<p>Hi,
I'm currently applying to colleges right now, and I was wondering what other schools besides USC have joint business/cs degrees. I really love computer science, and was originally thinking about majoring in that, but when I look into the future, I really see myself as a manager/director because I have great leadership skills. I want to be the kind of guy that really knows his stuff in both computer science and business, and basically connects the corporate world with the engineering world. I can't tell if doing a dual major in business and cs would be spreading myself too thin, or if i should possibly undergrad in cs and get my mba afterwards. Currently I'm applying to Stanford, USC, and the UC's. I would give myself a moderate chance of Stanford considering I have legacy, good grades, and decent extra-curricular activities. The other schools I'd give myself moderate chance as well. What do you guys think I should do/what schools I should apply to?</p>
<p>tl;dr version:
I LIKE BUSINESS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE.
WHAT DO I DO.</p>
<p>My college, UCR, sounds like it has the perfect major for you: Business Informatics. It’s a mix of Business and Computer Science. It’s in the college of engineering!</p>
<p>"The business informatics degree at Bourns is offered jointly with the Anderson Graduate School of Management. This degree is the perfect background for a career in information management in a corporate setting. It is also excellent preparation for an M.B.A. degree.</p>
<p>Our program is unique in its emphasis on the breadth and depth of technical preparation. Students complete almost the same suite of courses as computer science majors, and augment this preparation with a solid suite of core business courses in areas like management, accounting, finance, marketing, and communications. It would be hard to find a comparable degree elsewhere.</p>
<p>The technical component of the degree includes the principles and design of computers and computer systems, programming techniques, systems analysis and design, networking, databases, and security. This range of preparation produces graduates competent for both managerial as well as technical roles.</p>
<p>Career prospects for business informatics specialists are excellent, and include both technical and managerial positions. Business informatics managers coordinate computer-related activities of a company and oversee the work of programmers and technical staff. Project managers manage technology projects. Network managers are responsible for the administration and maintenance of local area networks. Other career opportunities involve management of databases, web programming, application programming, or system programming.</p>
<p>Perhaps you could start by envisioning what kind of job you would
like. Try to be as specific as possible.</p>
<p>I know many engineers that have moved into management (supervisors,
managers, directors, vice presidents). They had good technical skills
and good management skills. They understand what their reports work
on. Some of them went back for MBAs. All of them have graduate
degrees.</p>
<p>You’re going to get your first job in something. Perhaps it is
software engineering. You start, get good at it, learn the
functionality in your group and get promoted because of turnover or a
new product or rapid expansion of the group (to team leader or tech
leader). You then have some experience and can put your leadership
skills to work. You have to get that experience, though, in order to
lead.</p>
<p>It seems to me that you do not have a clear idea as to how you get
into management and the relationship between the corporate world and
engineering.</p>
<p>Don’t be surprised if even after doing some management, that you return to your “grunt engineering” roots. The “gap in pay” between technical management and senior engineers has narrowed (with some employers) to the point that some of us “old engineers” stay technical because there is less “unpaid hours” than when doing the management work.</p>
<p>If you work for an engineering company, you can literally do both. A lot of engineers really do not require a lot of the personnel-type management and a lot of that is handled with web applications. There are lots of companies where you write your own review and job plan. Being an engineering manager gives you a foot in both places and the ability to read specs with current knowledge - and it helps you to be able to make decisions without relying on your employees for the individual pieces.</p>
<p>But I still think that you should try to imagine the position that you want to work in and then present that. You talked about being in management but knowing the engineering stuff too. The engineering stuff can move at a very rapid pace and if you are full-time management (in a non-engineering area), you will lose current knowledge. You will still retain the theory which may have some use but you usually need current knowledge to make decisions.</p>