Computing heads...

Dagon

Just a thread for the ITS computer nerds (i.e. 90% of the people on here?) to chat about the Computing course...

Or should it be called Computer Science? I certainly think it's scientific enough in nature to warrant the title these days, although back when I started it in 1998 it was more business orientated.

I did my four years, the did the masters. All in Sligo

When did you do it and what was your experience?

AlmightyCushion

I just finished my third year in Software Development and getting ready for forth year. I can't wait to get back. How long ago did you do your masters, Dagon?

Dagon

I did it from Feb 04 to Summer 06.

What "streams" are currently available now in this course?

AlmightyCushion

Dagon wrote:

I did it from Feb 04 to Summer 06.

What "streams" are currently available now in this course?

I was thinking of doing my masters straight after I finish forth year, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

As for the different streams. There's software development, systems and networking, web design and database development. The software,systems and database have a common first year so you can get a flavour for all of the streams and then change over if you'd like for second year. I think they are also making the web stream part of this but I'm basing this on something I heard from a friend of a friend sort of thing.

In my year the database stream wasn't very popular and everyone pretty much hated it. I had no real problem with databases myself and I picked it up easily enough. The other three streams would have had very similar numbers in each.

Dagon

Yeah, my plan (along with one other student) was to do my MSc straight after the degree, but it wasn't ready to go ahead at the time so I had to wait about 20 months. Was worth the wait for the right project/supervisor, and I got to do some cool stuff in between.

The MSc might seem long at 2 years, but it flies. You are your own boss as well, and I enjoyed working like that. You can choose yor own holidays, but remember, you have to have a lot of self dicipline! I ended up having no life whatsoever for my last 4 months Worth doing though, and the post-grad society is cool for social events / freebies.

Duff

I'm hopefully starting my first year in software devlopment this year! How do you find it AlmightyCoushion?

Basq

Apparently, the 4th year computing course has been changed this year alright.

Marketing and Management have been merged into one course, and you have to choose an electrive between Web Programming and Distributed Computing (assume this is the same as Distributed Systems).

I completed the BSc (Higher) last year so 4 years done and dusted. Been meaning to go make and do the Masters but am in full-time employment working in the BIC. But at least i won't have far to go if i do decide to take it on.

As for the computing course itself, it was mostly great.

1st year was a bit of a doddle.. but seemed tough at the time.
2nd year was a step up in terms of difficulty.
3rd year was tough simply because of the lack of time (with the work experience from March - along with a project and 5 other subjects)
4th year was a very difficult year but at least you had plenty of time (unlike 3rd year). Workload was very full from January onwards though - seemed to be piled on after Easter to be honest. But having the lab was great craic!

AlmightyCushion

basquille wrote:

As for the computing course itself, it was mostly great.

1st year was a bit of a doddle.. but seemed tough at the time.
2nd year was a step up in terms of difficulty.
3rd year was tough simply because of the lack of time (with the work experience from March - along with a project and 5 other subjects)
4th year was a very difficult year but at least you had plenty of time (unlike 3rd year). Workload was very full from January onwards though - seemed to be piled on after Easter to be honest. But having the lab was great craic!

I have to agree with basquille here well apart from the forth year part. I have yet to experience that. Looking back some of the things I couldn't get my head around in first year really make me laugh.
Third is definitely a challenge given the shortened year, you really don't notice the time go by. I had a couple of family issues that cropped up during the year at bad times and really affected my concentration and performance but I made it through by the skin of my teeth thank God and am dying to get back despite what basquille says about forth year.
The work placement is very good and has provided me with some invaluable knowledge and some really good nights out.
If you put in the work when it needs to be put in and pull a couple of all-nighters you should do fine.

Duff

Sounds fine to me, i think im up to the challenge!!..where are ya sent for your work placement or can you pick??

AlmightyCushion

SaxoDuff wrote:

Sounds fine to me, i think im up to the challenge!!..where are ya sent for your work placement or can you pick??

We were asked what county we would prefer and they would try and get you a job in that county. Most people didn't have a preference though. The college has a number of asscoiats that it teams up with for the work placement and there are people placed in pretty much every county.
There are a lot of county council jobs or semi state companies. I ended up in Dublin working for Enterprise Ireland and I find the job very good. They even extended my contract 2 weeks so I must be doing something right.

