<p>what kind of jobs do computer science graduates get. Salary, job security, opportunity, etc. Also what are some moderately selective schools that have quality programs. Whats the course work like (difficulty, load) in relation to other engineering majors. Any additional input is appreciated</p>
<p>Well this is such a general question its almost too long to answer.....however Ill try to help you out ;).
As a background:
Junior at Penn State in Comp. Sci
Pres. of National Society of Black Engineers
-Internship at Lutron Elect., Gen Mills, and this summer Army Research Labs.
-Deal with companies all the time ;).</p>
<p>So......
First lets tackle Salary, well this depends
Where are you going to work? Government? Private Defense? IT? Software Company?
it really would probably range from 50k-75k starting. Youve got companies like Google which pay the big bucks, but then you have the government which pays one of the lowest base salaries but has so many benefits to make up for it (per diem, gov discounts, etc.)</p>
<p>Job Security: Also depends on where and what you work in. Best Job security you can get probably would be the Gov. The worst a small software company.</p>
<p>Opportunity: So much out there if you just make yourself stand out a little bit (not really that hard if you ask me) however even if you don't make yourself stand out, depending on your geographical preferences, you shouldn't have a problem finding work (just look!) ;)</p>
<p>Well as for selective schools: I go to Penn State which is not known for Comp Sci. (Per say) but nonetheless has an excellent program and Ive gotten job offers from so many places (for summer internships/coops) these include: NASA, Google, Gen Mills, NSA, etc. (In case anyone seems to think Ivy League or top 5 is the only way to go.).</p>
<p>As for a school for yourself. I would have to know where you're trying to be? Please don't say anywhere....people think anywhere is true (I did once upon a time.) And you'll quickly realize that you DO have preferences geographically. So as for a list of schools youd have to give me a region. As for the Northeast, there are soo many to pick from.
Of course you've got your Harvard, MIT, Cornell, Brown, etc. Then you've got Penn State, UPenn, Drexel (Coop school), UMaryland, UPitt, Carn. Mellon. So many to pick from ;).</p>
<p>All in all, if you like programming/solve problems and you can stand sitting in front of a computer CS may be for you. However, DO NOT get in it for the money....you most likely won't last, and if you do you'll be probably miserable ;).</p>
<p>Just my 2 cents.....</p>
<p>Yes this is an increadibly long answer.</p>
<p>A Computer Science major can get just about any job related to computer software, IT work, and possibly hardware if they spent a lot of electives on that.</p>
<p>Salary? 50k is the roughest estimate I can give you. Basically comparable to what engineers make.</p>
<p>Job security depends completely on job and company.</p>
<p>The work can range from modest to unbelievable. I would avoid schools in the modest categories. There are lots of students that can spend 15 to 20 hours a week on their programming courses in their first year.</p>
<p>You can watch CS61A course lectures at Berkeley at this site:</p>
<p>UC</a> Berkeley Webcasts | Video and Podcasts: CS 61A</p>
<p>You can watch an intro course at Stanford at:</p>
<p>Lol. 15-20 hours. Maybe a little underestimated. (Highly variable I suppose).</p>
<p>During serious crunch time, I've topped 40+ hours a week on a programming project.</p>
<p>"During serious crunch time, I've topped 40+ hours a week on a programming project."</p>
<p>I was talking about on a regular basis. If you're taking multiple CS courses, and science courses with labs, you can quickly run out of 15-20 hour chunks of time during the week.</p>
<p>I worked 80 hours a week for a few years as a project leader on a product that had about $400 million in product and service revenue and this was back in the 80s or 90s when that was a lot of money. The stuff you do in college can really prepare you for the real world.</p>
<p>Yes, I agree. Just giving examples of higher ends.</p>
<p>This topic reminds me of Kidder's Book "The Soul of a New Machine". From Wikipedia:</p>
<p>The book opens with a turf war between two computer design groups within Data General Corporation, a minicomputer vendor in the 1970s. Most of the senior designers are assigned the "sexy" job of designing the next generation machine, which will be done in North Carolina. Their project (code-named "Fountainhead") is to give Data General a machine to compete with Digital Equipment Corporations' new VAX computer, which is starting to take over the new 32-bit minicomputer market. The few senior designers who are left in corporate headquarters at Westborough, MA are given the much more humble job to design enhancements of the existing product lines. Tom West, the leader of Westborough designers, starts a skunk works project which becomes a backup plan in case Fountainhead fails. Eventually, the skunk works project (code-named "Eagle") becomes the company's only hope in catching up with DEC. In order to complete the project on-time, West takes risks in not only new technology but also relying on new college graduates (who have never designed anything so complex) to make up the bulk of his design team. The book follows many of the designers as they give up every waking moment of their lives in order to design and debug the new machine on schedule.</p>
