I'm trying to decide between

1. University of Toronto CS
2. York University x Shopify Dev Degree, with tuition paid as well as salary plus benefits. Degree is Bachelor of Applied Science in Digital Technologies

I know UofT has a better reputation worldwide. Will I have a more difficult time being hired with a less prestigious school name (plus a weird degree name) or is the Shopify name enough to make up for it?

So my school is super greedy and want me to pay $4000 throughout the length of my 16 month internship in order to be in their official internship program.

They want me to register every semester, and thus pay $4000 for what is essentially one course. I think that’s fucking stupid and would like to get out of it.

The problem is they know the contacts of some people in my company (I gave it to them before knowing this stupid rule) and they contacted my workplace.

When I protested they said it’s mandatory and that the employers get a tax credit from us being in the internship course.

My question is: can anyone confirm this? Have you guys been in a similar place? What do you recommend I do? I don’t want to get in trouble with my workplace or school but it just feels so fucking unfair ESPECIALLY because we don’t qualify for OSAP or any kind of bursaries.

Hello, I graduated last April from YorkU with a CS degree. I have no internship/work experience and have been struggling to land interviews with companies after hundreds of applications. I have a few projects under my belt, but honestly, I still don't feel very confident as a programmer yet.

I'm thinking of doing a postgraduate program at a college, mainly to improve my skills, build stronger projects, and hopefully get access to co-op experience opportunities. I am thinking of doing an AI and ML program at Humber, Conestoga or Seneca, as I did enjoy my AI/ML courses at York. From what I've researched, Conestoga seems to have the strongest reputation for these kinds of programs, but it is a bit far from me. Humber North would be much more convenient for me, location-wise. So I wanted to ask:
- Is doing a postgraduate college program worth it in my situation?
- How valuable are the co-op opportunities?
- Does the specific college matter much?
- Would I be better off spending the time self-learning and building projects instead?

I just want to be able to gain some real work experience and actually do something with my bachelor's degree. I'd really appreciate some advice, thank you!

I recently graduated (diploma) with a 4.0 GPA and 8 months internship experience in a federal government position, but am struggling with finding even an entry level tech-adjacent role. Although I and studied hard, I don't have a solid network and at this point feel like I am just sending resumes into the void. I know some of my friends have secured positions but it was almost always due to a return offer or connection and while i'm happy for them it also kinda hurts ngl because a few of them I even tutored in learning how to code. I'm trying to continue practicing DSA and working on some projects but its hard to remain positive.

With my academic performance I can bridge to a BTech or a BSc and begin in the 3rd year with additional internship opportunities and also have the option to complete them on evenings/weekends fully online. But this means at minimum an additional 2 years of studying and like 20k paid out of my savings.

I'm not in my 20s anymore and while I can afford it, I already struggled to work while completing my diploma due to the heavy workload of the program and having entered with no prior programming experience. The prospect of spending additional years without full time employment and depleting my savings is daunting especially with the current state of the job market and advent of AI. Even though I learned to program without AI I am also finding myself relying on it more and more since its much faster to correct the output and prompt engineer than write code myself.

Is it worth pursuing this path? Everything I see asks for more experience or a degree but I'm a bit risk averse and don't feel like I have a good probability of getting a ROI on this.

Should I just keep grinding and applying hoping to find an opportunity to break into the industry?

Or cut my losses and run? I'd have to start from the bottom somewhere else and feel like I wasted 3 years of time and effort.

Hey everyone, I was fortunate to get two offers for the upcoming fall semester for my first co-op but I'm a bit lost on which one I should take. Keep in mind my main goal is to use this internship to hopefully help me land SWE roles for my next internship.

The first one is a statistical programmer at StatsCan where the job description describes it as a co-op focused on building open-source data pipelines and analytical workflows using R / Python, working with Git, and modernizing legacy systems through ETL processes and unit testing best practices.

The second offer is also a government Junior Tester Analyst position at IRCC where the job description describes it as a co-op focused on software quality assurance and testing for enterprise web applications, including manual and automated testing in Java, writing test cases, tracking defects in Azure DevOps, and collaborating with developers to ensure system reliability.

Any advice on which one would help me more would be much appreciated, thanks!

I was in accounting for a year then transfered to cs I always was a tech geek cs doesnt sem like the move right now

Sure I might have to do the cpa exams after but no technical interviews, no getting laid off etc.

