@mcat2 I wasn’t a CS major but I will never forget my one CS course at PSU in the 70s. The computer was enormous and my programming project took a couple of trays of punch cards. Get even one out of order and you were toast. I don’t even remember the language. I remember basic was used in HS but College was probably Fortran (maybe?)
I’m joining this discussion late…but I wanted to know the OP’s future career interests. I may have missed it if it was posted. My older S just graduated with a double major in Economics & Spanish, with a minor in Entreprenurial Leadership. He wants to go into Banking, Finance & Investments and just got a job doing exactly that. My younger S has known since he was very little he wanted to be an Engineer. He just finished his first year of college and I wish I could advise him better! You are right about the four years being all planned out for you. He will do his first co-op next summer, after completing his sophomore year. He is studying EE and is interested in either research & development or robotics or some combination of both. His uncle is an EE and has always been gainfully employed. As long as you enjoy what you’re studying, there are probably many routes you can go in your career. The person on this thread that double majored in Math is smart since he will be more marketable. My younger S said that getting a double major in EE and CE isn’t too tough, since so many of the same classes overlap. We have time to figure it out since he just finished his first year.
My father in law is now 74, he immigrated to the US at 60. He has 2 degrees - EE and Math and his specialty is design of electrical motors. This is not a sexy field. His English is pretty bad and so is his hearing. He is gainfully employed and is making over 100K/y in a low cost of living small city. He did change a few jobs and had to move 3 times but was always employed as an engineer. I have to admit that originally I recommended him to apply to Home Depot but he disagreed.
Not really sure why this was directed at me but yes, I realize that rent is ridiculous in SV.
It’s no different then where i am in Southern Cal.
Re: “… is now 74…He is gainfully employed.”
He is definitely better than me.
Okay, I’m willing to accept that rent is ridiculous in all of California.
A new grad probably isn’t looking for a 2-bedroom (assuming 2 bedroom because 900 SF) apartment ,but even if he was, according to the report at https://www.apartmentlist.com/rentonomics/june-2015-california-rental-price-monitor/ , the average rental for a 2-bedroom in Sunnyvale was notably less than $3500 last month. A new grad looking would be more likely to be looking for a basic 1-bedroom, which averaged $2200/month in the survey and start at around $1500 in Sunnyvale.
Rents vary dramatically throughout the state. Some areas average well over $2000/month for a 1 bedroom, while other areas average under $600/month for similar property. The Silicon Valley area that has been the focus of this discussion is among the highest housing cost areas of the state and country.
I live in CA and work in engineering. I’ve worked in both Silicon Valley and the southern California area. While Google, Yahoo, and some of the other largest and most well known companies are in the highest cost regions; new grads do not have to work at such companies to have a high salary. For example, after college I interviewed at the most well known company, which is in the most expensive and highest traffic area. However, I instead chose to work for a comparable salary offer in a more affordable area a few towns away, with an easy commute and less traffic. There are many other engineering companies in this area. While housing costs are still high, property is ~half the price per square foot of the most expensive area. Property would be even less if I chose to live more inland, but I like living on the coast. If you eventually own instead of rent, then you get a very different perspective on the higher housing costs than other locations. For example, the median home price in 2000 in Sunnyvale was $419k. Today it is $1.21 million. Most persons in Sunnyvale who bought a home in 2000 and paid it off quickly are probably in a good financial situation today and not troubled by the high housing costs in the area. Property tax is based on 1% of purchase price, so they can probably also afford to maintain it as values have climbed. Obviously a new grad isn’t likely to buy property in Sunnyvale, but Yahoo and similar Sunnyvale companies are far from the only options for engineering employment.
There are also different perspectives on the water crisis. In my opinion, the coastal southern CA climate is the most pleasant climate in the United States. The average high in my area varies from mid 60sF in the winter to low 70sF in the summer, with low enough rain to be on the border of a desert classification. Having little rain can make it awkward to have a lawn with a large amount of real grass and lead to various water conservation issues, but I’m still glad to not be living in an area that gets frequent rain.