<p>When I entered college in 2008, the tech economy wasn't as hot and I was one of the few CS majors (before there was a bandwagon and before it was cool). Now, with CS being in demand, unsurprisingly I've noticed a huge amount of CS majors. It's gotten ridiculous. Every other guy I talk to seems to be a CS major--admittedly, this probably has more to do with the groups I hang around though. And people my year are switching in droves. Our intro class last year had around 300 students, which was the highest it has ever seen. This year, there were 500 students. </p>
<p>Have you guys noticed this too? Do you think the supply will exceed the demand any time soon? I'm not too worried about job outlooks, but the tech market seems to be cyclic and unfortunately that means that we'll ride out this wave in a few years.</p>
<p>There is a HUGE difference between being a freshman CS major and a junior CS major. Like…</p>
<p>Calculus I
Calculus II
Linear Algebra
Discrete Mathematical Structures
Calculus-Based Physics I
Calculus-Based Physics II
Object-Oriented Programming in C++/Java I
Object-Oriented Programming in C++/Java II
Computer Organization
Data Structures
Algorithms
Theory of Programming Languages
Operating Systems</p>
<p>…take a count of those CS majors at a junior/senior status.</p>
<p>I see, so you’re saying that a lot of the students I talked to now who are CS majors might change majors? Fair point. However, I was comparing the freshmen who “declare” CS now to the freshmen in my frosh year. Three is a discrepancy between the numbers (e.g. from my personal observations to the rise in CS class size) now and then. And I don’t see any compelling evidence to believe that this frosh class has a higher chance of changing majors out of CS (mostly because my school is competitive). This leads me to believe that this frosh class, and others to come for a good few years, will produce more CS majors than the graduating class, maybe 30-50% more.</p>
<p>Might be worth checking the SJSU impaction reports for fall 2012 to see if CE, CS, and SE are getting more selective. For fall 2011, the cutoffs were:</p>
<p>Freshmen:
CE: EI of 3200 or 760
CS: EI of 3300 or 788
SE: EI of 2900 or 694</p>
<p>The other indicator may be if L&S CS at Berkeley becomes a capped major once again. It was a capped major that one had to apply to get into with a high GPA until the tech bubble crash; now, it only requires a 2.0 GPA for current students to declare.</p>
<p>Stanford, actually. I’m surprised it wasn’t listed/recognized as an option, UCBalumnus haha.</p>
<p>Yeah, that’s interesting. I’d be interested in seeing if CS becomes a capped major in the coming years. However, I know our program actually wants more students. I read a few years earlier in which Professor Sahami noted that CS was in high demand and he changed our curriculum to be more accommodating (which helps to explain why I see so many CS majors). </p>
<p>Here are other articles that I just found noting its rise:</p>
<p>Makes me feel proud to be part of a “cool” major, but I can’t help but anticipate the downfall. I guess if the economy is cyclic, it would be beneficial to enter the job market when it is on the rise, no?</p>
<p>You did say “heart of silicon valley” (= San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale); if you said “heart of venture capital for silicon valley” (= Palo Alto, Menlo Park), that would point to Stanford.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes, but remember that it take four years to get a bachelor’s degree, during which a lot can change in the economy and industry. Students who piled into CS in 1999 in the tech bubble graduated in 2003 after the crash. The few who went into CS in 2003 graduated in 2007 with more plentiful job options. Those who went into civil engineering in the 2005 construction boom graduated in 2009 after the crash.</p>
<p>I don’t see computer science declining anytime soon. We live in a world that is becoming increasingly reliant on technology. Construction, on the other hand, is not as self-sustaining. In an economy like this, people aren’t as likely to build new structures lest they run out of money.</p>
<p>In 2002, CMU cancelled the fall Technical Opportunities job fair. The 2003 Feb, TOC fair was strictly limited to upperclass and grad students. By 2006 he could’ve named his job and price as a CMU grad. Tough years 2008-2009, where DS, now with masters and 3 consecutive Microsoft internships, was not hired by MS or any other firms (his specialty is design). Many of his cohort did their own startups. He went to work with a MacArthur Fellow. All is OK in 2011 where the startups have been bought-out, and he is in demand as an HCI/App designer.</p>
<p>Tech fields can change very, very rapidly. The IT company where DS now works, was doing very well 2003-07 and nearly collapsed 2008-09 when it was closely tied to the financial industry.</p>
<p>Sorry, I should have mentioned I was a senior/coterm. I’ll probably enter the market in summer 2013 if not 2012, so it won’t be that bad. Still, it is daunting to know that history might repeat itself…</p>