Computer Science vs. IT

I am always excited when someone asks me what I’m majoring in at college - I promptly reply, “Computer Science” and brace for the reaction. Nine times out of ten I get the dreaded response along the lines of, “Oh that’s a great field! I know there are a lot of IT jobs now-a-days”.

What I have realized is the vast majority of individuals who have non-technology jobs consider anyone who “works with computers” to be IT and want to make it clear that:

COMPUTER SCIENCE IS NOT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Note: Before I even start, I want to make it clear that I did not indent this article to favor IT or Computer Science but I am obviously bias towards my major of Computer Science. I apologize if any of the information is not accurate for a specific person - we all know what you major in may not be what you end up doing…

What differentiates the two is Computer Science is just that - a science. We generally take math through at least differential equations, four to six terms of a lab science, and specialize in fields like artificial intelligence, data structures, bioinformatics, and human-computer interaction.

In my eyes, IT is an applied skill set for computers and networks rather than a science. Just as a carpenter works with wood or a plumber with pipes, an IT professional works with computers and networks. To quote Wikipedia:

IT professionals perform a variety of duties that range from installing applications to designing complex computer networks and information databases.

IT majors generally concentrate on aspects of computing such as server technology, database design, database administration, networking, and basic software design. I am by no means trying to make IT sound like a narrow-minded field - in fact, IT students may come out much more prepared for the “real world” than many Computer Science students.

Almost every company that utilizes computers, in any way, has IT. They deal with everything from day-to-day operations of the computer systems and databases to manage major overhauls of company-wide networks.

Computer Science is entirely different. Again to quote Wikipedia:

Computer Science [...] is the study and the science of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their implementation and application in computer systems.

Computer Scientists in a (very small) nutshell design algorithms and create software. That is the key difference, in my opinion: Computer Science deals, in general, with software development and the heavily theoretical side of computing rather than (for lack of better words) the nuts-and-bolts of the computing world.

The operating system you are reading this from was most likely developed by computer scientists. The browser you are reading this from was most likely developed by computer scientists. The protocol that takes the 1’s and 0’s from half way across the world and converts into something you can read was most likely developed by computer scientists. The software that NASA uses to get the Space Shuttle into orbit and back was most likely developed by computer scientists. You get the point…

Generally speaking, Computer Scientists are employed by companies that need custom software developed or large applications that need constant additions or changes. They are the heart of companies like Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Google, and all the other big-name software companies out there. IT on the other hand is a much more “professional oriented” field. They are employed by a much broader range companies ranging from the software giants to banks to newspapers to…anything with a computer network.

Computer Science, however, is a much broader field than the general public understands and I could not even begin to go into every facet in this article. What I want to make clear, however, is there is a distinct difference between IT and Computer Science. Both are extremely valuable but their paths only cross on certain topics.