Different Pathways Within Computer Science:

This week I want to talk about the various pathways people tend to take, within Computer Science. Some are more traditional/well known than others and it can be quite beneficial to break them down, assess the +'s and -'s before deciding which one is right for you!

Disclaimer: This list is NOT exhaustive, it's simply presenting you some pathways, and also bringing awareness to them. Don't limit yourself to any of these, there's no 'right answer' for everyone. Enjoy the blog post.

Sixth Form/College, University, Job:

This is probably the most common route although nowadays programming jobs don't really require a degree. With that being said, some jobs, for e.g. within data science, require PhD's. This route has been discussed previously in the last 2 posts. Please check them out as all the benefits regarding those pathways can be found there.

Self taught, job:

Again this has been discussed in the last 2 posts. Because programming is an 'in demand'

skill, there are loads of resources available. Ultimately, projects are more important than a degree. For more information, check out the last 2 posts.

Self taught, freelancing, setup your own company:

This option is more independent and is great if you want more freedom. You control when you work, what work you take, as well as how much you charge. The downside is that it can be difficult to find work initially. This means your income is less predictable because e.g. one month, you may do 3 jobs and make £3000, the next month, you might not be able to find any work. This contrasts a job where you would get a salary, consistently spread out across the year, along with work which is done throughout the year. The main factor when deciding this pathway is risk. If you are risk averse then this pathway isn't for you however if you want more freedom and want to make your own money then you should go for this. Once you start your own company you can build up a range of clients, benefiting both you and them.

Instagram page (or just any social media page, building the following), tutorials, content creator, affiliate deals ...

This option is increasingly popular and it essentially involves building a following, posting content, networking with other pages/brands and making money by using your audience. Again, this pathway gives you freedom to post about what you want. One downside is that initially, it's hard to make any money at all. This is a long term approach to post content about Computer Science. Income streams include business deals, affiliate marketing, adsense ... As a matter of fact, me starting up CompAndCode is how I managed to connect with TheNibbleByte and get to this point. Another benefit of this path is that it's low cost and can start as a passionate side venture until it makes a lot of money.

Learn programming, coach beginners while building higher level projects, until your experience is sufficient for Fiverr, Upwork ...

I heard of this method from Clever Programmer (it's how Qazi built his way up to making $1,000,000) in a year. It's pretty self explanatory and if you're good at breaking things down and explaining things then it should be good for you!

Conclusion:

Today's blog post was more of a shorter, informative one than a deep explanation into a topic. Like I always say, once I get better at blog post writing then I'll move onto the more interesting topics.

Final Things:

If you have any topics that you want me to blog about then please let me know in the comments!!!

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Thank You TheNibbleByte!!

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