CS vs IT : Difference between CS and IT course structures
by Dhvaj Kumar SEARCH FOR COLLEGE REVIEWS & RATINGSIt was always coming
down to this.The days of mechanical, civil and electrical being the only
reliable streams of engineering are finally over. The Silicon Valley boom
gazumped engineers in the West during the early 1970s. IBM had started rolling
out mainframe computers for big and small companies. The establishment there
gave little importance to modules like user interface and accessibility. The
rise of Apple and later Microsoft compressed IBM out of the market and heralded
the era of application based computing.Also view GATE registration details
for 2018.
History of CS and IT courses
These events created a
massive demand for CS engineers and technicians proficient in writing code. To
meet this demand, top universities in the US changed their engineering
curriculum drastically to suit industry needs.
This evolution took time
to reach Indian shores. Until the late 90s, mechanical and civil were still the
preferred choice amongst students. As Indians started integrating computers
into their daily lives and foreign companies started turning to young Indian
talent for IT services, the evolution of engineering colleges in India began.
CS vs IT. The dilemma students face every year as they hope to
make the right choice.
Computer Science (CS)
and Information Technology (IT) are the pillars on which the modern
technological revolution has spread its wings. Engineering aspirants flock to
CS and IT branches as soon as results and ranks are declared. Every digital
appliance today has functionalities associated within the purview and guidance
of CS and IT engineers.
The world biggest
corporation and the richest person in the world, both remain closely knitted to
the CS and IT industry. This clearly highlights the impact these companies have
had over the recent years. From oil drilling companies and automobile and
weapon manufacturing, the tech business has now outpaced them all and emerged
as the pathway to future innovations.
So what is the
difference really? CS and IT are often clubbed together as two fields with
overlapping sections. The IITs have further highlighted this point by not
having any course for IT as they deem CS broad enough for an aspiring tech
engineer.Which is better, CS or IT?
Difference between CS and IT
course structures
Despite what is usually
said, CS and IT have some fundamental differences.
Imagine you’re building
a rocket to Mars. The project essentially requires three different teams.
Team A is tasked with
mechanically assembling the parts required for building the rocket. From buying
the material required to build the rocket to shaping it properly and finally
assembling it. This team can essentially be called computer engineers. They
have knowledge about building systems from the ground up, but are not concerned
about the inner functionality or running of the system
Team B is tasked with
implementing systems which are required for running of the rocket. These tasks
include designing fuel valves, installing visual systems for astronauts to use,
creating monitoring systems to gauge trajectory and fuel consumption. Team B
can be called as CS engineers. They have acute understanding of the
fundamentals of computer languages and the algorithms used behind developing
code.
Team C can essentially
be called the astronauts. They use the systems created and monitored by Team A
and B to ensure successful flight of the rocket. As you may have guessed, Team
C is an analogue for IT engineers. They use systems and languages developed by
computer engineers and computer scientists to match the requirement of the
user.
The question is an
intriguing one. CS is essentially proposing a scientific approach to computers.
Every aspect of modern day computing is rationalized and explained to CS
students. The choice 15 years ago would have been a no brainer. Because of a
dearth of engineers in the computers industry at that time, CS engineers were
much more preferable over their IT counterparts due to their versatility.
In the current climate,
IT engineers have created a strong place for themselves in the industry. With
so many CS graduates in the current jobs market, companies are more interested
in specificity and niche skills. While CS is still a highly valued field, IT is
no longer a less attractive option.
The main difference
cited in CS and IT was the bare fundamentals. However, recruiters these days
are less interested in course structure at universities due to plummeting
standards of graduating CS and IT engineers in the country. The emphasis now is
more on ability to handle specific tasks such as data mining, internet
security, computer and network architecture etc.
A good IT engineer is
much more valuable than an average CS engineer. If an engineer possesses an
appropriate skill set, he/she is never going to struggle looking for a job.
In terms of making a
choice, industry forces have made the choice very simple. Aspirants can choose
whichever branch appeals the most to them without worrying about job prospects.
The dynamic landscape of the tech industry will always throw up enough jobs for
decent CS and IT engineers.
