About to commit to a BS in Computer Science and not turn back.

Career Opportunities & Internships
1

<p>I decided last year I wasn't cut out for medicine and my biology major would be utterly useless.</p>

<p>Then i transferred to my state school to save money.</p>

<p>Now I realized that the only major that I can complete in 2.5-3 years is Computer Science. Clarification, only major with good job prospects.</p>

<p>I would try and get into Kelley School of Business, but if I don't make the grades then I would have to get into SPEA and i dont even know what I would do with a degree from SPEA. It's not worth risking a semester taking courses to get into Kelley. Business is my main academic interest, but it seems unrealistic because of all the classes I would have to take.</p>

<p>I am going to supplement my CS major with a business minor, so I at least have a decent business background. I realized that if I can't major in business, then I might as well do something that will make me the most money regardless of how interested I am in it.</p>

<p>My dad talked about how he knows a lot of people who came to the US from india and got CS degrees, even though they had no knowledge before hand or an interest. They did it strictly for the money. For example, I have an uncle making 80k a year at Lucent.</p>

<p>So my question is, will I still be able to go out and socialize with friends if I'm taking 15 credit hours on average every semester for the next 6 semesters? </p>

<p>Here is what the schedule will look like with my CS courses (spaces will separate semesters):</p>

<p>Junior:
I101 Intro to Informatics - 4 credits
C211 Intro to CS - 4 credits</p>

<p>C212 Intro to Software Systems - 4 credits
C241 Discrete Structures for CS - 3 credits</p>

<p>Senior:
C311 Programming Languages - 4 credits
C335 Data Structures - 4 credits
C343 Computer Structures - 4 credits</p>

<p>P415 Intro to Verification - 3 credits
P423 Compilers - 4 credits
P436 Intro to Operating Systems - 4 credits</p>

<p>Super Senior:
P434 Distributed Systems - 4 credits
P438 Intro to Computer Networks - 4 credits</p>

<p><a href="http://www.soic.indiana.edu/undergraduate/courses/index.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.soic.indiana.edu/undergraduate/courses/index.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>These are the courses I will be taking and the extra space will be filled with gen ed and business courses for my minor.</p>

<p>I got an A in Calc I and Calc II, so I'm pretty sure I can do well in Comp Sci. Anyone think this is a dumb idea if I don't have an interest? I just want job security and since I can't get into Kelley unless I take a risk, then it's the only viable option. Also, a business degree would take more classes than if I just majored in Comp Sci and minored in business.</p>

2

<p>The good news: Undergraduate business majors aren’t really terribly valuable.
The bad news: Majoring in something just to get so-called job security is a dangerous and often fruitless endeavor.</p>

<p>15 credit hours is pretty standard across the country - five 3-credit courses, so that shouldn’t be a problem. If I were you, I’d pick out a couple courses from major that truly interests you and take at least one of them next semester. THE REASON is that you are by no means guaranteed a job, let alone a good one, just by getting a CS major. If you do poorly in the major, you’ll be kinda screwed. If you do well in some random major that interests you, businesses will look more kindly upon you when you apply than if you do terribly in CS. And, if taking a different major means you need an extra semester (i.e. a full super-senior year), just do a CBA based on expected returns in the next five years… you will probably be pleasantly surprised if you really do your homework.</p>

3

<p>Cost isn’t and is an issue at the same time. </p>

<p>My private LAC costed 16k a year. My state school costs 10k a year. I’m not paying for room and board.</p>

<p>So the super senior year isn’t going to be that bad, especially since I can pay chunks of my tuition as I go.</p>

<p>I know CS isn’t guaranteed a major, but what about my dad’s friends from India who came to the US with a very crappy science degree that ended up getting master degrees in CS with no previous knowledge in the US and now are making around 6 figures?</p>

<p>I know I’m capable of handling my math classes, so why wouldn’t I be able to handle CS? Technically, shouldn’t anyone be able to get a degree in whatever they want just as long as they pay attention in class, do their homework, and study for tests?</p>

4

<p>How old were your dad’s friends when they came, what experience did they have before and when did they come here? I can nearly guarantee that you aren’t going to get a six figure job straight out of college regardless of your degree. If that is your expectation, you WILL be disappointed.</p>

<p>It isn’t a matter of being able to handle the degree, it’s a matter of enjoying it. If you HATE the major, it will just make everything tough for you.</p>

<p>You can major in whatever you want, but if you have no interest in it, you will struggle. You appear to expect to just magically get a six figure job because you are going for computer science. That is just not reality. It just isn’t.</p>