I made a thread earlier about wheter i should attend UA or Cal poly SLO for CS. UA came out as the winner becasue of the generous scholarships.
Im just wondering how your CS or engineering experience was at UA? What about career fairs, did the “big” companies come down to visit? Did you enjoy it and thought the education was good? What about internships, are they easy to find as a cs major? Out of state job offers, did you get any after graduation or did you stay in Alabama?
I would basically want to know it all. I know that cal poly slo has a very good reputation in California and many of the big companies hite from there so i would like to know about bama. Im not really sure that i would want to stay in Alabama after graduation, do you think a guy with a UA CS degree and internship experience would be attractive to employers nationwide? If i do not go on to pursue grad studies of course.
I can’t speak to CS, but my son just graduated UA engineering. He had job offers from major companies (Boeing, Lockheed, Raytheon, etc.) in 5 states, after internships in 2 others. The only Alabama offer he got was for a job he never even applied for. His professor, head of the department, tipped off a friend of his at a big company in Huntsville, said you gotta talk to this student of mine. They arranged an interview and offered him his choice of departments. His best friends got major jobs in California, Arizona, New Jersey, and Florida. I’m sure Cal Poly is also very good, but a UA CS/eng grad with a solid resume should have job offers wherever they want.
Career fairs are largely unnecessary these days, which is good because they usually don’t fit into your busy schedule. All job applications are done on the company’s website, even those you meet at a fair. Interviews are phone and Skype, and finalists are flown into their office for face to face.
@mom2collegekids My son had his choice of dream jobs, after having an amazing time at UA, which he went to for free. My family and my wallet are eternally grateful for your advice over the years. Alabama would never have been on our radar if not for you. Sorry I missed the chance to thank you in person. Hopefully I’ll have that chance again sometime. If you’re ever in New York…
CS, software engineering, EE - all are very hot right now. I don’t see the demand slowing down due to a number of factors, but suffice to say exponential growth of technology advances and the need for these areas of expertise. My DD is an civil and architectural engineering major at UA (completed her first two years at UA). She is currently in a summer internship, is in honors, STEM MBA.
Do take advantage of honors program and anything ‘extra’ available at UA that interests you professionally.
Companies recruit, and they are part of the campus fairs as well as internship and co-op. You can also line stuff up with search for employers that may be in parents’ or relatives’ geographic area that you wish to pursue.
http://news.eng.ua.edu/capstone-engineer/ Kceyiy, here is a link to archived issues of UA’s “Capstone Engineer” magazine, which is sent to all UA COE alumni or those who support the College. The most recently issued magazine is not yet found at this link, but in it, there is a very good interview with the Dean Karr about the state of the college. There is also a two page spread in this most recent issue showing the various impressive stats and progress for the college. Dean Karr says that the avg. ACT for freshman engineers at UA last Fall was right at 30. It was actually 29.8, but close enough right? It is the highest ACT avg for a college of engineering in the entire state of Alabama. Anyway, I think you will find a lot of good info in past issues and in the most recent one I have seen, that will soon appear at the link above.