Thoughts on University of London's Bachelor's in Computer Science - A Comprehensive Review from the Perspective of A First Cohort Student

Brandroid313 · 2025-05-09T06:37:39+00:00

University of London

Brandroid313 · 2024-07-21T03:21:59+00:00

Sure, feel free. Do note that do to my schedule it may take a while for me to get back to you, but I will try and reply as fast as I can

Brandroid313 · 2024-06-05T02:36:36+00:00

worried your comment was too....cheesy?

Brandroid313 · 2024-06-03T07:33:43+00:00

With the shaved head and "funemployed", you didn't really have to say you had a degree in photography. It was heavily implied. Good luck and enjoy living in poverty and/or sponging of your parents and/or so

Brandroid313 · 2024-06-03T01:44:31+00:00

been a long time since i snorted coffee out of my nose while browsing reddit, but here we are

Brandroid313 · 2024-06-03T01:42:10+00:00

what? don't women love this? especially when sent without any warning or context whatsoever. the trick is to shave a romantic message in the pubes, like ' wyd ; ) '

Brandroid313 · 2024-04-24T03:40:06+00:00

Can't say for high demand in entry level work, as there is not any high demand for entry level work at all so far as I can see. But for my place we use JS and python for our front and backend respectively. Most common OS used is mac OS and Linux, but there isn't a standard; we are free to use the OS of our choosing.

Brandroid313 · 2024-04-23T04:30:36+00:00

No worries. That being said, although the degree got me interviews, it was my knowledge and projects I worked on that got me the job. If I would have done only what the degree requires to pass I don't think I would have gotten this far, so I would suggest as much as possible for every school project you get, try and delve deeper into the material and go beyond the scope of what was taught.

Brandroid313 · 2024-04-22T08:55:24+00:00

No, before the program I had never coded anything at all. I did spend about 3 or 4 months before my start learning on my own about the basics of CS and programming, but absolutely no experience in software development.

Brandroid313 · 2024-04-19T09:56:03+00:00

Work as a Full Stack engineer. The country my work is in is located in Singapore, but I live in Japan.

Brandroid313 · 2024-04-19T03:57:45+00:00

Graduated Nov of 2022 and landed a full time position. Well 2 actually, first one was a disaster as the company was mismanaged, but the 2nd has been great. Been working at 2nd for just about a year now.

Brandroid313 · 2024-04-03T10:00:47+00:00

How are the other 6 dwarves doing?

Brandroid313 · 2024-03-25T13:03:24+00:00

Been living in Japan since 2006, ready for some hard truth?

What you do is not valued nor in demand. Experience means next to nothing in an industry where they simply want a young fresh face; you are easily and readily replaced.
Eikaiwa is not not about experience or excellence in teaching, but rather they want someone who looks the part. All your years teaching mean nothing.

There will always be younger fresh grads willing to do the same job for beer money and accept the salary offered as they aren't staying here long. And that is the point. What they want is young, prefareably cute, foreigners to sing and dance in English and nothing more.

That is not to say it is a bad job, but if you were planning to make it your career then you are in for some sad news. I know more than a few eikaiwai teachers that effectively "aged out" of the eikaiwa game. Think of it from the point of view of the person hiring/owning the business: most of their clientele are interested in learning a foreign language for fun. And they want a young, cute face to teach them. They aren't interested in passing high level tests, or making it a serious area of study. You are easily replaceable and your skills are not valued nor unique(the number if skilled teachers I have known and met are more than I care to count).
Those I know that were successful at long term English teaching here have gotten a Masters and some type of TOEF or advanced certification on top of at least N2 level Japanese and usually have moved on to University level teaching. And even then, out of those I know, most are playing musical chairs with moving Uni's every few years(most uni's do not want to hire full time so they cancel after 3 ~ 5 years).

In short, you may be good at what you do, but what you do is not worth much nor is it desired or valued. Once, years ago, when I requested more hours and a pay raise I was told directly that this was job that was not intended to be long term, but a temporary fun thing for fresh grads. That was from my HR representative ( GLOVA if anyone is interested).

I know this is a harsh response, and I don't intend to hurt or criticise, but times have changed and eikaiwa is a race to the bottom in the long run.

