I’m 17 years old and doing my 12th in PCMs stream. Next year I will be entering engineering. What is the main difference between Computer Science Engineering and Information Technology Engineering? Which has a wider scope in the future and also promises a better job with good prospects? I’m really confused?
Both the branches are related to programming; neither involves hardware. But in general, Computer Science (CS) handles the technical working of computers, like how to build micro processors, how to write a compiler, etc. Information Technology (IT) is the business side of computers usually dealing with databases, business, and accounting. CS generally requires a decent background in maths while use of maths in IT is limited to data analysis/processing/statistics, etc.
Most of the top institutes (including all the IITs, IIITs and most NITs) have either CS or IT, but not both. This clearly signals that the difference between the two branches is not significant enough to warrant their simultaneous presence on a campus, at least in the eyes of the top engineering colleges of the country. Furthermore, for the few colleges that do offer both IT and CS, the differences in the course structure are minimal.
Companies do not differentiate between IT/CS. If you have to choose between IT and CS and have both options in hand, it would be wise to decide on the basis of the branch. If you can get CS go for it but if you like programming and your rank can’t fetch you a CS seat, then IT won’t disappoint you. If you are hardworking, you will get what you will get what you need to become a successful programmer from IT branches.
Picture Credit : Google