<p>I'm a prospective CS or possibly engineering major. I know the whole outsourcing/bad high-tech market controversy tends to be over-hyped, but I also read a lot that says otherwise. It's really confusing, sometimes frustrating.</p>
<p>Can anyone with good experience or knowledge in the market (such as sakky) give me their opinion about that article? It may be a little outdated though.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>sorry:</p>
<p>this info was "updated December 9, 2002". 4 year is a real long period for high-tech industry which is the most rapidly changing field.
I have solid evidence to show that the situation is not as bad as people think. But again, it depends how good you are. when I say good, its not about you have a high degree or a diploma from a prestigious school, its all about how you can actually do the job. there are tons of students hold decent degrees but really cannot do any real work and they are the ones who can't find jobs. on the other hand, I know alot of high-paid programmers who never get a B.A degree. anyway, I think the problem is that most students are too blindly rely on degrees. A degree is a good thing of course, but you need much more than that to be competitive in the real world, at least that's the case with computer programmers/developers.</p>
<p>That's usually what I hear. What ways do you suggest getting experience in a field where it's tough to find entry-level work? I'd feel at a disadvantage compared to students who already have been programming or into computers since a young age, giving them the edge in securing campus jobs, internships, co-ops, etc. since they have more to offer. I would assume the playing field is a bit leveled somewhat since computer science is a lot of theory (at least at my school - Rutgers)... but where does that leave my practical skills?</p>
<p>Actually, CS has great opportunities and is one area where you can generally have the advantage of having real experience before entering the real marketplace. You can do this through internships. Whereas internships in many other majors are unpaid and the interns frequently do grunt chores like filing, most CS internships are paid and the interns frequently are actually writing coed and contributing to the success of a project. With some good internship experience under their belt, the CS grad goes into interviews with not just a degree but also real-world experience. Also, in CS you'll gain practical skills in addition to the theory so you'll have very tangible skills to offer.</p>
<p>Regarding jobs on-campus and competing with those who've been coding since they were 8, don't worry about this. You can still pursue lab assistant jobs if you do well in class and can still find internships. Some of those professing to have been programming since they were young may not have as many skills as you think and you could be up to par with them in a short time. There will always be somebody with more experience than you but there s/b plenty of opprtunities.</p>
<p>Note that the on-campus and internship opportunities will vary depending on where you go to school.</p>
<p>Thanks guys, it's appreciated.</p>
<p>Just curious - how would you compare the job market/outlook of the IT sector to engineering and business? Not that I'm going to base my decision on that alone since the market is bound to change in 4-5 years, but I would like a general idea. I say those three since that's where most jobs seem to be concentrated (not much you can do with art history now is there...)</p>
<p>This is like asking if we prefer to sail in the Atlantic or the Pacific oceans. "Business" is a gigantic job market. IT has many, many specialties and even more niche areas. There are over 30 accredited engineering majors, and many non-ABET accredited degree programs. </p>
<p>You realize you're only going to do ONE job at a time, don't you?</p>
<p>Engineering, of all the professions, is the most resistant to shocks. Even in the previous economic slow down "Engineering" had a good employment rate. Even now I think Engineering is the most secure undergraduate major.</p>
<p>Engineers are politicians who actually have the decision of what gets done in this world. With humanity, there will always be engineers.</p>
<p>Well... by IT, business, and engineering, I pretty much meant jobs like... software engineer, accountant, mechanical engineer respectively. Technically, everything is a "business" since firms are out there to make a profit.</p>
<p>Anyway, from the looks of it, it seems like IT and engineering aren't really going anywhere. I'll see where my interests take me. Thanks guys.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Technically, everything is a "business" since firms are out there to make a profit.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Well, no, not everything is a business. You forgot about what is probably the biggest single employer of all - the government. The government employs plenty of engineers and software developers. Whatever you want to classify the government as, it certainly isn't a 'business' in the way that we generally understand the word to mean.</p>
<p>Heh, funny you remind me about that, because I've always wanted to work for the government or a non-profit.</p>