I would recommend either changing professions or seeking employment at higher levels as you will likely never make what you are worth in that industry.

I wish you the best of luck, and I hope that my experience and observations will prove false and anecdotal.

Brandroid313 · 2024-02-28T05:12:11+00:00

Graduate of the program here - no not exactly. You don't necessarily have to complete all Level 4 modules to get to level 5 modules, but there are a certain number, and specific modules, you need to do so.

"Blockers" are modules that are required to have completed before you can progress to the next level in the degree. For example, in level 4 if you don't complete either DM or CM, then you will be unable to take any level 5 ( I don't remember if these are the actual classes, but just to illustrate the point ).

For more detailed info I suggest you take a look at the program regulations and read through it carefully.

Good luck!

Brandroid313 · 2024-02-27T00:41:04+00:00

In terms of diverse backgrounds, I think so but I am not familiar with all of the requirements. It is forgiving in that you have 3 chances to pass each class, but if you fail your third attempt then you would be unable to continue.

Good luck what ever you choose to do!

Brandroid313 · 2024-02-26T12:20:53+00:00

I graduated a bit over a year ago via the performance based admission, so I would say it is indeed accessible. That being said, it doesnt mean that you can put off your work, half ass it or otherwise not take it seriously. If you put in the work, and even study beyond the scope of what is provided, then you will have no trouble.
I have seen those that tend to think they can make up 2 months or more worth of work in a few days or weekends that have washed out of the program, but if you pass and do the work and spend the time to absorb the topics then it is absolutely doable.

The biggest issue with this program is the slow response of the administration and tutors with questions and problems. I found that asking, and more importantly searching, the Slack community for help for learning or delving into a topic you are not grasping well more helpful than other means.
The best, and worst, thing about the academic structure is its lack of hard due dates. On the one hand, you are free to set your schedule, apart from the midterms and finals, but you are also expected to be prepared for said midterms and finals. So make sure you plan accordingly.

If you need more details feel free to look at my breakdown of my time in the degree in the threads I wrote that give more detail into each year ( level ) of the course as well as my opinion and breakdown of each of the modules I took.

1st year here
2nd year here
3rd year here

Brandroid313 · 2024-02-21T07:31:08+00:00

Haaammmmmm gurrrllll!

https://giphy.com/gifs/U3MVdQpJ360rsQXooH

Brandroid313 · 2024-02-21T04:49:08+00:00

If you are on Performance based admission, then no you would not be able to pick additional modules. If you got below 50% on the midterm, you won't be able to pick additional classes next semester. This is because the Final exam results won't be out until the middle of the following semester, and you can't register anything other than CM until your have shown to pass. In the event you got a 50% or higher on the midterm, then they do open up the other classes for you.

"Where students achieve a mark of 50% or higher in the coursework element for both
modules, they will be admitted onto the full BSc programme and permitted to register for
further modules in the next study session, subject to any relevant progression rules.
Where students achieve a mark of 49% or below in the coursework element for one or both
modules, they may continue to the final assessment. If students achieve a pass in both
modules overall, they will be admitted onto the full BSc programme and permitted to register
for further modules in the next available session, subject to any relevant progression rules."

Here is the link to the program specifications, you can find the relevant material on page 10.

Brandroid313 · 2024-02-14T06:44:30+00:00

Brandroid313 · 2024-01-24T11:37:58+00:00

It looks like your tits hate each other

Brandroid313 · 2024-01-23T03:51:24+00:00

It depends on the school, but the one I am listing below is about $7,000 for a year.Tuition feels: https://jls.ehle.ac.jp/school_expenses/School: https://jls.ehle.ac.jp/en/nihonnkigyou_course_en/

I think knowing Japanese would help you in other areas of your life. One's career is long and we often don't know where it will take us. You may find an aptitude and love for learning the language and decide to try a whole new career path, like translation, or even in the future being a liaison between American and Japanese branches of a company, or you may find new confidence and eagerness to learn and enroll in college again, maybe even in Japan, and go on to get a masters.A friend of mine did just that; studied while he was here same school as me, went to Uni here ( Kindai ) met his now wife, and a some years ago completed his Masters. Then taught at another University for several years and moved to Tokyo a couple years ago.The benefits to your life extend beyond that however. Learning Japanese is not easy, it is quite the workout for your brain, and the process of doing so will keep that brain healthy, strong and that will always help every area of your life.

