My senior son at a Rhodes College, a LAC, has very recently decided a computer science minor or major would be a good idea. Sporting a 3.1 GPA and is set to graduate next spring with an Econ major and CS minor. Has had 2 CS classes and is taking 4 more this year to get a minor. He does not know what he wants to be when he grows up; his older brother is a senior IOS programmer at FB. Like his brother, he is good at math, aced both CS classes and has a nice outgoing personality. Extra circulars have mostly been about golf - he has played in all varsity matches since day 1 on a D3 team ranked in the top 10 annually. But the varsity golf will end next year, and he is OK with that reality. Currently has a summer internship at ServiceMaster - but not CS related.
The CS major will require a 5th year, and $52+K. Ouch, but doable for us financially.
While the general advice as been that more doors are open for a major, we keep hearing stories that in todays market, a CS minor can get a fine CS related job starting out. even with programming. Also thinking his relatively average GPA would prevent him from getting a solid CS analyst or consulting offer (vs programming) come next spring. Or, are CS minors getting solid job offers for programming? Just not top tier companies, like google, FB, etc.
Looking for advice and/or real life stories to help guide him. Thank you!
Scott
As long as your son takes algorithms and data structures, and has a good grasp of computer systems and knows how to code, it should be ok in terms of job hunting. A major opens a lot more doors but I guess your son could start out as a web developer. I don’t think he should do a fifth year, particularly at an expensive school like Rhodes. A master’s degree in CS at a state school would be better (cost-wise as well as employment-wise) as it sounds like he will have the prerequisites for it.
His GPA won’t stop him from getting jobs in CS, a lack of skill or experience in CS will. In the CS world, the analyst/consulting world is a very small portion of it. Very very small.
With a minor, ideally a few extra classes, and some work outside the classroom, it will be possible to get a very standard run of the mill web job. What the minor includes is important though. The Rhodes minor seems to cover a decent deal, and what is mentioned in above post exactly. See above post for advice on what to do.
The in-state MS CS degree is interesting. Agree that we are really deciding how to best to spend a 5th year and help him advance his CS data base. In-state tuition for a MSCS is less than 1/2 for year #5 at Rhodes.
Thank you for the comments, please keep them coming!
One other thing to consider is that if he picks up sufficient programming/technical skills as a CS minor, he may not only land a great job in the field, but also gain perks such as employer reimbursement for graduate programs to advance one’s skills and gain working experience.
If he does, you’d be better off letting the employer pick up the tab as was the case with several relatives/friends who pursued that route.
^^ I haven’t really heard of anyone going straight into an MSCS unless they wanted to continue with research they were doing. One could easily find a job with just a few CS classes. Why not have him try it out for a year or two and then consider an MSCS?
A programming boot camp might be helpful. But I would much rather encourage getting a job first.
Yeah, programming bootcamps are not really suitable for people who have experience with coding projects in C and Assembly. After that point full-stack development comes quite easily. It’s nice to get help in understanding the environment but everything else is self-teachable. I mean, you can, especially if it’s free, because it’s an intense setting to produce work for a portfolio, but you could also do that yourself.
Programming boot camps are a huge waste of money. They were a fad for a year or two, at which point people saw the results and realized they didn’t work. Most of those attending had little or no programming background, and they believed the BS from the schools that they could get highly-paid programming jobs after only a few months of training.
I guess I am just not understanding why there is the sudden push to have your son go toward a CS career, when his Econ degree along with the CS minor is plenty to start a career in business with, and seek various types of business jobs. Or he could pursue a master’s relating to econometrics, applying his quantitative skills to the field he chose to major in. I wonder if the push for CS suits his interests, or the realities of the job market where more and more CS jobs are outsourced abroad or to H1B holders here. While it isn’t impossible to head toward a CS career, he’ll be up against people who have lived and breathed programming and a love for CS since they were kids.
I agree that he needs work experience. Another thing that can help is certifications. There are tons of certifications out there relating to computers, computer networks and business (project management, e.g.). To figure out the best direction for him, I would recommend doing research on job ads online – what jobs are out there and what they are looking for in hiring – and LinkedIn profiles to see what people have done with an Economics degree (including specifically from Rhodes). Also have your son take some career skills and interests tests at his career center or online, to get even more ideas about what would be a good fit.
To all replies: THANK YOU very much! Please keep the comments and stories coming…they are helpful.
His push to CS is from vaguely looking at the job market. Econ major with 3.1 is pretty average. Becomes a game of who you know to get a “better” job. Yes, the CS minor will help improve the opportunities. And hopefully lead him to better understand his passion with CS and/or programming this upcoming year.
Will have him explore any available algorithm and data structures at Rhodes. He has taken Calculus 1-2-3.
He can begin to research potential jobs now. He has signed on with Linkedin. Then see what employment options turn up next Feb-March. Also agree that he could always go for more additional education, graduate school. Perhaps like waiting to get the MBA after a job or 2.
Scott
Algorithms / Data structures is required by the CS minor, so no need to have him “explore” it, just make sure it’s a class he spends a good deal of time with. For job interviews, “Cracking The Coding Interview” is a very good tool for practice and can be found online for free.
Econ major with a CS minor is a solid background for an analyst job at many companies. They typically use SQL etc. to build models and forecast data in many areas. Companies that hire analysts include Amazon (and other ecommerce companies) and most financial institutions (insurance/brokerage/banks) The job title might be analyst or business analyst (these jobs are not in the tech department.)
^Yes, this is what I was going to say. An economics major with a CS minor has tons of opportunities to do financial and risk analysis. The programming, quantitative and social science skills roll together make for a really nice package. Tech companies do hire them and so do other ones.
If the game becomes about “who you know,” then one of his strategies should be to get to know people who are in a position to help him. Informational interviews, job shadow days, career fairs, joining a professional org’s student branch in Memphis, whatever. I meet lots of students in my field’s professional org, and I am occasionally in a position to help them by forwarding a resume along. But I can only meet them because they put themselves out there.
The GPA is not going to be what matters (most employers won’t even ask about it, or for a transcript). It’s the skills that matter, and any experience he has in internships. A LOT of companies would prefer an econ major with a 3.1 who can program and has 2 summers of interning over an econ major with a 4.0 but no programming or quant experience and little to no internship experience. (Most, I would presume.)
I’d also advise against taking the 5th year. He should just take as many classes in CS as he can next year as he preps for a job market and spend his time and energy finding a position that suits him well. On-campus recruiting starts very early - September, in many cases - so if I were him I’d start working on a resume now, order some business cards, etc.
Tech companies only care about skills. He needs to get the book “Cracking The Coding Interview” and practice, practice, practice. Don’t get discouraged, it takes time and effort. If he realizes he needs another course or two after doing that, it may well be worth it.
If he is taking more courses, a little more math, like discrete math or linear algebra can help for some types of coding. Probability or stats may be helpful too, if he has’t taken them already.