<p>The work environment described in the book is in many ways opposite of what is taught in business schools. Instead of top-down management, many of the innovations are started at the grass-roots level. Instead of management having to coerce labor to work harder, labor volunteers to complete the project on-time. The reason for this is that people will give their best when the work itself is challenging and rewarding. Many of the engineers state that, "They don't work for the money", meaning they work for the challenge of inventing and creating. The motivational system is akin to the game of pinball, the analogy that if you win this round, you get to play the game again; that is, build the next generation of computers.</p>
<p>The book's portrayal of engineers avoids the stereotypes of either mindless drones or of propeller-heads working on James-Bondian gadgets. Instead, the engineers are shown as inventors, problem solvers and occasionally artists.</p>
<p>Tom West practices the '"Mushroom Theory of Management" - "keeping them in the dark and feeding them ****." That is, isolating the design team from outside influences and instead using the fear of the unknown to motivate the team.</p>
<p>The "Soul" of the new machine comes from the dedicated managers and engineers who bring it to "life" with their endless hours of attention and toil.</p>
<p>(I worked for DEC in Westboro and several other locations in the 1980s; I read about the corporate espionage stuff many years later)</p>
<p>whats the course work like. Is it all programming or are there other aspects</p>
<p>As a CS major I think it is one of the most demanding major of all, with all the programming and very intensive math classes you have to take. I would say if you are bad in math, you are screwed. </p>
<p>However, I feel that CS major has the most jobs they can choose from and get paid alot. In the Engineering Career Expo at my univ, 70% of the companies there have jobs for CS students which is the most comparing to other major.</p>
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However, I feel that CS major has the most jobs they can choose from and get paid alot
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<p>I think CompE or EE has just as many or more jobs they can choose from than CS.</p>
<p>^ Really? How so?</p>
<p>CompE can just as easily do any software or computer related work that a CS major can do. But they will also have much more exposure to hardware. EE's can also get software jobs but may or may not need to study outside of school. EE in general has a plethora of jobs outside of computers as well though.</p>
<p>i know a lot of computer science programs that dont require more than basic calculus</p>
<p>why does everyone always act like getting a bs in CS is like getting a bs in math</p>
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<p>i know a lot of computer science programs that dont require more than basic calculus</p>
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<p>They give CS a bad name. There are lots of schools, particularly part-time, that are total embarrassments to the major. Their degrees would be better called Computer Technology or Computer Information Systems.</p>
<p>lol @ the elitist attitude...</p>
<p>i guess you'll need to find another sense of identity now that you're no longer perceived as the guy who studied "the hardest major in the history of the universe while everyone else's degree was a joke." </p>
<p>lol</p>
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<p>the elitist attitude...</p>
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<p>Just a fact.</p>
<p>[i guess you'll need to find another sense of identity now that you're no longer perceived as the guy who studied "the hardest major in the history of the universe while everyone else's degree was a joke."]</p>
<p>There are a lot of colleges with pretty low standards. The interview process weeds them out. Just like the weeders at good schools.</p>
<p>yea, yea, yea, get a real major you slacker, like accounting</p>
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<p>like accounting</p>
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<p>Been there, done that.</p>
<p>wait, so is CS a useless major if EE and CompE people can do the same work + more?
how essential is mathematics to the CS curriculum?</p>