2nd Bachelor's degree in CS?

College Majors Engineering Majors
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<p>I already have a bachelor's degree in economics, but after working at a software company for a couple of years I realize that I made a huge mistake and should have majored in CS (or perhaps IS). Currently I am in a project management role which I do not enjoy. I have taught myself SQL so I write a lot of scripts even though it is not really part of my job. I do it because I am good at it and I like it a whole lot more than the PM stuff. :)</p>

<p>What I really want is to go back to school and "rectify" my choice of undergraduate major. As I see it, I have a couple of choices:
--Second bachelor's degree in CS.
--Post-bacc certificate in CS. Here is an example program which looks promising: Program:</a> Computer Science Post-Bachelor’s Certificate - George Mason University
--Straight to grad school</p>

<p>One more question: information systems seems like a good fit for me (since I like databases), but I am worried that this will further push me into a PM role. Do IS programs deliver a solid technical background, or is CS the best way to go to obtain this? Thanks in advance!</p>

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<p>Can you straight away go to grad school without having a CS background in college? I’m not sure. If you can do that, I’d suggest it. :)</p>

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<p>DS went from ME to CS for Masters. But the his CS is computer interfacing, neither software nor hardware but visual and manual. </p>

<p>He works in CS department at major university but does a lot of ME work which is his BS.</p>

<p>He likewise self taught languages and when necessary gets help for more detailed programming. </p>

<p>You can be good in some things but not good in everything.</p>

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<p>My suggestion would be to look at Master’s programs in CS and see what their requirements are for people without a Bachelor’s in CS. It’s usually 2 programming courses, a theory course, and some other course. Stuff you can do in a span of 2 semesters. Then do a Master’s in 3-4 semesters giving you a total of 5-6 semesters in school as opposed to 6-8 for a BS and a more advanced degree.</p>

<p>Especially if you can program already (C++ or Java would be good here), then you’re probably well on your way to completing the pre-reqs for an MS program.</p>

<p>Edited to add: Take a look at this, <a href=“http://www-cse.ucsd.edu/graduate-education/admissions/graduate-admissions-faq.html#bachelor[/url]”>http://www-cse.ucsd.edu/graduate-education/admissions/graduate-admissions-faq.html#bachelor&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>BadSeed,</p>

<p>A graduate IS/IT program would probably allow you to be admitted and take less prerequisite courses. An MS is CS will require that you take the courses that SCORP said plus my usual advice of Programming Languages, Operating Systems and Analysis of Algorithms. The MSCS may also ask for Calculus I, II, II and Linear Algebra…especially if the CS program is part of the Math department.</p>

<p>Taking IS/IT will not push you to project management. Only yourself and your employer (if they feel that you cannot be technical anymore) can push you into project management. One thing to note is that more and more companies are now paying their techies more than PM’s because many techies (like you and myself) do not care for managing. I did the PMP Cert more to decorate my resume…and then “run for the hills” when someone asks me to PM…lol.</p>

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<p>I agree with @scorp. Check with the graduate department for its requirements. As a general rule of thumb, the requirements for a MSCS include those for a BSCS from the same school. If you’re admitted, you’ll have to fulfill the BSCS requirements. Some schools will allow you to test out of the BSCS requirements. It may be a good idea to take the classes instead of testing out in some cases.</p>

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<p>Thanks to everyone for the input. It looks like straight to grad school might be the best bet.</p>