(tl;dr at bottom)

Hi,

I'm a 17 year old and I've been interested in computers for yonks. I don't know much about this site but I figured it would be good to ask this here. I've been thinking ahead about my career in regards to this split road I think I'm at. Some advice from here would be nice - what would you pick in my situation, considering where you currently are?

Recently I interviewed for a Software Engineering degree apprenticeship with the BBC. Obvious very household name, but not very associated with tech. If you are outside of the UK, to give you an idea, a degree apprenticeship is where you work in a company alongside studiying for your degree. They are quite competitive and sought after. They pay you a salary and your tuition fees, etc. You have to cover your own cost of living though. The benefit is you get experience and money. I ended up an offer which was amazing as I thought I completely failed the technical interview. Out of 1000+ candidates, I was one of the lucky 7! So about a 0.5% chance I got in.

So, what I am asking, is what, in your opinion, would be a better option post-18?

Software Engineering Degree Apprenticeship w/ BBC (London or Manchester based) or MSc Comp Sci @ a Russel group university (top 15)

Pros and cons listed below.

SWE Degree Apprenticeship

+ Will be either London or Manchester based. + £23,000 starting salary, will increase per year. + If London role, £27,000 starting salary. + £50k savings likely by end. + Studies entirely paid fo, no debt. + BSc in Level 6 Digital Technology Solutions. + Can do MSc in CS @ Oxbridge / RG after. + 4 YoE at 22 years old. + Strong name on my CV. + BBC is Fortune 500 (Europe) company + If London role, will be renting a place with my best mate :) + Will work on their big streaming platform, mobile apps, website etc.

/ Renting my own place, potentially on my own...

- Will miss out on "university experience" - Worse social life? - Not a tech company per se. - Have to cover own rent, food etc. - Worried that BSc in Level 6 Digital Technology Solutions is not a respected degree. (will do masters in CS after though) - If Manchester role, I would be studying at the Open University. - Which is less respected than RG / Red Brick unis. - Would have to study entirely online. - No facilities. - No social aspect.

University

+ Would probably enjoy considerably more. + Much better social life. + Would be surrounded by CS people, other students. + Good chance I get a high grade (1st or 2:1) + Will be able to intern at companies during summer! + Year in Industry included. + Masters integrated into course. + Higher graduation prospects. + Facilities are beautiful and amazing + Student accommodation sounds cool to me! + Debt paid off very slow, barely considered a debt. + Have friends going there!

- £50k ish debt - Not 100% chance I get good employer for Industry year, or any internships. (Would be likely though). - Not nearly as much experience. - Will be in the same boat as everyone else! - Worried I will be ahead of others in terms of actual technical skill. - Theory is not my strong suit (but pretty good as well).

At the end of the day I'm not too fussed about the money, but maybe that's just my young inexperience right now. I will post this to other forums as I want to get a general consensus. Thanks, sorry if this breaks any rules. You can remove or downvote if it does :(

----- TL:DR: If you were an employer at a tech company, hiring new grads, who would you hire?

Candidate 1 - 4 years of work experience - Worked at the BBC doing software engineering - Level 6 Digital Technology Solutions at Open University - MSc Comp Sci at Top 5 university.

Candidate 2 - Sheffield University graduate - 2/3 summer internships at multiple companies - Year in industry at X company - MSc and BSc in Comp Sci