As far as I know the lowest pay is around the €250 mark although it may be lower. Although a few of us are on over €300 a week and one of the lads is on about €420 I think. If you got placed in Dublin I'd say you'd be on around €300 a week minimum because of the higher cost of living. Everyonne I know on <€300 a week are in places like roscommon and ballina.

Duff

AlmightyCushion wrote:

We were asked what county we would prefer and they would try and get you a job in that county. Most people didn't have a preference though. The college has a number of asscoiats that it teams up with for the work placement and there are people placed in pretty much every county.
There are a lot of county council jobs or semi state companies. I ended up in Dublin working for Enterprise Ireland and I find the job very good. They even extended my contract 2 weeks so I must be doing something right.

As far as I know the lowest pay is around the €250 mark although it may be lower. Although a few of us are on over €300 a week and one of the lads is on about €420 I think. If you got placed in Dublin I'd say you'd be on around €300 a week minimum because of the higher cost of living. Everyonne I know on <€300 a week are in places like roscommon and ballina.

Thats great, cheers. Id try get it in Dublin too as its closer to home for me!..right im off, headin over your way now to sort out accomidation!!:cool:

AlmightyCushion

SaxoDuff wrote:

Thats great, cheers. Id try get it in Dublin too as its closer to home for me!..right im off, headin over your way now to sort out accomidation!!:cool:

Let us know if you get any thing.

Duff

Just back, I applied for a place in Ard Nua, will know by wednesday if I got it, if that fails, Yeats Village or the Clarion it is!!

AlmightyCushion

SaxoDuff wrote:

Just back, I applied for a place in Ard Nua, will know by wednesday if I got it, if that fails, Yeats Village or the Clarion it is!!

Ard nua is the more forgiving of the two. Yeats Village is run by a crowd of wánkers. But I have to admit the internet in Yeats in unbelievable compared to the internet in ard nua.

Duff

AlmightyCushion wrote:

Ard nua is the more forgiving of the two. Yeats Village is run by a crowd of wánkers. But I have to admit the internet in Yeats in unbelievable compared to the internet in ard nua.

Yeah, my girlfriend stayed in Yeats last year, and I stayed up with her a few times, and they did seem like ballbags, one of of the walls in her room was coverd in mould and they did nothing about it for weeks despite being told about it numerous times!!..Whats wrong with the net in Ard Nua?

AlmightyCushion

SaxoDuff wrote:

Yeah, my girlfriend stayed in Yeats last year, and I stayed up with her a few times, and they did seem like ballbags, one of of the walls in her room was coverd in mould and they did nothing about it for weeks despite being told about it numerous times!!..Whats wrong with the net in Ard Nua?

They block a lot of sites but otherr than that I'd say it's grand. Plus there are ways aroud that. The internet in Yeats is far better though as it uses the college network so it's unbelieveably fast. At times I was getting about 10MBps, and yes that's megabytes not megabits. Great for downloading.

Duff

Fook thats quick!!..altho yeats had bebo and msn blocked last year!!..can't wait to get up and get started!!:D

eamoss

SaxoDuff wrote:

I'm hopefully starting my first year in software devlopment this year!

NERD!!!!!!

Like everyone knows there is no jobs in S.D

Think I had the course down on my 2006 CAO though not on my 2007 one.

Duff

**** off back to your NUIM forum eamo!!:D

AlmightyCushion

SaxoDuff wrote:

Fook thats quick!!..altho yeats had bebo and msn blocked last year!!..can't wait to get up and get started!!:D

Really I didn't know that.

Duff

AlmightyCushion wrote:

Really I didn't know that.

Yup, I had to use msn web messenger cus it wouldnt let me sign into windows live messenger and i also couldnt download anything on limewire either!!:eek:

AlmightyCushion

SaxoDuff wrote:

Yup, I had to use msn web messenger cus it wouldnt let me sign into windows live messenger and i also couldnt download anything on limewire either!!:eek:

Don't know about any of that but when ever I had my laptop in the college I could get on to bebo.

Duff

if your usuing a wireless connection you can get onto it no bother, but if you use the computers in the computer rooms in the college its blocked off!!..bit stupid really, I could understand them blocking it in secondary schools maybe but not college ffs!!

AlmightyCushion

SaxoDuff wrote:

if your usuing a wireless connection you can get onto it no bother, but if you use the computers in the computer rooms in the college its blocked off!!..bit stupid really, I could understand them blocking it in secondary schools maybe but not college ffs!!

