1. I just graduated with a degree in computer science. My focus has always been on the web. The problem with internet based development is you have to be a lot of things.

It seems like most companies want you to be a good/great designer with lots of experience, and be able to create a good back end with asp/php/mysql/etc.

I have very little design exp and it that makes it hard for me to apply for some positions. I can fake it most of the time, but I would really love to work somewhere that has a design team and a programming team so the site will be designed well, and work.

After the long ride getting my degree I can say that it did help me think about a lot of things while coding. Mainly to think about how efficent it is (not eatting a lot of CPU time), problem solving skills (taking the impossible and making it work) and learning that most of the time you will be on your own. You will have to research and come up with your own conclusions.

Posted at 9:40PM on Aug 4th 2005 by metric152

2. Unfortunately, too much is made of the hallowed CS degree in my opinion. I have been doing software development for over 20 years. I've successfully transitioned from minicomputer to microcomputer, Mac to PC and back again, C to VB to PHP and moved to the web and have done Flash, AJAX, ASP and any other TLA I can think of. My degree? B.A. in Speech Communication. Having a degree is important. What the degree is in is less so. Three of the most talented developers I've ever known had degrees in Art, French Lit. (yikes!) and Construction Management. A lot of the biggest pin heads I've run into were CS degree holders. Great if you've got, but any company that is absolutely beholdin' to that CS degree is not a company that you need to work for. My .02 USD.

Posted at 9:47AM on Aug 5th 2005 by Mike Shaffer

3. I am currently working for my BFA with a concentration of multimeida -design. I started off as a CS major but at the school I attend it is mixed with math, that is beyond me. I enjoy programing but also like to make things look good. I have been intering with the University that I attend for the summer moving code from php to asp. I think having a programming background allows you to create better web sites/applications. When ever I need to make something that I would need a program for (i.e. contact manager) I always make it in either php or asp. Regular programming has to much baggage for most every day uses in my opinion. I believe to make it in today's world everything needs to look good, work fast, and be accessable from any where.

Posted at 2:10PM on Aug 5th 2005 by Chris

4. Honestly, you all are better than I. I was public relations major in college and did web dev for fun. It was so much fun that before I turned senior at college, I knew I was doing web dev for a living. Nearly everything I know has been self taught and I have to always pull the 'experience' card. Its not a bad thing when you can show your competence in areas, but when they are looking for folks with a CS (meaning have to be able to learn new programming language in a few weeks) background, other degress seem to fall up short is showing that.

Posted at 2:42PM on Aug 5th 2005 by Antoine RJ Wright

5. This is exactly why the comp sci degree is simply desired, but is by no means required for the Slate position. More important is work experience and exposure to the technologies we use, as listed over at our job listing.

http://www.slate.com/id/2123561/

Posted at 4:28PM on Aug 5th 2005 by Jonathan Epstein

6. I graduated from http://digart.stetson.edu

It was the first bachelor's degree program in Florida to offer a fully Digital Media 4-yr. degree. I learned art, music, and comp sci. Some of it was academic knowledge that won't ever be used again, but some I will use for the rest of my professional life.

Posted at 9:25AM on Aug 6th 2005 by Nathan

7. I graduated with a bachelors in Broadcast and Electronic Communication. Now I focused more on the Electronic Communication side of it (more web, and just computer work than anything else). However, after college, a good majority of interviews went sour mostly because of the first part of my degree. It sucked, but finally I was able to get through an interview where they actually took a look at my portfolio. But now looking back on it, maybe its just becauase I sucked at interviews when I started.

Posted at 7:10PM on Aug 7th 2005 by M DV

8. I see your point of not needing a computer science degree, to some extent. Most companies that are dealing with web design nowadays are looking for quick access to databases, xml, etc... An art degree might help in making a website look better, better then what I can do probably, but that will only get you jobs with small start up companies and designing personal websites. A computer science degree can at least get you settle with understanding the basic logic, xml, sql, and more. I think a associates is probably all that is really needed, but companies always want over qualify workers.

Posted at 11:17PM on Aug 7th 2005 by William Andrus

9. I have been in commercial web develoment for 6 years and my only education is an Associates degree in Political Science and when I first began web development professionaly I didnt even have that.

It has been my experience that most places that require a job applicant to poses a degree in Computer Science for web development do so because they arent sure what they are looking for. This can be for a variety of reasons such as, the postition is new, the human resource department has no idea what qualifications a web developer should meet etc.

I do know, having been a web developer for a while, that a web developer has to posses many skills to be successful. As a web developer you are expected to be a project manager, a grahpic artist, a database developer, tech writer, dimplomat, a programmer and not just a web programmer but an application developer as well, maintain web servers, be business savy and have some knowledge of marketing.

Overall a commercial web site takes a team to run, develop, and maintain and it would be a good idea to have some understanding of the functions and job roles of everyone on the team.

What pays off most in a job interview is experience. If you can sell yourself on years of web development experience and demonstrate your ability and willingness to learn, a Bachelors Degree in Cross Stitching will triumph over a new college grad with a Computer Science degree any day of the week.

Posted at 4:43PM on Aug 9th 2005 by John Smith

10. i'm 25 and still haven't go to college. Well, I have a small degree in business administration....but what use does it have when you're interviewed for a web design possition? :)

Posted at 3:13PM on Aug 16th 2005 by argonauta

11. This is the same problem I am having. I'm coming out of college with a graphic design degree and all most all of my programming experience is self taught. While my degree is an art degree I love designing as well as developing sites. When I'm not having a hard time convincing employers that I have the programming chops I'm busy convincing myself that the bloated computer science web developer job listings are in fact jobs I am fully capable of.

Posted at 10:56PM on Sep 5th 2005 by Stefan Hayden

12. makes me happy I am about to graduate with a double degree in computer science and art and design. the programming artist is one of the most appealing tech jobs to me.

Posted at 3:23AM on Sep 28th 2005 by tbell

13. I had a degree in CS, never thought of the idea of Flash. By the last semester in college I took it as an elective. I was just tought to do things like tweening, but not code. I began taking my programming background seriously into flash. Eventually it moved from version 5 to 8, and through the time, I saw my other friends from college going nowhere with their degrees in CS, where as me got my spot in the industry and I am proud to have chosen Flash, as it became my passion. Programming now to me seems boring with no Flash in it.

Posted at 5:02AM on Jan 1st 2006 by juan mendez