<p>Hello, I am a high school senior. I am going to get a degree in computer science, but I have a few questions first. Does a minor help in the workplace? Would a minor in computer engineering or math give me an edge or help me do my job? Also, would getting a master's degree in computer science be worth it? I will not be going to college until my mid-20's (because of church mission service), and I am afraid that starting a career so late in life would make the master's a waste. Any advice?</p>
<p>Minors are typically not too relevant in the workplace, except for specific types of jobs, although course work in those areas without a formal minor may be sufficient in those cases.</p>
<p>Examples would be math courses in algebra and number theory if you go into cryptography software development, computer science/engineering courses in digital systems and computer architecture if you go into computer hardware development, or economics and finance courses if you go into computing in the financial industry.</p>
<p>But, in general, you should not worry about the job implications of a minor or out-of-major course work. Also, do not worry about being in college in your 20s (indeed, it may be an advantage when you are 24+, since that will remove your parents’ income and wealth from your financial aid calculations).</p>
<p>A master’s degree is not generally necessary in industry software jobs, though there may be specialty cases where it is helpful if your master’s degree concentration matches the job focus or in situations (government jobs?) where a higher degree is a useful check box.</p>
<p>Thanks! If I did get a master’s degree, would that raise my pay, or not make a difference (assuming I had the exact same job with a bachelor’s)?</p>
<p>The usual thought is that it gives you a bump in pay, but not any more than a year or two of experience, which you would get if you went directly from a bachelor’s degree to the workforce. Of course, there may be exceptions where a master’s degree is a check box item.</p>
<p>Of course, if your bachelor’s degree graduation looks like it will happen during a down year for the computer industry, then applying to graduate schools makes sense to keep the option open to ride out the downturn in graduate school instead of in the unemployment line.</p>
<p>If you’re concerned solely about getting a job, relevant work experience will give you much more of an edge in the workforce than a minor. It’s still possible to take useful classes outside of your major without getting a minor, and you’re time might be better spent getting internships or jobs. Working in the field might give you a better idea of whether or not a master’s would be beneficial to you.</p>
<p>In the defense/government tech consulting fields, graduating with a BS CS makes you eligible for Software Engineer Level 1 positions. It takes about 1-2 years to be eligible for Software Engineer Level 2. If you graduated with a MS Computer Science and no full time work experience, you would come in as a Software Engineer Level 2. In other words, an MS CS degree is equivalent to about 2 years of work experience. It takes about 3-5 years to go from Software Engineer Level 2 to Level 3. Level 3 is usually the experience level where you start to branch into technical lead/management roles.</p>
<p>As a reference, I graduated from Rutgers U. - NB with a BS Computer Science. I came in as a Level 1. I’m currently enrolled in a MS CS program part-time. Now the MS CS program won’t help me reach Level 2 any faster than work experience alone. However, it will cut down the time to go from Level 2 to Level 3 by doing it concurrently while working full-time.</p>