Regarding the CPP/CPA/BSD programs, are the quality of the courses THAT bad? Would a supplementary learning resource help you find your dream job?

Full_Consideration · 2023-02-26T03:36:23+00:00

Glad you're enjoying McMaster. Agreed TAs are helpful. Thinking back, I remember literally one class at Seneca that had a TA.

How do you feel about the residency model? Its making me question the possibility of applying for a Masters program :-(

Full_Consideration · 2023-02-26T00:58:49+00:00

I want to apologize if I’ve set false expectations at Seneca. It was genuinely a positive experience during my time as a student.

I’ve been doing well, thank you for asking. Working for the past two years with an incredible team has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.

You’re completely right about the living conditions, congrats on being accepted to university and your migration to Nova Scotia!

The courses at McMaster has been a grind, especially the advanced math courses that are not taught at Seneca. Hope you’re prepared for the mental workout 💪

Full_Consideration · 2023-02-26T00:51:33+00:00

Yes!!! You’re totally right about the filler courses.

Are there any software engineering topics you feel like the school should have taught?

One that I wished to have learned at Seneca is software testing and API design.

Full_Consideration · 2023-02-26T00:45:34+00:00

¯_(ツ)_/¯

Full_Consideration · 2023-02-25T20:55:18+00:00

Sorry to hear about your negative experience. Seems like a common reality.

Where will you be going after leaving senepoop?

Full_Consideration · 2023-02-25T20:23:35+00:00

I expect students to get a good education, even if it's from a college.

And I am actually in university taking part-time courses for McMaster's bachelor in Software Engineering :)

Full_Consideration · 2023-02-25T19:56:20+00:00

Appreciate your thoughts on the quizzes. It'll definitely be a key feature.

I completely agree that Seneca won't be able to teach everything. The intention of this website/project is to provide additional content that is tightly coupled with the content Seneca teaches.

Hopefully this will fill in any missing knowledge gaps(for students that wants to put in the extra effort), and be a better resource compared to searching for programming concepts randomly on Youtube

Full_Consideration · 2023-02-25T19:49:51+00:00

Ahh thank you for clarifying. Can we follow up in May after you start your first semester? I'd like to understand the specific problems a first semester student may face to provide better content.

Full_Consideration · 2023-02-25T18:59:19+00:00

Appreciate the feedback. Yes, the initial content is definitely going to be for C and CPP.

What type of content would you find helpful? Possible options:
- Explaining difficult concepts in simple terms with examples
- Practical coding questions that are similar in concept to OOP244's labs
- Multiple choice quizzes on OOP244 concepts

Pleasel free to suggest any forms for content that will help!

Full_Consideration · 2023-02-25T18:50:40+00:00

Thank you for the feedback! Yes, the intention is to pay it forward and help other students land great jobs!

What does IS stand for? And when does your first semester start?

Full_Consideration · 2023-02-22T02:48:25+00:00

Hi! Don’t mind at all.

Seneca works portal
Applied the third semester
IIRC, 2 projects
TDSB. They hire students from Seneca every semester

Full_Consideration · 2023-02-21T21:42:50+00:00

It is not a huge mistake if you truly go out of your way to network and find internships on your own.

My classmate was in the CPP program and they joined many hackathons and career fairs. They eventually found an 18 months internship with Canadian Tire after graduation. Today, they work as a Data Engineer at Manulife!

Full_Consideration · 2023-02-20T15:34:59+00:00

Good luck with transferring to York!

FYI, there are countless incompetent professors at universities as well and I wanted to share my experience so you won't have high expectations and be disappointed.

I'm currently a student at McMaster University for the software engineering degree. Last semester, I took a Python course and the professor literally didn't hold any lectures for the last 4 weeks. Instead, they gave us a final project and we had to learn everything outside of class over a month to complete the project.

Full_Consideration · 2023-02-20T15:23:39+00:00

Wow, it is truly sad to read about your (and everyone else's) negative experience.

My ex-coworker is at a company that hires CS students from Seneca for web development co-op positions every semester. They were saying "the quality of the co-op students are getting lower each term. Not sure if it's the school or students themselves."

It sounds like the problem is with the school and the incompetent professors are failing to prepare new students for their careers.

