Transferring to APU for a CS Degree?
We Chern
One bad decision costed me 1 year of my life, and I hope nobody makes the same mistake like I did. I didn't do enough due dilligence before making a decision and I paid the price.
I aspired to be a software engineer. I applied for Diploma in IT at HELP University without thinking too much as it's right outside of my parent's house which was very convenient. I wanted to enrol in CS but HELP didn't offer this course at the time, so I opted for IT as it's very similar, bad idea.
One bad decision:
The bad decision: Enrolling in HELP University's IT course in March 2020.
[3 months wasted] I should've enrolled in January 2020 intake instead of March 2020 intake when there was no Covid-19 in Malaysia yet. (I completed SPM in December 2019)
[+ 2 months wasted] March 2020 intake was delayed to May as HELP couldn't respond to the Covid-19 situation at the time.
[+ 3 months wasted] There is a 3 months time gap between Diploma to Degree transition (May 2022 to August 2022), unlike Foundation route where one could immediately continue to degree.
[+ 3 months wasted] I chose IT when I should've chosen CS. So now I need to transfer to another university to pursue that CS degree, the nearest intake only starts in November 2022.
The decision I should've made:
If I could undo that decision, I would've joined Monash or Sunway, Foundation + Bachelor of CS, and I could've graduated by December 2023.
IT vs CS:
IT is more towards the implementation of software & frameworks created by CS grads, without much emphasism on understanding how the underlying technologies work.
CS is more towards the understanding of the underlying technologies, and building things based on that knowledge.
Course Module Comparison:
IT:
IT Project Management
Business Development Project
Technopreneurship and Innovation
Web/Mobile Application Development
User Experience Design
CS:
Data Structures & Algorithms
Digital Image Processing
Concurrent Programming
Distributed Systems
Artificial Intelligence
Career Outlook:
Most of my diploma coursemates got internships as IT Help Desk personnel (Nothing against IT Helpdesk), I on the other hand received 5 software engineering internship offers (From a bank, software house, real estate companies, IT consulting firm).
The difference is that I spend my free time teaching myself programming frameworks during semester breaks and publishing them, while others are playing video games/watching TV. If I never took the initiative to build a portfolio of apps, I would probably be joining my coursemates.
*I'm not saying the above to brag, it shows the probability of what an IT grad will most likely end up doing.
An analogy that one of the lecturers gave was:
"IT is like driving a car, you don't need to know how the engine works in detail, you just need to know how to drive it. CS is like the engineers who built the car."
Since CS is more focused on the underlying techologies, it is more preferrable when applying for Software Engineering roles. The discrepencies between IT and CS begin to emerge in degree year 2.
Applying for Credit Transfer
I applied for Credit Transfer to Asia Pacific University (APU), and Sunway University, almost all CS degree year 1 subjects are credit exempted, which also means that HELP's diploma is surprisingly strong.
if I continue at HELP University,
I'll be graduating with a Bachelor in Information Technology in August 2024
else if I transfer to APU,
I'll be graduating with a Bachelor in Computer Science in November 2024
else if I transfer to Sunway University,
I'll be graduating with a Bachelor in Computer Science in March 2025
Conclusion
Difficult decision, but I've transferred to Asia Pacific University to pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science.
Note:
I'm still grateful of HELP University for laying the groundwork, teaching me when I had zero knowledge in programming, which landed me a Software Engineering internship at Public Mutual Berhad (Public Bank), a company with strict & high programming standards that is difficult to join.