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Software Engineering or Computer Science?

S10 SUPER AD·10/12/2019, 6:38:57 AM·1 votes·1,003 views

Hi! Sorry if this may seem a little odd, but I'll try explain whats going on- I'm currently a highschool student that is about to enter first year University next year, however I'm not sure yet whether to study Software Engineering or Computer Science. I was wondering if any of you guys have some insight on the different job opportunities for people who study these two courses- I've had a look at https://www.riotgames.com/en/work-with-us/jobs#product=&discipline=1398&subDiscipline= website which lists the vacancies for different job positions at Riot, and there seems to be a mix of careers which would prefer a Software Engineering degree, but also another bunch that would prefer Computer Science. Is there any skills in particular that one degree would have over another? It's always been a goal of mine to one day work at Riot or another similar company, so it'd be appreciated if anyone has any insight on which jobs each degree tends to lead into. Interestingly, at the University of Auckland in NZ which I most likely will be attending there is a really high entry requirement to get into Software Engineering ( Engineering in general), while Computer Science is significantly easier to get into while most other uni's like Sydney etc put Computer Science equal as Software Engineering which is odd.

Thanks guys!

ps: notice me riot plz :D

3 Comments

LordRedStone Nr110/12/2019, 8:34:54 AM2 votes

{quoted}

Interestingly, at the University of Auckland in NZ which I most likely will be attending there is a really high entry requirement to get into Software Engineering ( Engineering in general), while Computer Science is significantly easier to get into while most other uni's like Sydney etc put Computer Science equal as Software Engineering which is odd.

At my uni (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany), CS is also easy to get into, but hard to stay in. They don't restrict the number of students in the beginning, but a lot of people (have to) leave in the first or second semester. The critical thing here is a special trial for orientation: A collection of first-semester exams you need to pass in the first three semesters or you are not allowed to keep studying. These include :

  • Programming: Pretty straightforward, it's for people who don't know a thing about programming. Basics of OOP, I haven't seen anyone struggling with this part.
  • Basics of theoretical CS (not sure about the translation): It depends, also very basic but highly theoretical. Formal Languages, Automatons, Turing-Machines and the likes. It can go both ways, but if you put in some work it's easy to pass.
  • Linear Algebra 1 (I guess it'd be just Algebra 1 for you): Hard. We had more than 50% fail this in my year. It includes vector and matrix math and aims at establishing Vector Spaces (for Algebra 2).

So even if it's easy to get in, Auckland may have a similar method of weeding out students early. Also watch out for math, it can really fuck you up! I got 15/15 when I finished school but I am SO glad I finally got all the math exams done next semester.

Aerłumix10/12/2019, 11:05:06 AM2 votes

I'll just leave my 2 cents and say that in general I view Computer Science to be a more mathematically rigorous examination of algorithms and their run times, as well as data structures and how operating systems work.

Software Engineering is just that, the engineering of software systems, for a wide variety of applications.

It is probably accurate to say that if a University offered two programs, SE and CS, that SE would be a preferred major for job opportunities, while CS would be a preferred major for graduate school.

I would recommend looking into the Computer Engineering program if available, as it likely will incorporate both Software engineering, Computer Science, and Electrical engineering concepts.

Don't listen to people who say you should be afraid or worried about your academic performance in school. As long as you go to classes and attend your teacher's office hours with questions ready you will be guaranteed to graduate on time.