<p>I'm a Computer Science major, and in the last (4th year) of my undergrad degree. My gpa is less than 3.0, and I do not have any internship experience. However, I have been working in a technical job on campus for the past 4 years. I've been trying to start early on applying for jobs, so that I could get one after I graduate. Does anyone have any advice on how to apply for good jobs, even if the gpa isn't as high as some companies are looking for. Also, does it become harder for a CS major to get a good job if they do not complete their degree within 4 years? Does it pose a problem for finding a good job, or getting into a good graduate school if there are several grades that are C and lower in the transcript (in the major courses) - is gpa/transcript info usually a major deciding factor?</p>
<p>Are there any Computer Science majors out there that have been fortunate enough to get a job after bachelors with a low gpa/grades? I would like to get any sort of advice! I want to get some sort of job experience as a computer science major.</p>
<p>Also, is it hard to work in a full time position as a software developer and go to graduate school full time too? I wanted to get some insight about this also. </p>
<p>Have you started looking for a job yet? If not, you might already be a little late as most companies started the recruiting season in late September to early October. Your school’s Career Center/Office is your best place to look for a job. You shall be scheduling job interviews, attending job fairs through your school Career Center. If you have not started, you need to start now.</p>
<p>I appreciate your feedback. I have begun looking for jobs, and did apply to some. I just wanted to get some advice in terms of which path is better. Is it better to get some work experience than going immediately into a Graduate program, or does having a Masters degree boost your resume, in order to get a good job. Also, do employers tend to focus upon the gpa, and specific grades? Some of the places I applied to asked for the transcript. Is that usual?</p>
<p>Getting some work experience before grad school would be better if you want a good job guaranteed after grad school. If you go to a top program for your masters, you wouldn’t have a problem getting a job though— job fairs at top programs are an excellent resource for finding jobs. They expose you to the technical people at the company, rather than making you go through HR, and the companies that show up actively recruit from those schools. Career offices at many undergrads, however, can be pretty useless.</p>
<p>Ideally you would apply to some top masters programs, and apply to some jobs you like in the meantime. Then you can decide when you hear back at the end of the grad school admissions cycle.</p>
<p>Many companies, especially larger companies, have a 3.0 GPA cutoff. You would have to have a way to bypass the HR screening process to get to a hiring manager that would consider your application. This could be done if you have someone in your network that could vouch for you on the inside of a company but you’d have to be worthy of their recommendation. Employees generally don’t want to put their own reputations on the line unless they know a candidate.</p>
<p>You could look at smaller companies or local companies that don’t screen as tightly. They might want to see your transcript with a below 3.0 GPA.</p>
<p>If you are considering a job before graduating, you should check the rules at your university on completing the degree after a leave of absence as they might not just let you back in after an extended period of time or the degree requirements might change. Most universities require at least two years of credits at their institutions so going to someplace else will cost you an extra year of undergrad.</p>
<p>infinitequest: for a CS major, getting a job right out of undergrad is normally the path of most students. The difficulty right now is due to the bad economy which makes getting a job harder. Most employers do pay a lot of attention to GPA’s for fresh graduates and will ask for your transcript as well. You just need to put in your best effort in looking for a job. There are still demands out there for CS graduates. Good luck and best wishes in your job search.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your feedback about my question. Wanted to wish you all a Happy New year also! :)</p>
<p>So, as per your advice, having a gpa over 3.0 is most suitable to get a good job. Although my gpa is close to a 3.0, but not above, would it then be better to go into masters and try to establish a better gpa first, before applying for that good job? Also, what are all your thoughts about studying for an extra semester or two? Is it sensible to stay that extra semester/s to take some classes that relate to CS, but are not a requirement for the degree, just to boost the gpa?</p>
<p>A GPA over 3.0 gets you past the first cut. Going for a masters degree would be an expensive (in terms of time and money) way to get your GPA up. The GPA generally matters for your first job. Subsequent jobs look for skills and accomplishments so going for the higher GPA will most likely be a one-time thing. You might look around for jobs and then choose grad school if you don’t find anything.</p>
<p>Okay, so gpa really does matter for the first job then. So, what to do if your gpa was really low, like below 3.0? Or even below 2.5? What then? Should grad school be something who has managed to get a B.S. in computer science with a gpa below 2.5 should consider if they’ve been out of college for five months and have not found work?</p>
<p>Few, if any, grad schools would accept a student with a sub-2.5 GPA, except as a non-degree student with hopes of petitioning for acceptance later.</p>