<p>I'm currently a sophomore at a relatively unknown "Soandso State University." I'm undeclared, just racking up general education requirements while I oscillate from possible majors. </p>
<p>Lately I've really been considering Computer Science, something I always thought I'd major in when I was in highschool because I was very interested in programming and my father is a software engineer. </p>
<p>My main question is, how much is a computer science degree from a "Soandso State University" worth? Would I need to transfer to a more distinctive state university (which is, say, ranked in the top 100 Computer Science schools in the country [I know, major distinction :P]) in order for me to acquire the benefits of a computer science degree? That is, primarily job opportunities out of college and a demonstrable skill that university provided me.</p>
<p>I'm really struggling because I don't want to graduate with a social science degree and be bound to either having to attend grad school or have zero skills out of college that will help me find a job that I enjoy.</p>
<p>After the Dotcom bubble burst, computer science hasn’t been the same. You have to be a very high end computer scientist to even have a good career. There is a huge glut of comp sci majors out there ever since the tech bubble.</p>
<p>Hmmm. I thought that in the ten years since the dotcom bubble burst, things have changed significantly, as well. Most projections of job growth are largely in favor of computers and programmers, and some of the most demanded skills in the work force are among those taught in compsci curriculums.</p>
<p>Virtually everywhere you look on tech blogs and whatnot are saying that the safer choice is with compsci in terms of marketability, but my question is whether or not a degree from a state university will still lend itself to those benefits (marketability and opportunity). I obviously would be honing my programming skills and taking personal time to develop a portfolio, but the essential question still stands.</p>
<p>csh123 has no idea what (s)he is talking about- the job prospects for CS majors are oustanding, AND employers care much more about your skills than the university you graduated from.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about your university, just focus on developing a marketable skillset, get an internship or two, and you’ll be golden. If you want to upgrade to a big-name university, do it for masters.</p>
<p>Job prospects for computer-related degrees are still pretty good. If your school’s CS program is ABET accredited then you should be ok for many (most?) companies. Some businesses might prefer the top institutions, but if you get the skills and experience they looking for that is more important. I agree with JamesMadison’s recommendation to get some internships and hands-on experience outside of classes.</p>
<p>Actually, ABET accreditation does not mean much for CS as CS is part of the math department of many schools (or its own department within the College of Arts & Sciences). As long as you are in a “hot” specialty area and keep you “ear to the streets” as far as what is “hot”, you can maximize that CS degree.</p>
<p>A decent CS degree from Soandso State University is likely more marketable than a social studies degree from Soandso State University.</p>
<p>If it is ABET-accredited, then it does meet a reasonably high minimum standard. If not, then check the course listing for junior/senior level courses in important areas like:</p>
<p>The first six are the ones with concepts most commonly seen in industry software jobs; the last two are a good idea to take if you want a broader coverage of CS or want to go to graduate school in CS. Additional math courses can be helpful as well. Economics, psychology, statistics, physics, and other subjects can be complementary, depending on the application of software that you write in industry.</p>
<p>Check your school’s career center to see what companies come recruiting. If your school is not that well known, it is likely to attract mainly local employers; you may have to be more aggressive in finding other employers to apply to. Probably everyone will be applying to Google, Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft, but there are numerous other companies in the computer industry (you can do an industry search of companies with publicly traded stock on sites like <a href=“http://finance.google.com%5B/url%5D”>http://finance.google.com</a> , but there are also companies whose stock does not trade publicly, and government agencies), and numerous other companies in other industries that need people to write computer software.</p>
<p>andophane, IMO, when someone is unsure what they want to do but realize that they need a job when they graduate, there are two majors I believe make sense. One is accounting; the other, computer science. (BTW, ucbalum laid CS out nicely.)</p>
<p>As for Soandso State, I know plenty of people who went to Soandso State who are smart and successful. As a matter of fact, the mother of my children went to Soandso State and managed people who went StateFlagshipUniversity and HighlyRatedBigDollarPrivate University.</p>
<p>andophanes, you should consider doing things that will attract the attention of companies that might not normally recruit on your campus. Get involved in an open-source project; contribute to online technical forums and mailing lists. Also, approach your professors to get ideas for a senior and/or independent project.</p>