<p>im planning to major in CS at UCSB. i was wondering what the best area of concentration would be. i am currently thinking of information securities, but im not sure. i want to make good money. i appreciate any advice about the subject of computer science period. i basically know nothing at all. i just want to be able to have a very good salary at the end so i can get the most out of my college investment and support myself and my future family and live a comfortable life. wat course of action should i take?</p>
<p>i was also wondering something else. my friend goes to Sonoma college and he's also majoring in CS. we were talking about jobs and stuff when he told me that its possible to have a 50k a yr job while still in college. he said something about all u need is a two yr degree to do so. he also mentioned that his CS mentor who is a T.A at his college, just bought a brand new Mercedes-Benz 900 series and he's only like 21 or 22 or around there. he told me that he is a game developer of some sort and he said that he thinks he's a senior in college still. is this possible?? how can one have that great of success while still in college??</p>
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Brand new Mercedes 900 series? What the hell is that?
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<p>Yeah, really. What's a 900-series? </p>
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i was also wondering something else. my friend goes to Sonoma college and he's also majoring in CS. we were talking about jobs and stuff when he told me that its possible to have a 50k a yr job while still in college. he said something about all u need is a two yr degree to do so. he also mentioned that his CS mentor who is a T.A at his college, just bought a brand new Mercedes-Benz 900 series and he's only like 21 or 22 or around there. he told me that he is a game developer of some sort and he said that he thinks he's a senior in college still. is this possible??
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<p>Other than that Benz 900 series part, yes it is possible to have a high paying job while still in college, or even with no college at all. You can just learn a useful practical computer skill like UNIX systems administration, and then just get a job. Or you can become a whizkid at programming by just learning it on your own time, and then get a job.</p>
<p>Or you can just be an computer entrepreneur, for which you don't even need a CS degree (or even a degree at all). Everybody obviously knows that Bill Gates dropped out of college, and is now the richest man in the world. But even today, plenty of computer entrepreneurs are college dropouts. Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook.com in his college dormroom at Harvard, and he dropped out to run it. The business press is reporting that the company may soon be sold to one of the big media companies or Internet companies for over a billion dollars. Tom Anderson co-founded MySpace with Chris DeWolfe. Anderson's degrees are in Rhetoric, English, and Film Studies, DeWolfe's degrees are in business. MySpace got sold last year to News Corp for over $570 million. Chad Hurley, co-founded of YouTube, majored in Fine Arts. Guys like this prove that you don't really need a technical degree in order to become filthy rich as tech entrepreneurs.</p>
<p>no this thread isnt a joke at all. why would it be a joke?</p>
<p>and about the Mercedes-Benz 900 thing. i apologize i didnt mean to confuse u guys. i should have just said an expensive car.i was just trying to remember the model and i thought it was a 900 model or something like that. its irrelevant anyways. the point is the car is expensive.</p>
<p>and thank u sakky, ur post is more of what i was hoping for out of this thread cuz u seemed to answer my questions the best. no one else seemed to really take me seriously. i would still like to have some suggestions as to what i should specialize in. thanx guys</p>
<p>With a CS degree one can go in many directions job-wise. Regarding what to specialize in, just take a look at what UCSB offers for focus areas and select the one that you find most interesting. Once you get your degree you can enter any field you're interested in even if you didn't 'specialize' in it because your CS degree won't be that specialized. Most CS jobs will pay relatively well right out of college.</p>
<p>I don't know what point you were trying to drive at with the $50K while still in college. As Sakky indicated, this is, of course, possible. Does it mean it's recommended for you to quit school in order to do this, no. Does it mean that it's normal to earn $50K while still in school studying for a CS degree, no. Generally, studying for a CS degree doesn't leave a heck of a lot of time for a full time job along with it although it's possible I suppose if one really wants to. If you happen to start a business in your dorm that looks like it's going to be the next Microsoft, eBay, Facebook, etc., then of course, you should do what makes the best sense at that time.</p>
<p>Ah! Beaten by UCSD<em>UCLA</em>dad. But what I was going to say is that for every Bill Gates, there are about a million college dropouts who <em>aren't</em> the richest guy in the world.</p>
<p>So... I think you ought to amend your statement to say that all you need is a two-year degree... and a ridiculous amount of luck.</p>
<p>I dunno. It's not something I'd stake my future on. It's kind of like investments, though. Hard work and steady climbing of the corporate ladder are more likely to give you a good, solid salary, just like low-yield investments will amount to a more certain amount of money in a longer period of time. If you put your money into more volatile investments, you may make it big and never have to work another day in your life... or you may end up losing your shirt. Tying the bungee of whatever your entrepreneurial endeavor du jour is to your ankle and jumping off a bridge could prove to be a thrill, and it may end up being just fantastic... But then again, are you willing to risk not knowing what's going to happen?</p>
<p>It's sort of up to you to take stock (no pun intended) of how much you're willing to risk, and then go from there.</p>
<p>^^k thanx u two.
does anyone know what's up with this whole outsourcing thing in the computer industry. i read one thing and they make it seem like a huge problem, then i read another thing that says its overblown and not as big as its hyped up to be. im confused with the conflicting information. can anyone clear this up?</p>
<p>and does anyone know what can be done in order to ensure that it doesnt happen to me? or at least less likely to.</p>
<p>I created a thread awhile back about practical computer science course. At first I was a little harsh but I will say this....</p>
<p>Whatever CS area you choose, I would advise taking information systems/information technology-type courses. Remember, most jobs in the corporate computer world are in I.T., so courses like database systems, operating systems, object-orieented programming, computer networks, computer security and software engineering. Those courses are good choices to have as your interest or as a "plan-B" to obtain employment and at least keep paychecks coming in.</p>
<p>Some of the programming jobs are being outsourced but many aren't and much of the higher level aspects of CS (application architecture, project management, etc.) are staying here. Many of the outsourced jobs are coming back as well since many companies are discovering that with the increased management required and less flexible nature of outsourcing, it costs as much or more than using domestic resources to do the job. Costs in some traditionally inexpensive countries (India) are increasing as well.</p>
<p>According to all of the colleges we visited this year, there are more jobs available now than at the peak of the dot com days.</p>
<p>The other approach to take on this question is to look at starting salaries. They're still high for CS and other engineering jobs. The companies wouldn't pay this kind of money if they didn't feel they needed to in order to attract the right talent.</p>
<p>How to keep your job from being outsourced?? - make sure you stay up with the current technology and make yourself valuable to the companies you're working for. Don't get pigeon-holed in an area that you perceive could be easily outsourced, whether it be domestic or offshore. Those kinds of jobs tend to be less interesting anyway. There are never guarantees though - you must watch out for yourself.</p>