For many students, it
all comes down to this. Money speaks, and often loudly. After four gruelling
years of engineering, nothing lights a CS or IT engineer’s face better than a
bumper salary package.
Average salaries across
both fields are very similar. Due to the general overpopulation of CS and IT
engineers in the country, packages have fallen down drastically over the past
few years. A tabular comparison has been done below.
Average packages for CS
is Rs. 3.38 LPA and Rs. 3.61 LPA for IT engineers.
Please note these
packages are an average total of CS and IT engineers from all colleges.
Engineers from IIT and top NITs are
offered much higher packages.
As expected, there isn’t
a great difference in packages for CS and IT engineers. This trend is expected
to continue further, as internet integration into various electronic devices
still remains a great opportunity. The ubiquity of electronic devices will
usher a new phase in the tech industry.
The ball is in the court
of the universities for now. If they manage to reform the course structure to
meet the demands of an ever-changing industry, there will be enough prospects
for CS and IT engineers.
While packages and
fundamentals follow a similar trajectory, CS and IT have varying job growths
across varying designations.
While CS offers a more
rounded approach to computer science, it lacks in providing industrial skills
necessary to go higher in a particular position. In other words, CS isn’t as
‘marketable’.
The reasons are many.
Unlike early years when the tech industry was in its infancy and people were
judged based on their all round knowledge and versatility, thus preferring CS
engineers. Companies have now become much more specific and clear in their
requirements.
IT engineers, due to in
depth knowledge in certain industry related areas, rise faster in tech
companies who constantly need experienced engineers higher up the command
chain. Many companies abroad have started to prefer IT professional over CS
graduates who have scattered talents in many fields.
That is not to say CS
graduates lack the skill set to succeed. Compared to other branches like EC, EE
and Mechanical, CS is still a more lucrative option. However, because of lack
of industry targeted courses, CS engineers are falling behind their IT
counterparts.
The problem essentially
is fundamental.
CS: Concern for the future
The future of CS is
bright, but does it lack direction and vision?
Computer science, like
its name, is a pure science. A student studying computer science in college
becomes a CS engineer, while in purist terms he/she is actually a computer
scientist.
Many people tend to
ignore this major flaw. Using computer science (CS) courseas
engineering major is not the right way to approach such a broad and vivid
field. Consider other engineering disciplines such as ECE or Mechanical. Both
fields have a clear agenda to treat every subject based upon a practical
phenomenon which directly goes into use in industries.
Every engineering field
is based upon a pure science. Mechanical has classical physics, civil has
structural physics, chemical has chemistry and EC has electrodynamics.
Computer science has
computer science. And here is the problem.
Instead of trying to
force specificity into CS by dropping portions, the focus should turn to
perfecting the IT curriculum. For better all round education and competition,
CS should be turned into a Bachelor of Science course. This will define its
importance better and encourage only truly passionate students to pursue the
subject, rather than a horde of students jumping on the bandwagon.
CS v IT: Conclusion
Upon analysis of course
structure, salary and growth, it is apparent that IT is a more sustainable
field with better growth. Does this mean complete alienation of CS?
Top engineering colleges
in India are still setting CS cutoffs highest every year. As far as the near
future goes, CS will be the most popular branch of engineering in India.
However, every industry in every country has its own way eventually. If growth
in IT sector maintains the same numbers it is currently at, one can expect a
power shift from CS to IT after a few years. Until then, CS still seems to be
the king.Computer science careers will
continue to blossom.
Computer
Science (CS) and Information Technology (IT) are the pillars on which the
modern technological revolution has spread its wings. Engineering aspirants
flock to CS and IT branches as soon as results and ranks are declared. Every
digital appliance today has functionalities associated within the purview and
guidance of CS and IT engineers.
The world biggest corporation and the richest person in the world,
both remain closely knitted to the CS and IT industry. This clearly highlights
the impact these companies have had over the recent years. From oil drilling
companies and automobile and weapon manufacturing, the tech business has now
outpaced them all and emerged as the pathway to future innovations.