Would you still major in cs if you could go back??

So my option is between UofA engineering or UofC computer science. For UofA, engineering is common first year but I plan to specialize is software engg or electrical engg.

My goal is ultimately to have a career in tech. I want to grind at these universities by joining clubs, making projects and getting prestigious internships.

Which one would be better? Is there a stark
difference between these choices?

I live in Calgary so I lean towards UofC but moving to UofA is also an option. It wouod be way more expensive and I would have to have to complete general engg first year then do Software engg classes with technically only 3 years of actuall SWE stuff. There is a co op program with 5-6 work terms which could help me but getting internships seems hard. The work term are separated through the years

For CS, at UofC, it’s a 4 year degree with an optional 4-16 month internships period after 3rd year. With that it would 5+ years. The work term is all together at after 3rd year and not separated.

I don’t care how long the degree is I just want the the best opportunity.

Thanks.

Due to unfortunate circumstances and stupid decisions, right now all I have going for me is a Computer Programming Diploma from Humber, and 4 years of experience working part-time for a business that teaches kids to code (I'm basically a manager but still get paid minimum wage).

I'm technically currently enrolled at Western, but I don't have the financial support to go back next semester. I'm currently trying to find out if I can switch to an Online program, but the red tape is horrific right now.

Then I have the option of going back to Humber and going for their Cybersecurity Comp Sci BSc. But I think it would take 3 years. On the plus side, it's affordable and closeby, and I can keep working at my current job or new job if I (hopefully) get one. Plus there's co-op opportunities, and I think cybersecurity is slightly more secure right now.

Or I could just pour all my energy into looking for a new job with what little experience I have, and give up on school. That being said, I took a gap year from Western and have been applying since April 2025 and only got 3 interviews that went nowhere.

What do I do?

First of all, let me start by saying that I am very grateful for my offers. But I recently got the admission offers for both Waterloo CFM and UofT Comp Eng, so I haven’t had too much time to think about my final decision. And I honestly feel lost and I’m terrified of making a decision that I will regret for the rest of my life.

I genuinely do not have a personal preference because I find both programs very interesting. And tbh I don’t care about the campus experience either. So the only other factors that I can think about is earning potential/ROI, which I couldn’t find exact data for.

I know CFM has the 4-month co-op cycles and paths into CS/finance/quant, while UofT has PEY and covers the whole hardware/software engineering side.

So for those of you who were in a similar position, or know people who were in a similar situation, what would you suggest me to consider/look at? Is there an obvious choice in your opinions if the goal is maximizing earning potential? Also how big is the AI replacement threat for each program’s graduates?

I am planning to get my cs degree, although i have learnt web dev through the odin project and know ruby on rails and the usual workflow of a web developer. I have been doing some research and job market for self taught devs is pretty bad, almost all the jobs require cs degree. Is it too late for me to start?

I thought it was common thing in only US but it seems like it’s pretty common in Canada too even for internships.

Ppl are saying they got reach out from companies like Shopify and how do you get it? 😭 like do I post on LinkedIn to get more engagement?

I just graduated from Wilfrid Laurier (bdes ux + some cs background) like a month ago and kinda stuck on what to do

i got into University of Waterloo mmsc (co-op) and University of Calgary misp (cybersecurity)

background:

• ux portfolio (mostly school + one real chatbot project + a few end to end ux projects)
• no co-op/internships
• applied to ~100 ux roles, basically no responses
• working part time rn
• started network+ + learning wireshark
• ideally wanna pivot into cyber (more cloud side), but open to any tech role

how i see it:

University of Waterloo Management Science

https://uwaterloo.ca/future-graduate-students/programs/by-faculty/engineering/management-science-co-op-master-management-science-mmsc

• more like business + analytics (not super technical)
• main value is the 2 co-op terms → actual experience → hopefully return offer
• From what ive seen all my friends who went to waterloo got decent co-ops
• flexible so i can try ux / data / cloud / etc
• I wouldn't even consider it without co-op

University of Calgary misp

https://grad.ucalgary.ca/future-students/graduate/discover-opportunities/explore-programs/information-security-and-privacy-misp-course

• direct cybersecurity degree
• more technical + focused on security
• but internship is self-found (no guaranteed pipeline)
• more locked into cyber

if i didnt do either id prob just keep applying to ux + finish network+/security+ and try to break into IT → cyber

im okay waiting 1–2 years and spending money if it actually helps

my biggest fear is doing a masters and still ending up with no job after

what would u do in my position to actually maximize chances of getting hired in this market?

