Which course for working in the financial sector (1 Viewer)

[meatbunz]

Was just wondering between Computer Science and Information Systems which course would be better to take if I wanted to work in the financial sector, in one of the big 4 or other establishments and/or consulting firms/investment banks.
Noting that this degree will be doubled with Commerce at UNSW.
I am looking more towards which would have a higher chance to be hired and/or more flexibility in terms of jobs in the case I change career prospects in the future.

 

[Kolmias]

Computer Science.

 

[turntaker]

Computer Science.

OP, please ignore this as it is very wrong.

If your goal is to work in the finance sector then IS is obviously the way to go. The main focus of IS is business and creating systems for businesses to use. IS also compliments Commerce very nicely as opposed to CS which is more engineering focused with lots of focus on maths rather than business.
Now if you wish to work in the tech industry, obviously CS would be a wiser option. In terms of jobs both should be relatively equal however CS is more flexible and widely recognized around the world.

 

[meatbunz]

As Comp Sci is more versatile, would it be possible to enter the same jobs within the financial sector with a comp sci (and comm) degree
Because I know there are jobs you cannot enter with an IS degree which you can enter using a comp sci degree

 

[Katsumi]

I haven't researched this subject in depth, but having previously been a co-op IT student and knowing many people working for the big 4 auditing firms an Information Systems degree seems to be the way to go. This being based off the degrees held by the people that i know working at such firms, and what i've heard.

What sort of job are you looking for in the sector?

 

[Trebla]

Was just wondering between Computer Science and Information Systems which course would be better to take if I wanted to work in the financial sector, in one of the big 4 or other establishments and/or consulting firms/investment banks.
Noting that this degree will be doubled with Commerce at UNSW.
I am looking more towards which would have a higher chance to be hired and/or more flexibility in terms of jobs in the case I change career prospects in the future.

Information Systems is more of a general business management type field and would be handy if you want to get into technology consulting or manage a company's data infrastructure. I find it difficult to see where this field fits specifically in an analyst role in the financial sector.

If you want to be an analyst in the finance sector, I think Computer Science is more useful because the technical programming skills that help you disseminate and manipulate data for analysis is becoming increasingly valued in a big data world. Not many analysts can program and they sometimes have to learn some programming skills on the job, so having those skills already is an advantage.

Also, Information Systems could probably be something you can dabble in your Commerce degree in the form of complementary electives rather it's own degree.

 

[Chronost]

Information Systems is more of a general business management type field and would be handy if you want to get into technology consulting or manage a company's data infrastructure. I find it difficult to see where this field fits specifically in an analyst role in the financial sector.

If you want to be an analyst in the finance sector, I think Computer Science is more useful because the technical programming skills that help you disseminate and manipulate data for analysis is becoming increasingly valued in a big data world. Not many analysts can program and they sometimes have to learn some programming skills on the job, so having those skills already is an advantage.

Also, Information Systems could probably be something you can dabble in your Commerce degree in the form of complementary electives rather it's own degree.

Basically what Trebla said - increasingly a computer science degree will be much more handy working in the financial sector especially in a finance role - in terms of accounting both have merits (IT audit etc..) but overall I would go with computer science.

 

[meatbunz]

I was getting a little worried that since IS is less comprehensive as a computing degree it would be harder to get jobs even in a business perspective.
For clarification, I think I would like to be in more of a management position, overlooking an IT department kind of thing. But honestly, I have started dabbing into programming with java and find it quite enjoyable, so a full technical job wouldn't be the worst idea either.

 

[meatbunz]

I did a lot of research on this, contacting lecturers, past students, companies etc...

Information Systems is the way to go.

Why?

It contains both the business and technical side

Thus, you can apply for both business and technical roles. There is commercially java programming in most IS degrees. You can apply for developer roles (like a CS) or systems analyst / consultant roles (like a business deg)

If you go for a 100% CS degree, you'll only be qualified to apply for technical roles

If you apply for a 100% comerce degree, you'll only be qualified to apply for commerce jobs

A degree is just a 'checkbox'. Lots of seek job posting also have "degree X or equivalent / similar" now.

