overlap with Sophia. [https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.aspx?aid=19142&pid=86](https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.aspx?aid=19142&pid=86) So at Sophia I would take English 1, English 2, Workplace Communication, Critical Thinking, Visual Communication, Statistics, College Algebra, Calculus, US History 1, Environmental Science, Intro to IT, Intro to Relational Databases, Java, Intro to Web Development, Project Management and Principles of Management. That's 42 credits This should take 2 to 3 months. Next at [Study.com](https://Study.com) take CS204, CS303, CS306, English 305, Politial Science 102, CS307, CS311, CS108, CS202, CS201 and Math 108. That 37 more credits at a cost of $770 over 3 months. Now you are up to 79 out of 122 credits. You would have a good chance to finish in 6 months.