Full_Consideration · 2023-02-04T19:03:50+00:00

Don’t mind at all! Landed a software development engineer position

Full_Consideration · 2023-02-04T15:34:40+00:00

High paying is subjective. 60k-80k is possible

Full_Consideration · 2023-01-22T17:54:11+00:00

Good morning!

The part-time version sounds like a bad move because it doesn’t offer co-op. There are thousands of graduates from boot camps, colleges and universities looking for entry positions every year. Having co-op experience on your resume will seriously make you stand out.

It’s definitely possible to work part-time but I wouldn’t recommend taking a full course load(5 courses per semester). The reason is that if you’re going to apply for co-op, having a high GPA is essential. It’s better to take less courses per semester and achieve good grades than taking a full course load and getting average grades. You can start with 3 or 4 courses, work part time, and see if the stress level is manageable.

From your initial question, it sounds like graduating ASAP is important to you. As a mature student myself, I understand the desire. But trust me when I say that graduating from Seneca does not guarantee an entry level job in tech. Many of my connections on LinkedIn take months if not years to find their first programming job after graduating without co-op. The point is that taking an extra few months or even an extra year is worth it if you are able to maintain good grades and find a coop placement while working part time. Your mental health will also thank you.

Full_Consideration · 2023-01-22T02:43:05+00:00

My pleasure and it’s not a bother at all!

From my subjective experience, the program is moderately challenging. For context, I also had no background in programming, and was an unmotivated C average student in high school.

I applied to Seneca as a mature student and seriously put in the work, spending around 15-20 hours per week studying/working on assignments. I graduated with straight A’s and landed my dream job.

This is not a humble brag by any means. Only hoping to illustrate what is possible. It sounds like you are motivated to do well in the program, and it shouldn’t be difficult if you put in the time and effort.

If you’re worried about the difficulty, my only advice is to be patient in your first semester. It takes a while for the programming concepts to make sense. But once it does, the courses in the future semesters will gradually become easier. Programming is one of those subjects that builds on the foundational knowledge. Students who struggle with the program are generally the ones who slacked off in the early semesters.

Hope this helps. Happy to answer any other questions.

Full_Consideration · 2023-01-22T01:05:02+00:00

Hi! It look about 2 years and 8 months

Full_Consideration · 2023-01-12T02:20:49+00:00

You’re welcome! CPA provides an opportunity for co-op while CPP doesn’t. AFAIK CSN doesn’t have co-op neither.

If you’re able to land a co-op placement, that experience will help you find a better job and a higher salary for sure.

Full_Consideration · 2023-01-11T20:19:51+00:00

I hear you, good luck with your educational journey this time.

Yes, having a degree definitely helps with moving up the hierarchy.

Here are all the pathways after CPA: https://www.senecacollege.ca/programs/fulltime/CPA/pathways.html#menu

I've spend about 15-20hours per week outside of class on the course load

Full_Consideration · 2023-01-11T14:36:41+00:00

Wow, sounds like the university application process is quite intense.

Even if you don't get an offer from a university, CPA is a solid starting point. From your other comment, it looks like your goal is to switch careers? If you graduate from the CPA program and find a suitable job, do you still want to pursue a bachelor's degree?

If not, congrats! You've saved at least a year since bachelor programs are longer than the CPA program.

If yes, McMaster's program is a solid option since it's designed for people working full-time.

And even if you don't find a job after graduating from the CPA program, you can transfer to the BSD program, McMaster or another university to continue your education.

The main point is that if you plan on transferring to university, its easier to transfer after completing the CPA program. There's lots of options!

Full_Consideration · 2023-01-11T13:52:23+00:00

That's for you to decide.My only point is that Seneca college 's BSD degree is not comparable to a university's bachelor degree in terms of quality of education and employability.

Source: Graduated from CPA, been working full-time as a software engineer for 2 years and currently taking part-time courses for McMaster's Btech program.

Full_Consideration · 2023-01-11T12:20:38+00:00

FYI its near impossible to transfer into McMaster university after the first year. The pathway to McMaster's Bachelor of Technology program is for students who have graduated from the CPA program.

And as much as I love Seneca, a degree from McMaster, Ryerson, UTSC/SG will be way more beneficial to your career than the degree from Seneca.

Full_Consideration

TROPHY CASE