<p>PLUS…</p>
<p>Since I am in software, I have noticed that my industry beats to a different drum. You folks in the other engineering areas with the less job openings and less avenues of newer technology have to worry more about prestige, competition and such.</p>
<p>In my industry, a software engineer from a 2+2 program can learn the latest advances of object-oriented development, databases, networks on their own time and nullify any gap in pay difference from their undergrad school for a few job hops…by just leveraging the number of openings against the number of qualified applicants.</p>
<p>In other words, there are a lot of software engineers in the DC area (with the lowest unemployment rate) who would kick over laughing about “prestige”. Lot’s of U-Maryland, U-Maryland Baltimore County, Towson U, John Hopkins, Howard Univ, George Mason grads making very good money here.</p>