<p>I am a college sophomore and have a question regarding my major. I am a dual major in comp sci and business, and I plan into going into something related to real estate development after college. I was wondering how a degree in engineering, specifically comp sci, looks on a resume when applying for a job that is not related to comp sci. I always heard that it will look impressive no matter what you want to go into, but I am starting to wonder if it really is that beneficial that I should study it even though I don't like it too much and will probably never go into a tech related field. Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>Well it probably looks good; but if you don't like it at least to some degree... it woudl be hard to get through
from a mature professional</p>
<p>I have an MBA and a pretty good familiarity with real estate development (although that is not my field).</p>
<p>One opinion: a dual major in Comp Sci will not add much to your resume in terms of hiring for real estate development. (Full disclosure: I don't "get" dual majors, especially for someone who isn't even interested in the second field). You might be a lot stronger with a minor, or more coursework in, say, economics.</p>
<p>Or, you might do better putting the time and energy that currently goes into comp sci coursework toward internship opportunities in the real estate development field, finding a business prof whose Research Assistant you could be...</p>
<p>You will do your best in courses that interest you most, and therefore are more likely to learn more and have better grades in those. Major in something that grabs your interest, get an education in college, you can take the required real estate courses to pursue that on top of whatever major suits you best. Around here I've seen former teachers become real estate agents. If you were to check with many people in varied professions you would be surprised at their college major compared to their current work.</p>
<p>It will look impressive but the vast majority of people don't know what a computer science degree is so they will be impressed in an uninformed way.</p>
<p>I think I would be suspicious of it. I would wonder what is wrong that you are not working in that industry that you worked so hard to get a degree in, and figure that you could not get a hired.</p>
<p>As is, I cannot at all understand why you would be studying a field that you don't like and won't use. It makes me wonder what is wrong that you feel you have to do that. Why are you not studying things that will help you in the area you are interested? Finance, Economics and Accounting come to mind. Or Marketing. Or Construction Science.</p>
<p>For most fields, you don't need 2 undergraduate degrees, the value added is small. For tech fields, BS matters, but you don't plan on tech career.</p>
<p>I can't imagine any way that a comp sci degree would be useful in real estate development. Civil engineering might help to understand the engineers you might be working with. Finance, marketing, accounting and economics as mentioned would all help with the money end. I'm with those who think double majors are kind of silly.</p>
<p>You should do what you like, work lasts a long time. I would strengthen my resume in other related areas.</p>
<p>Titles of majors and minors matter far less than most college grads think.</p>
<p>What matters is translating your education and experience into something of value to the employer. The best way to do this is by experience.</p>
<p>For example, if someone were applying for a position in real estate development after having spent a summer working in (guess what....) real estate development, how do you think the employer might react to the resume? How do you think the interview would go? (hint, if you know the jargon of a field enough to talk shop at an interview...)</p>
<p>So I would not worry about your majors and such as much as getting knowledge and experience in the employment field of your interest.</p>
<p>Experience always sells better than "academic" preparation IMHO.</p>
<p>There might be a general perception that you are "smart" - The general perception of computer science majors is more of a brainy impression than the general perception of business majors, unless you are from an elite business program. (If you are coming out of Wharton, never mind.)</p>
<p>Experience in the field would be much more important than what you majored or double majored in.</p>
<p>There is one small but growing area where interest in Comp Sci, Business, and Real Estate come together. It is GIS (Geographic Information Systems). Some of you may be aware of it through local government web sites where you can look up information on properties using a graphical interface showing maps and plots of land linked to the government data (taxes, ownership, sales, etc.)</p>
<p>State and County governments hire computer people to develop these databases and use the data in them to find pieces of land suitable for development (having the right size, access to utilities, rail etc.). Private consulting firms also provide this service for corporations looking for sites for new operations. I would imagine with the money spent on finding the right site for a major industrial facility, the value of such information high and being a very specialized set of resources, I imagine a premium could be charged for such screenings. </p>
<p>Perhaps a career nobody thought about???</p>
<p>Take finance classes instead. Developers need to know how to get money, or else they need to hire someone who knows how to get money.</p>
<p>"Perhaps a career nobody thought about???"</p>
<p>There are people that I work with that engineer geospatial products. They're all CS majors - most, if not all, with advanced degrees. I don't believe that any of them have any training in real estate.</p>
<p>RE development is the most volatile demanding field in RE. It can be very unstable--even at large firms. I'd also concentrate on the finance end of RE as well as RE market analysis and consulting. It's a very intereting and fun field for those inspired by leaving a permanent mark. (I have 30 years in commercial RE in various capacities and markets). </p>
<p>Basic computer knowledge is all you need. Too much and you'll be fixing everyone's computer problems.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for the responses! </p>
<p>Like I said, the reason I chose to major in this was because, since the school already offered a dual major in business and comp sci, I figured why not also study comp sci with business (since I heard that having a tech. background always looks good). Also, I liked having the option of knowing a different field for situations like the one we are in today, where the real estate market is horrible (better job security). But I think I am going to drop the dual major and just major in business and pick up a minor in RE Development or construction management.</p>
<p>^barrons, that sounds very interesting! Could you expand a little on market analysis and real estate consulting. Thanks a lot.</p>
<p>Perhaps a career that nobody thought of?</p>
<p>Study what you LOVE. That's what I tell my children, and my students.
