<p>I went to college back in the dark ages. Somebody who took two solid Comp sci courses could get a job programming, so it was an ideal supplement to an "unmarketable major" for those who didnt have the job search/interpersonal skills to market an "unmarketable major" I had a geeky friend who majored in chemistry and didnt really want to be a chemist, and she got a job right out of college doing programming, based on those two solid courses.</p>
<p>Now I know the world has changed, comp sci knowledge isnt scarce like it was back then.</p>
<p>But I still have tended to advise young people I know, if they are majoring in liberal arts, and who, based on preference, personality, etc do not look like good candidates for the kinds of paths where LA majors do well, to at least minor in comp sci.</p>
<p>But, reflecting, I am not sure if thats good advice. I wonder if a comp sci MAJOR is necessary for comp sci education to be meaningful in the job market. I wonder if only minoring in comp sci really adds that much.</p>
<p>Opinions from folks in the industry would be especially valuable.</p>
<p>You won’t be getting a job as a programmer with a minor. Too many people not only with bachelor’s but advanced degrees on the market along with outsourcing to India.</p>
<p>Where a computer science minor may help a liberal arts major is if they are going to get a job say in human resources at a tech company. Having a minor indicates to an employer that they may at least understand the lingo and have a better feel for a candidate’s credentials reading a resume.</p>
<p>So for getting a non-tech job at a tech company, a computer minor may be of value. But really, between the outsourcing to India and the overabundance of programmers with advanced degrees let alone bachelor’s, I don’t think a computer minor will get you a job as a programmer.</p>
<p>I remember the days when you could get a job as a programmer with a math degree. Those days are over.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t seek to employ a new grad with a CS minor as a software developer (note the distinction from ‘programmer’). That doesn’t mean that getting a CS minor isn’t sound advice since I think the familiarity with the subject can benefit the person in other positions they may have. I’d consider hiring a person with a CS minor who happens to have recent relevant work experience as a software developer but then that goes for a math major, chem major, or really, anyone else depending on what they’ve been doing (I’m talking about some years of relevant work experience after graduation).</p>
<p>A CS major itself is generally one of the more difficult majors to achieve so it’s not something the average LA major can casually take a few classes of and be very competent in relative to a CS major. Of course, the particular programs at specific colleges vary.</p>
<p>My son, graduating next spring, is interviewing for positions in software development. His degree will be in aerospace engineering, with both math and CS minors. He was able to snag a summer job last summer as a programmer for a small start-up in San Fransisco, just on the basis of programming experience and a couple of “tests” administered by the company. Many of the positions he has found do not necessarily require a CS degree (some do not even require a bachelor’s degree at all), but all positions do require experience in programming or coding, and all require working knowledge of multiple programming languages.</p>
<p>I think it depends. I knew a student at Smith who majored in Dance and minored in computer science and got a great job with Google doing programming right out of school (not sure what exactly it was, but it wasn’t HR or something like that, it was working on the tech side), and that was just a few years ago. Of course, computer science is one of those fields where it’s very good to be female right now, a lot of companies are looking for female programmers and they’re scarce, so there’s a high demand.</p>
<p>S is a math major who will have ~10 CS courses by graduation and has had NO problem getting summer internship offers from major companies as a systems developer. This kind of background seems to be fine for CS PhD programs, too.</p>
<p>Oldfort – it is <em>killing</em> my DH that S1 is at UChicago and has no desire to take any Econ.</p>
<p>Agree that CS + a field in which one is knowledgeable is a good combo – one is a better developer when he/she understands the context in which the product will be used.</p>
<p>“How valuable is a comp sci minor these days?” The field has changed greatly since I received my BS double major in Math/CS 30 years ago, and I’d turn the question around: “How valuable is a comp sci major these days?” Short answer: I’d prefer the minor unless it’s from an excellent school, and then only for a very sharp student with a passion to pursue pure CS (the real thing).</p>
<p>As knowledge of what passes for Comp Sci becomes increasingly widespread, more folks are becoming familiar with the watered-down version. Hiring managers don’t necessarily distinguish between programming, I/T, software engineering, MIS, and the core science of CS, all of which differ substantially. Only the leading high-tech companies and startup community really “get it.”</p>
<p>CS majors are increasing picking up cookie-cutter skill sets based on current technologies that will become obsolete. Many colleges offer CS degrees that are really MIS degrees. It’s disheartening when interviewing recent CS graduates, because their knowledge of the fundamentals is so very weak.</p>
<p>For my junior son, who is very interested in a CS major, I am advising to tread with caution - to ensure that he receives a broad education, pull in (at least) a double major, and to insist on a true CS program (harder to find than one would think).</p>
<p>By the way, once again ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad hit the ball out of the park for a question in this area.</p>
<p>A company I worked for just a couple years ago hired a man who had a music degree to design software (he did have some software developing experience).</p>
<p>When push comes to shove, experience speaks louder than education.</p>
<p>UW-Madison has comprehensive majors, no minors, but they do offer “certificates” in some areas now (didn’t eons ago). Computer Science is one of them- therefore they feel that it is worth it to graduates having several (there’s a specific list of requirements), but not all, courses required for the comp sci major noted on the diploma/record with the “certificate” designation.</p>
<p>I hire CS and EE majors, although typically those with graduate degrees, for R&D. A CS minor wouldn’t be enough to get someone through the door, unless they had significant relevant work experience. </p>
<p>I can imagine a CS minor being helpful in some other areas, such as technical sales, project management, and technical writing.</p>
<p>My son is a physics major at a top college. It has been an interesting revelation for me to see the role programming has in his life. He writes computer programs to solve problems all the time. The kids know programming languages, and learn new ones all the time, and use them to solve math problems, physics problems, etc. Programming is a tool they use fluently, like switching to French, to speak when they need it.</p>
<p>Not being a math/science person, I didn’t realize programming was so versatile and useful in the everyday life of mathematicians and scientists.</p>
<p>MissouriGal, at S1’s HS, every student in his program had to take two years of programming courses. The kids’ skills really set them apart when they did research gigs, because they knew what to do with the data!</p>
<p>I have to agree…my D, also a physics major, got a job as a software design engineer after graduating. She took 3 computer classes in her senior year of college (thank goodness or she could very well have boomeranged home).</p>
<p>Her job seems to require some knowledge of some of the more prevalent languages, but also requires learning new ones for specific situations. At least at her entry level position, her employers think nothing of training her to learn what they need her to know.</p>