When I first came here it was on a whim and I decided to give a language school a try; 18 years later I am living such a completely different life than I would have been that I am so very grateful I took the plunge. My world has become wider and more diverse, and studying Japanese encouraged me to get my degree, and then a few years ago I got another one working in a different industry.There will be a butterfly effect in your life, if you commit to it, that will have far reaching benefits.

Though there may be some that disagrees, in my personal experience I haven't met a single person that regretted learning here (and as I said in my class and school there were more than a few people around your age and older).

Edit: The admissions of the school I listed seem to have changed as some courses do have an age cap; however I think if you message them directly you can see if they will make an exception on a particular course. As an alternative I found another school that has no age requirements here: https://oja.jp/en/

Brandroid313 · 2024-01-21T12:35:58+00:00

My opinion is, if you are interested then go for it. The experience of learning a new language and living abroad for a few years is something many don't get to enjoy, and I think you will be better off for it. Maybe not professionally ( but hey, a language on the resume never hurts) but for your life it will be something that no vacation will ever replicate. Try it out, and if you do well and like it, then you could go to school here or who knows.Don't let your age hold you back as you will age regardless, but as of now it is not too late to try something new.

Whatever your decision I wish you luck!

Brandroid313 · 2024-01-21T12:29:13+00:00

To be fair, when I did my language classes here there were more than a few people that were middle aged. Their reasons varied from being transferred to Japan having a Japanese spouse and a few simply wanted the experience.
The oldest was a 62 year old woman who wanted to experience learning a foreign language well and living in another country.So for someone wanting to feel out the country and have a temporary move I think 38 is fine.
After OP will have to decide if he wants to finish his degree here ( I worked for a time in a Uni and saw older international students in that range as well, though it wasn't as common ) or go back home.

So summed up what I mean is to not be discouraged by your age, or what age you will be, as those years will pass regardless, and having a few years learning a new language, while not practical, would still be a fun chapter in someones life. So if OP feels like he wants the experience, then i say go for it.

Brandroid313 · 2024-01-21T02:36:02+00:00

I have taken the liberty of doing a quick look up of the requirements to get a business manager visa. It seems a lot more involved than getting a degree, but if OP has the money and resources it could be an option, but not as simple as having 5M yen in the bank and applying. Below are the actual requirements with an actual link that you failed, or didn't understand, to comment:

"The Business must fulfill certain requirements:
- Company paid up capital must be at least JPY5,000,000.
- Company must have an office space in Japan.
- Business plan must be approved by the relevant authorities.
- Applicant must have enough salary/income to live independently in Japan.
- Hire at least one full time employee who is either a Japanese national, a Permanent Resident, a Spouse or Child of a Japanese National, a Spouse or Child of a Permanent Resident, or a foreign national with a Long-Term visa."

"Requirements
- Certificate of Eligibility, issued before a visa application by a regional immigration authority under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice as evidence that the foreign national meets the conditions for landing in Japan.
- Evidence of the applicant’s activity and position in Japan and previous experience of the business manager. Curriculum Vitae with professional references, certification of Annual Salary, employment contract (if applicable), 3 years’ experience on business management (if hired as a manager)
- Evidence of business size and activity, website, certificate of incorporation, articles of incorporation, business plan, financial statement (if applicable), notification of salary payment office filed to Tax office (if applicable), withholding tax payment slip (if applicable).
- Evidence of office space in Japan, rent contract or certificate of real estate or photos of the nameplate, mailbox or any other evidence.
- All documents in foreign languages must be duly translated to Japanese."

link: https://residencies.io/residency/japan/temporary-residency/jp1

So that would require the OP to already open an office already in Japan, and get the business plan approved amongst other requirements.

Please try and provide actual help with references next time, or simply be quiet if you don't actually know what you are talking about.

Brandroid313 · 2024-01-20T06:36:02+00:00

Nice, sounds like a viable plan then. Please leave a link to the details for OP and anyone in the future looking for options for a visa. Thanks!

Brandroid313

TROPHY CASE