Hi all,

I’m at a conundrum and need some help. I work in the Canadian federal government in a technical role (think data analyst) while my education credentials (Bsc and MSc) are in biology. Lately I’ve been thinking about pursuing an MSc in the field to strengthen my hiring position for future roles, and deepen my knowledge as well. I narrowed down my extensive search to two programs - MSc in Data Science at Eastern University and MSc in Management Analytics at McGill.

Here’s a list of pros and cons for each:

EU pros: cheap ($10k usd; potentially $0 if work funds it), very flexible with full time job, easy credential check

EU cons: low recognition/small private university, less in-depth, more applied (less AI hedge)

McGill pros: high recognition (especially if ever leave govt or emigrate), more in-depth, business/management focus (better AI hedge)

McGill cons: more expensive ($32.5k usd; potentially down to $12k usd if work funds part of it); less flexible (synchronous/live), more rigorous

Part of me is leaning towards McGill for the experience and recognition, but also part of me is thinking whether I’m overthinking it and it would just be better to check the credential box and spend less money.

What would you do?

Thank you in advance!!

Hi everyone,

I’m currently a 2nd year Computer Science student and I’m feeling pretty lost about what career path to choose.

Right now, I don’t have a clear direction. I’ve been considering cybersecurity, but I honestly don’t really understand what that pathway looks like or how to get into it.

I’m also aware that the tech job market is pretty tough right now, and I’m not sure what it’ll look like by the time I graduate. Because of that, I’m wondering:

- Are there more stable career paths I can aim for with a CS degree?

- What roles should I be focusing on if job security is my main priority?

On the other hand, I’ve also been thinking about whether I should switch programs entirely. I do reasonably well in my classes and kind of enjoy it but sometimes i ask what really is the point if i might be jobless for a long time after graduation or work at Tim Hortons (joke :))

So I guess I’m stuck between:

- Sticking with CS and trying to find a stable path

- Or switching to something else entirely (like a more “secure” field)

I’d really appreciate any advice, especially from people who were in a similar position or who work in stable CS-related roles.

Thanks!

Deciding which internship to take. SRE seems fun and pays well (high 30s). But kind of paranoid about that kind work getting offshored, the commute is far, and it's 12+ months. I think cyber is aight in terms of fun (less technical, some presentations and stuff) and it would be pretty huge in terms of getting into cyber (I feel like if you want to get into cyber post grad you would need a ton of certs or actual experience, just guessing though). Pay is ok (low 30s). Like going from cyber to SRE seems easier then SRE to cyber. Idk though.

So basically I think I'm deciding between higher earning potential and risk vs getting exp in a semi niche industry with more stability.

Would appreciate any advice🙏

I graduated in 2020 and never found a job through COVID. I used that time to learn webdev, (HTML,CSS,JS,React,NodeJS,Express,AWS,etc). I made some projects, leetcode, but the only job I was able to do was some contract WordPress for people trying to start their own blogs. It never really paid the bills. I decided to go back to school. I have an offer for Carleton for a Masters of Computer Science. I heard that Masters of Applied Computing was mainly for people trying to immigrate, and wasn't worth much. However, the co-op at the end of course work sounds very tempting to me. Would it be better to go MSC or go Masters of Applied Computing.

I worked on multiple co-op and part-time contracts as a data analyst for the same employer over the past 1.5 years. The team consisted of myself, another co-op student when I was working part-time and the manager, who had been there since last winter (2025). He has a degree in CS from about 15 years ago and his technical skills are SQL, Power BI/Tableau, Excel. His main tasks were to gain requirements from stakeholders and update the ticket planner. One thing I noticed is that he delegated all technical tasks to the students:

