<p>Hi, I'm at the point in my college career where I have to decide and stick to what i'm doing. I'm a fairly accomplished programmer, majoring in CS at the university of michigan. I have a job at the IT Communications department of the ITCS (IT computer services) arm of the school. I write software to analyze the network data of the whole university. So I feel like I was really lucky with that job and that it will shine on my Resume. But back to my education, I can not decide for the life of me which path is better*.</p>
<p>1) Do a double major in Computer Science and Computer Engineering (which would make my 4 year program a 5 1/2 year program)</p>
<p>2) Do a major in Computer Science and a masters in Computer Science (which would take me to 6 years)</p>
<p>So time isn't the big deal, it's just a matter of what to do. One of my friends recently graduated as the same double major, and is making 85K out of school with a bachelor, but on the other hand, people tell me that employers really care about the level of education, not what/how many bachelors you have.</p>
<p>*Better means more hireable, more well-rounded, and more favourable to potential employers.</p>
<p>I was first going to say definitely the masters, but when comparing the degrees it makes it a little tougher.
what about a MS in computer engineering ..
For me as a late 40's energy professional (with some hiring responsibilites) I would lean toward the MS</p>
<p>can you tell me your friend's title and what company? that's an extremely high starting point.</p>
<p>i've just graduated with a bachelors in CS, and just accepted a job offer. I've had 3 internships during my undergrad, and done so much research on companies that it was a full time job for a long time.</p>
<p>this is from my basic experience.</p>
<ul>
<li>double major will help you land the job since you're open to a wider variety</li>
<li>masters will help you get paid more, and you'll receive more respect which helps for promotions to management and such.</li>
</ul>
<p>well my plan is to eventually start my own IT company, so to me, it seems like having a double major will give me a wider range of knowledge, as opposed to the more specialized one that comes with a compsci major/master.</p>
<p>The flip side of it is, people tell me that employers look less at what you know/have done, and more at your level of education, though that may be wrong.</p>
<p>Your situation may call for something different, but in general the best way to go is the advanced degree for the intensive, specialized knowledge.</p>