The reason they block it on the college computers is because every lab was being taken up with people on bebo and people couldn't get access to a computer when they needed it to do college work. It didn't affect me as I had my own computer back in yeats but one day I needed to upload something to one of my lecturers s drives and I couldn't find one. It was a joke.

gustavo

Done the Web Development course 02-06 , certainly was enjoyable , as we were the first year of the course it was unusual in a way as always felt we were the guinea pigs as it were , certain aspects of the course Perl for example that we did , we would have been far better off focusing on .Net these things were presumably ironed out for future years , all in all though decent lecturers and a worthwhile course

AlmightyCushion

gustavo wrote:

Done the Web Development course 02-06 , certainly was enjoyable , as we were the first year of the course it was unusual in a way as always felt we were the guinea pigs as it were , certain aspects of the course Perl for example that we did , we would have been far better off focusing on .Net these things were presumably ironed out for future years , all in all though decent lecturers and a worthwhile course

The web dev course now does .net.

Duff

Its official, just accepted software devlopment!! cyas in september!! whooo!!!:D

KStaford

Dagon wrote:

I did my four years, the did the masters. All in Sligo

Hey Dragon
I'm just heading into 4th year software. I am fascinated to know about your masters experience. Is there any chance you could post a bit about it.

What made you decide to do it?
Who did you approach in the college?
Was it a research or other ?
What was it on?
Did you travel much ?
Did you get a budget?
Did you attend the college regularly?
What was life like doing it in general etc

Sorry to bombard you with questions, anything would be useful.
Many thanks

Kieran

Dagon

KStaford wrote:

Hey Dragon
I'm just heading into 4th year software. I am fascinated to know about your masters experience. Is there any chance you could post a bit about it.

What made you decide to do it?
Who did you approach in the college?
Was it a research or other ?
What was it on?
Did you travel much ?
Did you get a budget?
Did you attend the college regularly?
What was life like doing it in general etc

Sorry to bombard you with questions, anything would be useful.
Many thanks

Kieran

When I did it in 2002, it was quite an attractive option because there weren't any jobs at that time, and I didn't want to go on the building sites, or gardening. Also, there was a chance of doing lecturing part-time so you would have enough cash to keep going. I was also interested in doing something more in addition to what I'd learnt in the 4 years, and was interested in research in computer science.

The college told us about it - M.Barrett came in one day to the MSc labs with a few post-grads, and they all told us about their experiences and encouraged us to take up research. Myself and another student then went to him and said we'd be interested in the programme.

It was research into digital imaging. We got the chance to go to New York for a conference as part if it, and it was an industrial partnership, so we were paid a monthly wage + extra money for travel to NY, materials, etc. You will find my full thesis in the college library. PM me for more details.

Unfortunately, we left the conferences too late as we were caught up so much in the research. We didn't get to publish any papers, but we did attend a conference in NY to help with our research.

Attended the college monday to friday, 9-5 (very flexible though;) )

Life was great - you are your own boss, so you can take whatever holidays suit you. I would recommend it.

I did the these as part of a team (2 MSC students based in sligo, 2 phd students based in the company in galway) - all one big project for a particular company. The company get the software (for a cheap price!) and we get the qualification.

It was research based, but a software product was developed for the company as part of it.

KStaford

Dragon

Thanks very much for all that great info.
When you say you wer ein the college 9-5, were you in lectures or away in a room on your own researching etc?

If you were attending lectures, what subjects, what lecturers etc ?

Dagon

Nope, there are no lecturers if you do a MSc by research. You are on your own

You meet a supervisor a few times each month (depending on how much you need help / guidance / organisation) but other than that it's totally up to you. Some people don't like this, but that depends on your personality. I got involved in plenty of things in the college, and out of the college, and kept myself busy. I also had my colleague as we were both working on the same project. Also, there was plenty of craic in the office we had been assigned, and lots of people coming and going. But I can imaging that under certain circumstances it could be a lonely experience because you aren't part of a big class or definite social group, apart from the post-grad society (who have outings and activities every few months). This isn't a problem if you keep yourself active and get involved in plenty of clubs and societies... but I think people who don't do that can get a little isolated from the rest of the college while they're stuck in their office till 3am every morning

I also think it helps if you do a couple of hours lecturing or helping with student projects each week.