Hi guys … So I applied to the Computer Science Masters (“ScM”) program at Brown, and luckily I’ve been accepted. Personally I didn’t know Brown’s reputation within CS that well when I was applying, but now that I’ve been accepted, I see that many claim that it’s CS department, at least for undergrad, is top-notch.
However I’m wondering how easy/hard would it be to get a Software Development job after graduating from their Computer Science Master’s program. Brown is located in a very remote location with no proper opportunities nearby at all. The nearest hub of CS jobs would be either Boston or NYC, however I’ve commonly heard that IT recruiters turn you down the second they know that you’re from a different state.
Can a CS Brown alum chime in on this issue and clarify if my I’m wrong or right here ?
If they won’t turn down the undergrads I don’t get why they would turn down the masters students. LOTS of Brown CS alumni in california (Facebook, Google, Adobe, Microsoft, Pixar, etc as well as in the startup world) and many (Most?) of them aren’t from california originally either.
All those companies recruit on campus. They come to providence. Also, providence isn’t remote, lol. It’s a quick trip to Boston and 3 hrs from NYC. Easy. Train station in walking distance from campus.
But I’ve heard that as soon as companies find out you’re from a different state, they try to find an excuse to end the call/conversation. They don’t want to consider you at all, even if you openly state that you’ll yourself bear all the movement charges. Maybe there are some legal issues involved ? I don’t know.
I’ve also heard that excluding those top IT giants (e.g. Microsoft, Google, etc.) which openly assist in relocating their new employees, all normal middle level IT companies prefer to hire people from the same state, as they have history of living in that state. And so because of this, even Boston based recruiters supposedly will be reluctant to hire you as you’re technically coming from a different state.
Are you an international student? I’m not sure what state you graduate from matters unless you’re a US citizen or have a visa which allows you to work in the US.
Yeah I would be an international student, coming on F-1 visa. As far as I know there’s no restriction where I work in the US. When I said there might be legal issues, I was talking from the company’s point of view. Like, they may have to pay something extra to the government if they hire an out-of-state graduate or something.
No, there’s no external force that would make it difficult for a company to hire an out of state person. I can’t speak to the masters graduates but as an undergrad/alumnus at Brown - I’ve never heard of a CS person having the issues you’re describing. I even have a classmate from Connecticut who got a job at Microsoft (in Washington) and after a few years left for a job at a smaller company in San Fran. Another classmate from New York whose first job was at Vevo in New York (actually he did a master’s first too now that I think about it because his undergrad concentration was physics, not CS) and is now in Colorado at a much smaller company. What is your source for this info?
Source would be a member on this forum. I’d rather not name him, but he was pretty serious on all these out-of-state issues, which he claims to have a lot of experience with.
So in a nutshell, if you had to roughly rate the difficulty level of finding a CS job after graduating from Brown, from a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = hard to find, 10 = easy to find), where would you rate Brown ?
I would rate it a 9, from the experience of my friends (2012-2014 grads, some currently doing a master’s). Most of them in CS got great jobs, many of those jobs were out in SF/Silicon Valley (and those people didn’t have family in that area). Plenty of others ended up in NY or Boston, and @iwannabe_Brown is correct that neither of those cities is far at all. Brown is a school where many CS recruiters come.
Honestly, I can’t think of any of my CS friends who stayed in Rhode Island.
Based on my circle of friends: 10. The question wasn’t “will I” it was “which one”
And I graduated in the height of the recession.
First, you originally left off important information that you are an international. So you will be subject to CPT/OPT restrictions on internships and employment, and eventually H1B visa sponsors. If you think you have no restrictions you are delusional and in for very hard awakening.
Second, the person you got this in-state-only information from is an unemployed math undergraduate. they have no idea what they are talking about. They have little experience job hunting. That information was so wildly exaggerated as to be worthless. To think that employers in Boston are not going to hire employees who went to RI colleges is ludicrous. Technically not in the same state means nothing to anyone. The ‘local’ argument does not even hold up as they are an hour away.
In general employers do tend to hire and recruit from local universities. It is not from any prejudice but because it is extremely convenient and they are comfortable with the level of skills of students coming out of that college. However many larger companies hire and recruit nationally. When you are talking about a university like Brown you are talking about a small pool from an elite department and they are employable anywhere. They are a small department so you won’t see them is as mass numbers anywhere. Even a MS from another uni and you will get looked at wherever you apply, most likely.
Maybe a math grad with no CS degree, jobs or internships applying across the country may have a harder time if they are not promoting themselves well. You yourself have a BS and MS in CE and work experience and will also have a MS in CS. The only thing that you are going to have to deal with is employers who have to deal with J1B and the oddness of having to have 2 MS to be employable.
There shouldn’t be any problem if you return to your country, but it doesn’t sound like you want to do that. Another problem is that for some CS jobs, you need a security clearance. Clearances go to US citizens and green card holders. Some companies, don’t want to put in the effort to pay for sponsorship.
Yeah, but those government related jobs are like 10% from my experience, and I have no problem in avoiding those. Regarding CPT/OPT, I don’t see any issues, and even OPT can be extended for another 17 months through STEM. This gives you a total of about 29 months of permitted work time after graduation, in which to find an employer who can sponsor you for work. Surely that’s enough time ?
My social circle isn’t very big when I try to see who I know managed to work in the US, but I’ve haven’t heard of any case when someone couldn’t settle in the US simply because they couldn’t find someone who won’t sponsor them for work.
But this is kinda getting off-topic a little. The discussion was how much Brown can help me get employment following graduation, and this depends on how well ties the university has with the IT industry. Anyone care to comment on this ?
Ppl already have commented about that. The dept has a great reputation. The best companies interview on campus. But nailing the job ultimately comes down to you. What’s on your resume, how well have you done academically, how do you perform during the interviews. Brown has the contacts, but it’s up to you to seal the deal.
I know a CS undergrad this year who had to decide by the end of December whether to accept the job offer from Google or Microsoft. I know my daughter’s friends who weren’t CS majors lamented the fact that just about every recruiter on campus seemed to be IT companies. Look up Andries van Dam to get a sense of how the Brown CS department is connected to the tech industry.
^^ Wow, that’s … amazing ! 
How does the CS grad program at Brown compare (in regards to Industry partnerships) to those offered at Georgia Tech, USC, UW - Madison, and ASU ? I’ve been offered admission from a few of these, while am waiting for decisions from the rest.
As an undergrad junior, the majority of the people I know in CS (and I know a lot) are going to Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Palantir for internships or full time opportunities. Others are going to Mongo DB, Dropbox, Amazon. A list of companies that recruit each year for sure are (remember, there’s more to this also!):
http://cs.brown.edu/about/partners/partners/
===>
Ya, Brown has pretty amazing placement for its CS students.
A family friend graduated Brown with a CS degree and was heavily courted by a pretty major company immediately after she graduated; they flew her to Boston and California for interviews and she ended up getting the job with a starting salary of more than what either of her parents currently make. (I know this is an anecdotal example, but that’s what I’m familiar with.)