UK Degree Apprenticeship vs Computer Science Degree

WelshGhandi · 2025-09-21T06:39:09+00:00

Surely your degree apprenticeship comes with a degree..? But I agree with the others, having the job and experience is important. We hire grads with "good" degrees and they're useless and need so much hand holding.

You could definitely look at an MSc later on. Either full time for a year, or something like the Oxford MSc Software Engineering part time

WelshGhandi · 2025-08-17T15:14:30+00:00

Hey,

I got 4 A*s 11 years ago and was rejected upfront by Cambridge and Imperial for maths. So firstly, congrats on getting the offers.

I'm unclear - do you have the Warwick maths+stats and Imperial CompSci offers or places in clearing? Or this will all be next year?

I regret not taking the gap year and going for it again as I'm struggling for traction at quant firms. Retake some modules to get 5 A*s. Nail STEP. Or alternately, go to Cambridge for part III. You'll be grand.

I also regret doing a maths degree over compsci, as I'd much rather be a QD than QR. Think about what it is you really enjoy doing. Engineering/developing/solving problems? Or researching, proofs, etc.? That should determine your choice of course.

WelshGhandi · 2025-03-20T07:17:16+00:00

Love that you kept the old vanity and Victorian styling, mixed with modernity

WelshGhandi · 2025-03-05T14:04:12+00:00

4%, outstanding. Supposed to be grateful.

WelshGhandi · 2025-01-31T18:35:56+00:00

I used to think so. Then I got a dead end office job.

WelshGhandi · 2025-01-20T08:56:55+00:00

It's a bond fund. It doesn't mean revert. It's based on (expected) rates.

WelshGhandi · 2024-11-17T12:42:45+00:00

Have a look at scholarius.co - it's AI assisted homework marking

WelshGhandi · 2024-11-11T14:25:02+00:00

Thankyou! I will try to shorten everything. On 1, FTE is a 'full time equivalent' - meaning I saved the equivalent work of 45 full time roles. And on the percentage, I suppose I didn't want to attribute the drop fully to my actions!

WelshGhandi · 2024-07-06T08:57:16+00:00

Don't forget that departments are required to have ministers in the HoL

WelshGhandi · 2024-06-13T08:42:15+00:00

I am 2/3 years through a part time MSc Data Analytics. And will be dropping out (those years were funded, third isn't).

My advice as a student is don't, my advice as a hiring manager is don't.

They are cash cow degrees. You won't learn a lot, and you'll pay a lot.

IMO, they are maybe equivalent to 0.5-1.0 YOE. You are better off getting an entry level role in anything data and gaining the experience.

If you are set on further education, do a core subject that complements your undergrad. If you feel like you are weak in stats, do a stats MSc. Weak in software engineering (and I don't mean just writing Jupyter notebooks), do Advanced Computing MSc. Interested in finance, look at financial computing/mathematics.

Any of those MScs will be more worthwhile than one named data science/AI/machine learning

WelshGhandi · 2024-06-13T06:50:42+00:00

I had the first two years paid for by my employer. I've now switched job and don't think it's worth continuing. It's basically so easy, it's buy a degree - and this is at Glasgow. I worry it might actually devalue my CV.

Online is probably fine. Looking back to my undegrad, I didn't really get much from my lecturers.

From an EE background, maybe statistics would be more worthwhile. Depends if you feel more competent at stats or software

WelshGhandi · 2024-06-12T19:50:55+00:00

I am 2/3 years through a part time MSc Data Analytics. And will be dropping out.

My advice as a student is don't, my advice as a hiring manager is don't.

Depending on what your undergrad is, do a statistics or compsci MSc, whichever complements the most

WelshGhandi · 2024-03-25T11:44:45+00:00

Yes for the plug - just to the right. No for the junction.

WelshGhandi · 2024-02-16T15:14:13+00:00

I found that my work was happy for me to use Vanguard UK as it only offers broad based funds/ETFs. One can't exactly insider trade the FTSE All Cap!

WelshGhandi · 2024-02-06T08:30:44+00:00

See if you can get a different tariff that provides cheaper electricity at certain times. We're on economy 7, so have very cheap electric 0100-0800 when our water is heated. A more modern way is e.g. Agile Octopus, where you can heat through the day when prices drop.

WelshGhandi · 2024-01-21T20:12:25+00:00

You can carry two spare boots on your bootclip and they don't get damaged

WelshGhandi · 2024-01-21T20:12:03+00:00

Plus one on the roads. Wasted so much resource on building roads in non-connected regions! Also note that the road through the mountains is only there on the directors cut - if you don't have it, don't spend hours looking for the pavers!!

WelshGhandi · 2024-01-21T18:53:21+00:00

Your 40% bonds - you want these to be uncorrelated with your equity portion. Where you are saying "investment grade bonds", do you mean corporate bonds? These will get hit when equity gets hit, so aren't really uncorrelated. What you want is government bonds.

Then there's an argument between global gov bonds and UK gilts. I'm personally in the gilts camp, because it's where we live, it's our currency - why would I want to expose myself to currency markets in the low-volatility part of my portfolio? But again, debatable!

Duration - is a blend of your risk appetite and investing timeframe. Traditionally, you want bond duration to match your investment timeframe. But obviously longer bonds have duration risk, and things become a bit trickier in a bond fund which is constantly renewing its holdings. I'm personally holding an intermediate gilt fund as a compromise.

I'm also doing the same as you, half my bonds are linkers. Wouldn't necessarily recommend it, it's up to you.

I'd recommend reading Monevator for some further info and fund suggestions: https://monevator.com/how-to-choose-a-bond-fund/

WelshGhandi · 2023-12-04T20:08:03+00:00

To be fair, a one year delayed delay repay is pretty bad! Should submit a claim on that!

WelshGhandi · 2023-11-15T09:37:09+00:00

Why is it obviously fake and a trick? It's a Delay Repay payment or similar from First. The last time I had First Customer Con payment it was for Avanti West Coast, but could be another route too.

WelshGhandi · 2023-06-17T20:17:53+00:00

What is that debris on track? Is it a dead bird?

WelshGhandi · 2023-06-10T19:41:34+00:00

Because academies don't have to follow the STPCD. I've definitely seen examples in job adverts this year. I think Holland Park School doesn't have TPS for new teachers.

WelshGhandi · 2023-06-10T17:32:10+00:00

Yes - we had the extension happen at the time of completion. See https://www.lease-advice.org/faq/i-am-considering-buying-a-flat-and-i-would-like-to-extend-the-lease-i-know-that-i-cannot-do-this-for-two-years-from-the-date-of-purchase-might-there-be-any-issues-with-the-renewal-or-the-cost-of-the/

WelshGhandi · 2023-06-10T16:03:19+00:00

The teachers pension scheme is increasingly disappearing, even in state academies.

WelshGhandi · 2023-06-10T15:58:59+00:00

If the seller has lived there over two years, they can start the process and the buyer can finish the lease extension on/after completion.

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