Truthfully, either will serve you well and get your 'foot in the door'. However, in a highly corporate environment IS is the way to go.

Also CS has a relatively hard work load relative to IS

tl;dr IS for financial sector

OK SOOOO since I'm doing a double degree with COMMERCE , that would cover my commerce jobs, and then wouldn't comp sci cover my technical jobs?
I would still cover both?? I was wondering if comp sci would be more beneficial than IS for the technical jobs that I apply for :/

 

[turntaker]

OK SOOOO since I'm doing a double degree with COMMERCE , that would cover my commerce jobs, and then wouldn't comp sci cover my technical jobs?
I would still cover both?? I was wondering if comp sci would be more beneficial than IS for the technical jobs that I apply for :/

A uni degree alone doesn't give you a job. You don't simply "cover" technical jobs by doing comp sci.

99% of the time, you don't learn what employers want in comp sci.

 

[Chronost]

I did a lot of research on this, contacting lecturers, past students, companies etc...

Information Systems is the way to go.

Why?

It contains both the business and technical side

Thus, you can apply for both business and technical roles. There is commercially java programming in most IS degrees. You can apply for developer roles (like a CS) or systems analyst / consultant roles (like a business deg)

If you go for a 100% CS degree, you'll only be qualified to apply for technical roles

If you apply for a 100% comerce degree, you'll only be qualified to apply for commerce jobs

A degree is just a 'checkbox'. Lots of seek job posting also have "degree X or equivalent / similar" now.

Truthfully, either will serve you well and get your 'foot in the door'. However, in a highly corporate environment IS is the way to go.

Also CS has a relatively hard work load relative to IS

tl;dr IS for financial sector

Expect you'll barely be able to code with an IS degree lmao, and they don't just choose anyone to code as a developer.

IS is a good degree as someone says that covers a little bit of both, and it is a fairly popular combination with Commerce, but if your seriously thinking long term and by the time you actually finish your degree , I can bet you the CS degree will be more useful then the IS degree IF you can handle it

 

[meatbunz]

Expect you'll barely be able to code with an IS degree lmao, and they don't just choose anyone to code as a developer.

IS is a good degree as someone says that covers a little bit of both, and it is a fairly popular combination with Commerce, but if your seriously thinking long term and by the time you actually finish your degree , I can bet you the CS degree will be more useful then the IS degree IF you can handle it

I'm pretty hardworking and I did 4U maths and phys+chem during HSC so I think workload wise I would be fine
But yea I am looking towards job opportunities in 4 years when I graduate
So comp sci would be better for more opportunities?

 

[Chronost]

I'm pretty hardworking and I did 4U maths and phys+chem during HSC so I think workload wise I would be fine
But yea I am looking towards job opportunities in 4 years when I graduate
So comp sci would be better for more opportunities?

With commerce double degree you'll definitely have more opportunities (it helps that CS also teaches you basic quant skills which some jobs in comm also value)

 

[Trebla]

You can still do Information Systems electives in your Commerce degree (I'm assuming you'll be going for a Finance major in Commerce) and gain some knowledge of the business management side of things without covering the the entire breadth of the field.

At the end of the day, you don't really need a major or degree in Information Systems if you are looking to be a finance analyst (which is different to say a business analyst where Information Systems is quite important).

 

[Anthel]

Computer Science.

...

 

[Chronost]

You won't get as much practice as someone who does a pure CS degree. The onus would be on you to refine your own skills, build your github portfolio, read up on algorithms etc.

Not saying its the best way, but that it is a possible career path.

The thing is the IS degree barely scratches the surface compared to CS in coding , its not as simple as doing it in your own time because the IS degree itself has enough work demand on you + other uni initiatives , part time work etc.. its different with a cs degree cause its usually all part of your course work to practice and go beyond and above


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