Is there a difference between Columbia college and Columbia university?

What is more highly regarded to cybersecurity professionals: a B.A. from Barnard/Columbia University or a B.S. from The College of New Jersey?

• I'm going to tell you my reasons for liking / disliking both colleges and i would greatly appreciate your input from a practicing professional's perspective. While TCNJ is the safe and comfortable choice socially because it is more easily accessible than the city, I have met with the computer science department professors and really like the program they have to offer. I would also be able to minor in criminology to add some criminal justice work to my academic resume since I am hoping to go into law enforcement. TCNJ offers intimate class sizes, which I also like. However, TCNJ has really no name recognition outside of teaching, which does concern me a bit. At Barnard, there is no computer science department, so I'd be a part of Columbia University's program. The prestige this brings is a huge turn-on. However, the only thing with being a Barnard student at Columbia is that I am limited to graduating with a B.A. Only students enrolled in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, not even Columbia College, are allowed to pursue a B.S. While I'd take the same core classes and also choose an elective track, I wouldn't have as many technical requirements as a B.S. student would. I'm confused whether a future employer would value a B.A. degree from an Ivy League more than a B.S. degree from a not as well known, but accredited, university. That is where I am hoping I can receive some of your input. I'm not sure if it would matter as much if I were looking to pursue a criminal justice career as opposed to one more rooted in the fundamentals of computer science. Also, Columbia's classes have much higher enrollment numbers, which I'm not sure I will like. Also, the school is more than twice as expensive. Is it worth the investment in the long run?

• Answer:

  In the long run, what kind of happiness can you derive from a career based not on your own merits, but on the name of the school you went to? Realize that your self-worth comes partly (and only partly!) from your labor, but it comes not at all from the degree of compensation, beyond your ability to provide for the basic needs of you and your family. Consider the costs—in finance, opportunity, health, sanity—that come with the pursuit of prestige. Are they worth what you really get out of it? From the financial perspective, if you consider education an investment, then treat it as one; how many financial advisors would counsel you to go into debt to invest in an opportunity with this kind of return? Do the math: what kind of return can you expect? How much more is the median (not mean!) salary of a Columbia grad in your field than a TCNJ grad in the first year out of school? Five years out? Twenty? How long will it take you to pay off your student loans? Can you discipline yourself to live within a budget in order to pay off those loans quickly? That extra income has a way of evaporating quickly when you need to keep up appearances and live a lifestyle that is expected of an Ivy Leaguer. Lastly, where are you most likely to succeed? Are you driven by competition? Do you need interaction with faculty? Are you more likely to overindulge in extracurricular activities at one campus or the other? I went to an out-of-state university based on financial (full-ride scholarship) and educational (great computer science program, NSA CAE) reasons, but drowned in apathy because nobody would notice if I skipped classes. After flunking out, I found a better fit at a smaller state university where I paid my own way (no loans) living at home for most of my time there. The greatest satisfaction and quality of life come not from the number of figures in your income, but in finding joy and fulfillment in your daily work. If you can do that, it will do far more for your career than the name of the school you attended for less than 5% of your life.