Should I major in CS or IT or IS?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Hi currently I have finally declared my major as CS and going to get an SE for my masters. I am in my junior status and have only taken one class which is object oriented java (currently taken). I am having fears about majoring in this field.</p>

<p>1) How likely is the job security of a CS? I don't want to be fired and have all jobs get stolen overseas to India.</p>

<p>2) Does CS make you a nerd and no social life? I heard that one have to work nearly 60 to 80 hours a week and keeping up with the changing technology every five years. This might destroy my family and social life.</p>

<p>3) So far I am likeing the java class that I am taken. I'm kinda scared that in the future CS classes, it will be very difficult and boring and eventually give me signs that I need to switch majors. In what CS class do CS grads usually drop out?</p>

<p>The Reason I am considering IT is because it's easier, have a more social life while at the same time get paid the same high amount. Also good job security.</p>

<p>For the most part, I am loving the logic and problem solving of CS so far but i'm just very cautious in my decision. Thanks!</p>

<p>PS I don't know anything about Information systems/ Information Science.</p>

2

<p>If you go into SE, then CS would be an obvious choice. As far as I know, IT and IS deal with software used in business applications.</p>

3

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1) How likely is the job security of a CS? I don't want to be fired and have all jobs get stolen overseas to India.

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<p>Outsourcing is overstated. If you're really worried, go work for a government contractor. They <em>can't</em> outsource a lot of their jobs, since frequently being able to get a US security clearance is a requirement. And I have heard from people in the aerospace industry that it is desperate for good young software engineers.</p>

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2) Does CS make you a nerd and no social life?

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<p>Not unless you let it, or unless you go to a school where you are in over your head. I know a lot of CS people, and while nearly all of them are geeks by nature, all of them have social lives. I'm practicing in the field (work full-time, grad school part-time), and I definitely have a life - lots of friends, a boyfriend, plenty of time for hobbies.</p>

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In what CS class do CS grads usually drop out?

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<p>Most programs try to weed people out early. So if it's not for you, you're unlikely to be too far in before you figure this out. The big weed-out class, as far as I can tell, is usually called "Intro to CS", "Intro to Data Structures", "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs", or something similar. It's generally the first class where you learn some of the concepts behind CS, as opposed to just pure coding.</p>

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The Reason I am considering IT is because it's easier, have a more social life while at the same time get paid the same high amount. Also good job security.

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<p>It is entirely unclear to me that IT people are less likely to get outsourced than CS people. And the IT people I know definitely make less than the software engineers and other CS people on average. And their social lives are about the same.</p>

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For the most part, I am loving the logic and problem solving of CS so far...

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<p>That's a good sign, for purposes of you not being turned off by the weed-out class. The people who are in trouble are the ones who just want to hack on code and aren't interested in the logic and concepts behind it.</p>

4

<p>Also, judging by how much I whine to our IT guys about my computer being on the fritz or the server going out or them commandeering my computer to defragment my HD every day at 11:03 AM, I get the impression that IT guys have to deal with a lot of whiny engineers and computer users.</p>

5

<p>jessiehl, I have to disagree about your statement that outsourcing is overstated. It very much depends on the quality of your CS degree. I know of two people who have "CS" degrees from lesser schools who have not had any luck in entering the field, due directly to the fact that the employers in their area have outsourced entire departments. CS degrees vary quite a lot in their quality. Top school grads will have no problem, but I'd be careful about job opportunities from some programs.</p>

<p>If I were OP, I'd visit the job placement center at your school and verify the usefulness, in local employers eyes, of the CS and IT degrees. Pin them down and find out the percentage hired as a way to ascertain perceived quality.</p>

<p>My nephew tried and tried to get a job w/a business degree (in a specific location, from a non-top school). When I asked him what employers were hiring, he said accounting and IT. His buddy w/an MIS degree (again from a non-top school) is selling beer for a distributer. There is nothing wrong with these people, they just don't have attractive degrees as far as local employers are concerned and aren't willing to go national with their search.</p>

<p>Also, if you plan to get a Masters in SE, check out the programs for how well your BS will prepare you. Ask them! Buyer beware in this field.</p>

<p>And as a side note, if people in the aerospace industry are "desperate for good young software engineers" then they ought to hire older engineers. It's not like people lose their minds at 30. /end rant/</p>

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<p>(IN reference to Treetopleaf's post)</p>

<p>Boy i'm scared, I am currently a graduate from a very lesser school, Lawrence Tech and you're not saying i'm screwed for my job future right?</p>

<p>Then again, we'll be debating top school/prestigious vs rigourous/lesser school.</p>

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<p>What I am saying is that I think jessiehl's assurances about CS stem from her quality school background, and what I assume is his/her willingness to relocate.</p>

<p>Go to the career center at your school and ask them about placement rates, starting salary ranges, etc. Frankly, I wish all schools posted this info freely so people could understand what sort of outcome they are likely to experience.</p>

<p>Long ago, CS majors made the least amount at my engineering school. That reflected the fact that the major was new and industry folks didn't know what to do with CS grads at that time. A student with that knowledge could decide whether obtaining the least valued degree offered was worth it. I think looking at average salaries and percent of grads hired, active job listings, whatever they have to look at, is a very valid way to help anyone decide what major they want.</p>

8

<p>
[quote]
jessiehl, I have to disagree about your statement that outsourcing is overstated. It very much depends on the quality of your CS degree. I know of two people who have "CS" degrees from lesser schools who have not had any luck in entering the field, due directly to the fact that the employers in their area have outsourced entire departments. CS degrees vary quite a lot in their quality. Top school grads will have no problem, but I'd be careful about job opportunities from some programs

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What I am saying is that I think jessiehl's assurances about CS stem from her quality school background, and what I assume is his/her willingness to relocate.

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<p>Well, I don't know that it really has all that much to do with the quality of the CS degree per se. I happen to myself know a lot of highly successful software developers who don't have CS degrees from top schools, or in some cases, don't even have CS degrees at all, or in a few cases, didn't even graduate from college with any degree.</p>

<p>I think it has far more to do with the relevance of your skillset. What seems to be the key is to actually know particular languages, development platforms, and architectural paradigms that are in high demand, and then to constantly update your skills as the market evolves. For example, in 1999, COBOL skills were red-hot because companies were desperately trying to fix the Y2K bug. Then of course those skills became ice- cold as the bug was fixed but then dynamic Web programming then became hot to serve the myriad dotcom boom firms. Then when the dotcom boom became the dotcom bust, back-end enterprise software skills like EJB and Web Services became the hot thing, and now what's hot are Web application frameworks like RoR. The successful developers were the ones who were able to anticipate and adapt to changes. For example, those COBOL developers who never bothered to learn anything else got tossed under the bus, but those who saw what was coming and added Web development skills to their portfolio were able to make the transition. </p>

<p>Hence, what matters is to graduate with a skill that is immediately applicable. You can get this by taking internships or part-time jobs, heck, even volunteering if necessary.</p>

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<p>Take some classes on modelling and computational methods, this is the direction of the future (with AI). Also, helping with open source apllications will go a long way with you learning about SE and getting a job.</p>