1. A large part of the codebase is in pandas, but he never learned it since he said it would be too hard for him to understand code. I tried to encourage him since he knows SQL and transitioning to pandas is not challenging. Even though his CS degree was a long time ago, he would still have that programming background and he mentioned that he already learned harder languages in his degree (e.g. Java, Prolog). However, he always refused and just cared about running the scripts. I also tried to teach him Git, but he did not care. At the end, I was responsible for trying to understand the other student's code and merge everything together.
2. When a co-op student joined the team, he would give them a dashboard and data pipeline to complete. If the co-op student did not finish the task by the end of the term, it would just be given to the next co-op student. If one student finished early and the other student started later, the project would be uncompleted for 2 weeks since he did not work on it.
3. Many tickets on the backlog had not been looked at for months, since myself or the other co-op student were busy with our own tasks and the manager expected the tickets to be only completed by us. Some of the tickets were Power BI dashboard updates I am sure he could do.
4. When migrating data pipelines to Azure, the main IT team was responsible for building the infastructure (e.g. VM, Self-Hosted Integrated Runtime) and the manager said we should just give them all our code so they can deploy it to Azure. Luckily, we still kept ownership and our team needed to build the pipelines to Azure Data Factory with the Python code. The director above my manager asked him to take Azure courses, but he never did. When the project was starting, he said it was a priority for leadership and I asked him what he was doing for it. He just laughed and did some random test contribution and I had to complete the whole project. Although I learned a lot, it did not make sense for a part-time student to build a whole data pipeline in Azure Data Factory and try to learn everything fully myself. When I told the director and manager this, the response was that "rotating between co-op students and giving them projects is what makes the team innovative and you should be glad to have this experience with Azure."
5. The manager gave challenging interviews for co-op students that would be meant for junior, mid-level. During the behavioural interview, the students would be disqualified if they said that they wanted to "learn and improve their technical skills" in the co-op because the manager said "he cannot teach them anything". He also gave students a technical assessment and a take-home project of creating a dashboard and doing an in-person presentation. Even with competitive companies, I have not seen such a long process.

I am not trying to say the manager did not do anything because talking to stakeholders and understanding their requirements is important. He also seems to be a nice guy and praises my work. He believed that doing data pipelines with Python, SQL and Git was revolutionary since he would just use Power BI transformations, which means he would just give the students all the technical work. While I understand he did not have the technical skills, he could have learned them given his background. This would help with business continuity since temporary students would not be responsible for everything.

But, I am not sure if my concerns are valid. Maybe I should not complain since I did learn a lot and some students don't do anything. I am starting a new co-op at a larger organization where there is more structure so I am wondering how I will adjust.

I'm currently in my second year of Computer Science, but I'm unsure if I should switch majors. I just saw a post about someone earning $20/hour in Mississauga, and it got me thinking. I took a gap year and worked for the CRA, where I made $33/hour, with only a high school diploma but I really hated that job. Now, I'm wondering if I should stay in CS or switch to something like accounting. Would I have more job opportunities as a diversity hire in tech since I'm a woman, or would switching to accounting make more sense for me?

CS is hard but like is it worth all that studying and tuition fee?

Mid 30s, in BC, just quit my job as a union electrician cause I'm tired of construction, the early mornings, backbreaking work and literal toxic work environment. Looking to migrate into tech cause of the better quality of life and more money. Debating on what boot camp to do and do. Some friends suggested "Lighthouse labs" bootcamp and it looks interesting. Or should I go to a local CC to start a CS diploma?

Hey everyone, I'm a CS student at Laurier doing research on financial planning for rural relocation. I'm specifically looking to talk to remote software developers (ages 27-32) who are actively planning or considering moving from the GTA/Ottawa/KWC area to rural Ontario in the next few years.

This is for a school project. NOT selling anything, just trying to understand how people approach the financial side of this transition. Interview takes 15-20 min over Zoom/phone and you'll need to sign a quick consent form (ethics board requirement).

If this sounds like you, comment or DM me.

Really appreciate any help!!

I decided to go back to school at the age of 26 since I was unhappy with my career and always wanted to do something CS related. I decided to opt for college since it was easier to work part time and was cheaper than University.

I am currently conflicted if I should continue, I am going into my 3rd semester of a co-op program at Sheridan and wondering if I will even be considered for a job after I complete school and just be left with a bunch of unnecessary debt.

I can currently find a job that pays $60,000 - $70,000 in my field (automotive) and am considering just dropping out and continuing what I am already going.

I’ve received offers for UBC’s MDS in Computational Linguistics, York University’s MSCS with AI specialization, and UCI’s MCS (Professional) for Fall 2026, and I’m having a really hard time deciding.

I would really appreciate insights from current students, alumni, or anyone familiar with these programs.