I got degrees in Math and French, minored in Computer Science. 1st job out of college was as a software engineer. Job #2? Software Engineer in PARIS. Later jobs (post child-rearing): French teacher, Math teacher, Computer Programming teacher. I'm now the instructor for our schools TV/broadcast/multimedia program, and the math/engineering (read:problem solving) skills have been the most beneficial.</p>
<p>Did I PLAN this career path, strategically deciding to go for that degree in French because, as everyone knows, the opportunities are greater for math majors who speak French? Not so much. But when a company NEEDED a French-speaking software engineer, I was there and ready, because I had studied what I loved.</p>
<p>Full disclosure - I had started college early and had a lot of CLEP credit, so still graduated "on-time" despite the ADD majors....</p>
<p>Anyway, I hate it when people think they have to study stuff they don't like because they think they need it to to get a job. I walk the walk, too. Son#1 is majoring in a notoriously low starting pay, hard to get into field. But he loves it. The ONE thing the kid decides to listen to me about... SIGH...</p>
<p>:-)</p>
<p>"since I heard that having a tech. background always looks good"</p>
<p>what were the sources of this 'wisdom'? RE people? Career counselors?</p>
<p>I really think that it does not 'look good' when you don't work in that area. I even tried to say that it can be detrimental.</p>
<p>But that said, according to the US Dept of Labor Statistics, a CS degree might be good job security. That is a big growth area. But I don't know what good it can really do for you if you get out of school and work in an unrelated area for some years. At some point, you can't really fall back on it tooo much with no work experience in the field.</p>
<p>I think you need to do more research. While you are at it, look at the jobs outlook in RE Development too and figure out why this is appealing to you. What qualities does that work have and what is the career path to get there, since is is not so much as a 'job' as an investment vehicle. I guess you would try to get work first with an established developer. If you watched The Apprentice, you can see that a lot of these types are finance types and have MBA's. I don't know what entry level with an undergrad degree would be, but there is sure to be something.</p>
<p>It is a little sad to see someone studying something they have no passion for because they may think it looks good on paper. So give more thought to it. Don't just rely on message boards.</p>
<p>As for real estate finance: Developers are often "big picture guys" (often ADHD, too.) They have the dream. Someone needs to figure out if the project will make money....with the cost of building the building, how much rent will they have to charge and are there enough tenants around to pay that rent? How much will they have to charge for the houses and will people pay that much for that house in that neighborhood? Then, you have to find OPM - other people's money - bank loans, investors (lots from outside of the US)-and show them why it's a good investment.</p>
<p>Any interest in environmental science? Green buildings/LEED are big these days.</p>
<p>I agree with dropping the comp sci major since you don't like it. If you enjoyed it, that would be a completely different story. I'd pick up the extra courses you mentioned, or more finance courses. Frankly, if I wanted to go into real estate development, I might seriously think about working as an analyst for a lender first. Although many might doubt it in the current crisis, I don't think anyone does as much due diligence and goes into the details like a good lender does. You'll get good training, finance experience and connections, and then you can move into development.</p>
<p>VERY good suggestion, mdoc.</p>