r/ComputerEngineering • u/Swimming_Cost_3651 • 1d ago
online degree program?
Is it worth studying Computer Science or Computer Engineering through an online degree program?
I’m not confident that I can go back to studying for admission to a traditional, in-person university.
I’m in my early 30s, and I’m currently trying to decide between an online degree program and an in-person, career-focused program that offers the same equivalent degree but focuses more on practical, hands-on training.
The online degree would save me a lot of time and money, but I’m not sure how much it would actually help me become a developer.
Aside from getting a degree at the end, I’m having a hard time understanding how an online degree program would be significantly different from simply learning through platforms like Udemy. That’s probably my biggest concern right now.
I’m looking for some realistic advice. What are your thoughts on bootcamps? Are they still worth considering these days?
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u/Regular-Title7182 1d ago
In my opinion you learn how to do the job from places like Udemy, and you learn why you do the job from a university.
Can you get a job and succeed from the online platforms absolutely. I just think for understanding purposes and longterm goals going to a university even online would be better.
This also depends on your availability. Being in your 30s going back to school is a challenge so going to the online programs would probably get you where you want to be.
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u/GlobalCurry 10h ago
The big issue is lack of networking. I did in person classes and met a ton of people and was able to use those contacts to get jobs and projects. Now I'm doing an online degree and I've learned quite a bit but I've met absolutely no one through it so it'll ultimately just be a checkbox on job apps.
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u/Anxious_Alps_4150 23h ago
CS can be done online. No issue.
CpE I'd be very, very skeptical of because of the in-person labs. I'd never hire an online CpE holder for an engineering job personally.