Random Thoughts & Viewpoints

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>First, let me give you my background:
- 15 years experience in Software Engineering and Development
- 13 years as a consultant/contractor
- Top-Secret/Intelligence work
- Have done project management and team leading
- M.S. Engineering from University of Wisconsin-Platteville
- B.S. Computational Mathematics from Michigan State University</p>

<p>1) Rankings are WAY overrated! My employer has senior directors and VP's from schools such as University of Tampa. I have yet worked with or worked for a successful VP, Senior VP, CIO from MIT, Cal-Tech or Cornell. Right now, if you have the needed skills, my employer will hire you today.</p>

<p>2) Do NOT kill yourself as an undergrad acedemically. No need for double majors and triple majors. Dual majors are OK if the curriculums are similar (like Math/CS). Employers could give a rats azz.</p>

<p>3) Do NOT kill yourself financially. True, you CANNOT replace being a freshman/soph on a campus away from home BUT if you can live without that, find you a inexpensive local college or very good community college WITH GOOD TRANSFER AGREEMENTS WITH MAJOR UNIVERSITIES and transfer. For example, I live in Maryland and you can attend Anne Arundel Community college's A.S. in Physics or General Engineering for a grand total of $6,000 (both years). Every credit will transfer to the University of Maryland which a top-20 school.</p>

<p>4) Take advantage of those University of Big-Name at Somewhere schools. Human resource departments do not know the damn difference. How do you think the University of Michigan at Flint (or at Dearborn) grads get hired so often? or Univ ot Missouri-Rolla?</p>

<p>5) If you don't exactly blaze up the grades as an undergrad, find a good grad school and use their non-degree route to get into grad school. Hell, you can use my Item #4 also. You have PLENTY of folks in the Philly area who attended the Univ of AnyPennsylvaniaCollege and THEN attended Penn State at Great Valley (a grad-only PSU branch in Philly) and moved ahead.</p>

<p>6) Your abiility to research solutions from online user groups, acquire training and the use of Borders Book Stores will keep you continually employed...not your degree(s).</p>

<p>I will add more.</p>

2

<p>keep it going</p>

3

<p>Excellent thoughts Globaltraveler. I especially agree with points #1-3. I spend a lot of time here arguing those points!</p>

4

<p>sir, you just made my night...its 5:30am, ive been up all night studying for two finals on friday, and i have sudden hope that i will do just fine after college</p>

5

<p>great information, thank you for taking the time. </p>

<p>however,</p>

<p>I will be double majoring in CS and software engineering because I enjoy doing it and I am also will apply to top graduating schools because I love to be challenged in this field.</p>

6

<p>7) Unless you are planning to go all the way to a PHD and not work, do not get too caught up on micro-specializing in a certain area. Yes, you may know signal processing and YES you had a 4.0 gpa in those courses and YES some employer hired you, but an employer is just NOT going to tell their senior engineer to move out of the way and give that specialized area to you. You will be working on something else and who knows that area may be what you end up specializing in once you have moved up the ranks.</p>

7

<p>thanks for the advice GT.</p>

8

<p>Do you have any insight on going to grad school for an Engineering M.S. vs entering the workforce upon receiving an Engineering B.S.? Thanks.</p>