So what is the difference really? CS and IT are often clubbed
together as two fields with overlapping sections. The IITs have further
highlighted this point by not having any course for IT as they deem CS broad
enough for an aspiring tech engineer.Which
is better, CS or IT?
Differencebetween CS and IT course structures
Despite what is usually said, CS and IT have some fundamental
differences.
Imagine you’re building a rocket to Mars. The project essentially
requires three different teams.
Team A is tasked with mechanically assembling the parts required
for building the rocket. From buying the material required to build the rocket
to shaping it properly and finally assembling it. This team can essentially be
called computer engineers. They have knowledge about building systems from the
ground up, but are not concerned about the inner functionality or running of
the system
Team B is tasked with implementing systems which are required for
running of the rocket. These tasks include designing fuel valves, installing
visual systems for astronauts to use, creating monitoring systems to gauge
trajectory and fuel consumption. Team B can be called as CS engineers. They
have acute understanding of the fundamentals of computer languages and the
algorithms used behind developing code.
Team C can essentially be called the astronauts. They use the
systems created and monitored by Team A and B to ensure successful flight of
the rocket. As you may have guessed, Team C is an analogue for IT engineers.
They use systems and languages developed by computer engineers and computer
scientists to match the requirement of the user.
CS v IT: Placements
The question is an intriguing one. CS is essentially proposing a
scientific approach to computers. Every aspect of modern day computing is
rationalized and explained to CS students. The choice 15 years ago would have
been a no brainer. Because of a dearth of engineers in the computers industry
at that time, CS engineers were much more preferable over their IT counterparts
due to their versatility.
In the current climate, IT engineers have created a strong place
for themselves in the industry. With so many CS graduates in the current jobs
market, companies are more interested in specificity and niche skills. While CS
is still a highly valued field, IT is no longer a less attractive option.
The main difference cited in CS and IT was the bare fundamentals.
However, recruiters these days are less interested in course structure at
universities due to plummeting standards of graduating CS and IT engineers in
the country. The emphasis now is more on ability to handle specific tasks such
as data mining, internet security, computer and network architecture etc.
A good IT engineer is much more valuable than an average CS
engineer. If an engineer possesses an appropriate skill set, he/she is never
going to struggle looking for a job.
In terms of making a choice, industry forces have made the choice
very simple. Aspirants can choose whichever branch appeals the most to them
without worrying about job prospects. The dynamic landscape of the tech
industry will always throw up enough jobs for decent CS and IT engineers.
CS: Concern for the future
The future of CS is bright, but does it lack direction and vision?
Computer science, like its name, is a pure science. A student
studying computer science in college becomes a CS engineer, while in purist
terms he/she is actually a computer scientist.
Many people tend to ignore this major flaw. Using computer science (CS) courseas
engineering major is not the right way to approach such a broad and vivid
field. Consider other engineering disciplines such as ECE or Mechanical. Both
fields have a clear agenda to treat every subject based upon a practical
phenomenon which directly goes into use in industries.
Every engineering field is based upon a pure science. Mechanical
has classical physics, civil has structural physics, chemical has chemistry and
EC has electrodynamics.
Computer science has computer science. And here is the problem.
Instead of trying to force specificity into CS by dropping
portions, the focus should turn to perfecting the IT curriculum. For better all
round education and competition, CS should be turned into a Bachelor of Science
course. This will define its importance better and encourage only truly
passionate students to pursue the subject, rather than a horde of students
jumping on the bandwagon.
CS
v IT: Conclusion
Upon analysis of course structure, salary and growth, it is
apparent that IT is a more sustainable field with better growth. Does this mean
complete alienation of CS?
Top engineering colleges in India are still setting CS cutoffs
highest every year. As far as the near future goes, CS will be the most popular
branch of engineering in India. However, every industry in every country has
its own way eventually. If growth in IT sector maintains the same numbers it is
currently at, one can expect a power shift from CS to IT after a few years.
Until then, CS still seems to be the king.Computer science careers will
continue to blossom.
Source - https://www.reviewadda.com/institute/article/102/myth-about-cs-vs-it-course
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Created on Sep 14th 2017 02:34. Viewed 517 times.