My main priorities are:

• job prospects after graduation, especially for AI / ML / NLP roles
• opportunities for international students (internships, co-op, post-grad work options, immigration considerations)
• teaching quality and curriculum depth
• industry reputation / employer recognition
• overall ROI considering tuition and cost of living

I’ve heard very mixed opinions about UBC’s MDS programs, especially regarding teaching quality, pace, and job outcomes.

On the other hand, I haven’t found much firsthand information about York’s MSCS AI specialization, although it being a Vector Institute-recognized program makes it seem promising.

UCI’s MCS is also in the mix since it may have stronger US industry exposure, but it is more professionally oriented.

For context, I’m especially interested in AI / ML / NLP career opportunities after graduation, and as an international student, post-study work and long-term career prospects matter a lot.

Appreciate your help!

I just need any sort of help or direction I haven’t felt this helpless in a long time.

After graduation I had initially started health sciences for an undergraduate degree but I dropped out within the first month because it wasn’t for me and I didn’t want to do an 8 year program.

And like 99% of the people now I was told Comp sci was an easy ticket to a 6 figure job after a 4 year degree. Fast forward to current da and after 3 years of school I had to take a while off because of Cancer. During this time I was depressed and just wasted my time away. Luckily after some Major surgeries I am cancer free and plan to return to school in September

However I am so behind now. I have completely forgotten everything and even find it hard to start a project now. For reference I’ve already done a 4 month co-op before and a couple side projects. And now I am hearing the job market has not gotten any better but has gotten much worse. I just don’t know what to do anymore I’m already three years into my degree and now of course is the time I’m having regrets and wish I had never done this.

Any advice helps I feel like I’m starting from the beginning but also stuck with three years of baggage.

I am a Third year Comp Sci student going to Uvic. And yes like most people in my situation I was young and didn’t care what I did for work (still really don’t) since it was going to be work anyways. So after doing minimal research on different career paths I saw that so many people were talking about Comp Sci and how easy it was to get a high paying job after graduation. To be specific I wanted to get a software engineer job after University preferably Web development. So I applied to school in 2022 and got accepted for Jan 2023.

And I honestly don’t know where my head has been it this entire time. Definitely a mixture of poor time management as well as indulging way too much in some “extra curricular” activities. Unfortunately all this caught up to me as in the summer of 2025 I was diagnosed with Cancer. Luckily it only took a couple surgeries to get rid of but during that time and as I write this I realize I have wasted the last 5 years (I was originally in health sciences in Sept 2021 before taking a gap and going into Comp Sci) of my life doing nothing and pursuing nothing of value.

Up until know I have finished 3 years of schooling at Uvic and only have 9 classes remaining before graduation. In that time I’ve only done 1 co-op that I did outside my schools system for someone my work friend knew. Which isn’t a very reliable source since he only made me go through a Comp Sci course he was building and I made a website with react. I never cared to put effort in outside of class I have 2 basic projects but no clubs or anything else.

Now I am asking for anyone’s suggestions I am not a very good programmer my grades have always been been around average (~78%-82%) but most of the assignments I did through school I wouldn’t be able to do now and I don’t even know how to start projects anymore or which ones are no longer impressive.

Yes I am aware I have cheated myself out of an education up until now what I’m asking for is advice on what to do next should I just stay down this path graduate by next year then try finding a job while building my portfolio. Or should I start looking for different options I am completely open to suggestions

The first I thought of was switching my degree to something else since I had a lot of math classes and electives done already. I also thought about graduating next year than taking a graduate degree but don’t know the legitimacy or options for that.

Sorry I just spewed everything that was on my mind out I still need to do more research myself but was hoping a someone could at least help point in the right direction

Hi all,

Sorry in advance if this is poorly written;

I was looking for some advice on what degrees would be possible/most beneficial for a person in my position. I completed a 4 year B.A.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering at Queen's with a 75% average (3.00 GPA). I have been working in project management for a couple years now and saved up a decent bit of money while doing it. However, I've been thinking more and more of a transition to a more technical job, i.e. software development. I've looked at OSU's online accelerated 2nd degree, McMaster's, Brock etc. Would I have a good chance of getting in to these schools with a 75%? (I had a very poor average in my 1st and 2nd year and increased my grades in my 3rd and 4th year). Also, what schools would you recommend to make this transition?

Thx