AM I horribly screwed?

[kyrax12]

Right now I think I have a 2.6 GPA from the 2 and a half year of community college I been going to.

I was thinking of majoring in Computer science.


Am I horribly screwed. I just want a major with decent job security.

What I am afraid of the most is that I can't find a job.

 

[sunzt]

as long as you can get a CS degree you can get a job.

 

[RavenSEAL]

College is overrated.

Experience > Degree

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

You should probably try to get some internships. My GPA wasn't great, I ended up enlisting in the Air Force as a programmer. I didn't really try to hard to find a job though.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

College is overrated.

Experience > Degree

No company is this day and age is going to hire you as a programmer with 0 experience and no degree. If he can't get a job he can't get experience.

 

[RavenSEAL]

No company is this day and age is going to hire you as a programmer with 0 experience and no degree. If he can't get a job he can't get experience.

I'm not saying a degree is worthless, I'm saying most companies will rather hire someone with 20 years of experience and a bachelor's than someone with 0 years of experience and a masters/doctorate.

 

[Texashiker]

Right now I think I have a 2.6 GPA from the 2 and a half year of community college I been going to.

Stop parting so much and focus on your education.

I worked a full time 40+ an hour week job, married, had a family with 4 children, and maintained around a 3.6 gpa. You have no excuse for a 2.6 crap gpa.

You can do better then what you are doing right now.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

I'm not saying a degree is worthless, I'm saying most companies will rather hire someone with 20 years of experience and a bachelor's than someone with 0 years of experience and a masters/doctorate.

Definitely. It gets a bit grey when it's someone with 18 years and a masters vs someone with 20 years and a bachelors though.

 

[Puppies04]

I'm not saying a degree is worthless, I'm saying most companies will rather hire someone with 20 years of experience and a bachelor's than someone with 0 years of experience and a masters/doctorate.

Most companies? I would say any company. You just got to hope that the poorly paid first job you go for doesn't end up with you sat in the waiting room will 20 guys all with many years experience trying to find a job to pay the bills because they got laid off.

 

[Gibson486]

well, most CS programs I know are pretty competitive, so that 2.6 GPA is probably going to be a glaring dent on your application when you transfer. Not saying you will not get accepted, but it will stand out.

Also, majoring in something for the sole reason of job security has a pretty high rate of failure. If you do indeed pass, you are gonna kill yourself when you actually get into industry because you will most likely hate your job. CS is one of those jobs where you constantly have to learn even after you graduate.

 

[highland145]

Stop parting so much and focus on your education.

I worked a full time 40+ an hour week job, married, had a family with 4 children, and maintained around a 3.6 gpa. You have no excuse for a 2.6 crap gpa.

This.

Except the underlined, it describes my college career. Bet I'm one of the few Comp E that graduated to ditch digger.

Oh, and my 2.3GPA.

Quite fvcking up or off. The rest of your life will thank you.

 

[kyrax12]

I will definitely try harder now that I actually give a shit about my GPA.
What are some good majors with good security that accepts or won't look down a 2.6 GPA?

 

[GWestphal]

Well, I'd say Engineering/Science is out, at many schools 2.8 is the minimum before you get kicked out of the associated college or at least put on probation.

 

[chusteczka]

A 2.6 GPA will not get you into a top engineering curriculum. A second or third tier school may be available and may be more suited to your abilities. A second tier student in a first tier school will destroy the student's confidence and ability to focus.

An education from a second or third tier school can be at your achievement level and teach you in the way you need for a position you would be able to fulfill. CS is strongly math based. Be prepared for math theory and proofs.

A business MIS program can get a person into programming in the business sector. For example, SQL programming for an insurance company.

A 2.6 GPA shows you are not focused. This needs to be fixed.

EDIT: Another example for a good direction from an MIS program is web development.

 

[Mxylplyx]

Your degree is an interview for your first job. Past that, it matters little on your resume.

 

[sourceninja]

I teach at community college. The only excuse for poor grades is not turning into work and reading. Seriously, there are two kinds of students in community college. A students and F students. One just does what is asked, the other doesn't do anything.

Study, read the chapter, do your homework, turn in your project and you should easily drive that GPA up.

 

[zinfamous]

College is overrated.

Experience > Degree

Until you hit the ceiling where non-degree holders are not allowed to pass.

 

[arcenite]

I had a worse GPA in community college than you, graduated with a Bachelors in Computer Science from Rutgers with a 3.1, and have a great job.

You just have to be motivated. And do INTERNSHIPS INTERNSHIPS INTERNSHIPS.

 

[KeithP]

...I just want a major with decent job security.

Starting your own business and working for yourself is the only job security worth squat these days. If you go to work for someone else, you will not have job security.

-KeithP

 

[DesiPower]

Yes, I am afraid you certainly are. Its a waste of time and money to go to school and maintain such a GPA. You are definitely not learning anything and its not good for any job... unless ofcourse, you belong to a certain group of people... you know what I mean...

 

[roguerower]

I fucked up my first semester, ended up graduating with a 2.75 overall. My in-major GPA was a 3.5 though. That said I got my job because of my two internships which I got because:

-I was in the Corps of Cadets (imagine military school but in a regular college setting for 4 years)
-I rowed competitively
-I was willing to go wherever they decided to send me

 

[Doppel]

Right now I think I have a 2.6 GPA from the 2 and a half year of community college I been going to.

I was thinking of majoring in Computer science.


Am I horribly screwed. I just want a major with decent job security.

What I am afraid of the most is that I can't find a job.

In fact what it sounds like you're afraid of most is work, hence the GPA.

I'm not saying a degree is worthless, I'm saying most companies will rather hire someone with 20 years of experience and a bachelor's than someone with 0 years of experience and a masters/doctorate.

I don't think the OP has 20 years experience.

OK let's get real, boys and girls. If OP is pulling a 2.6 at community college the last thing he needs is the rigor of a bachelor's in CS.

Your degree is an interview for your first job. Past that, it matters little on your resume.

True in my experience, nobody has ever given a sh*t. If I were asked now I'd laugh.

OP you could look at a trade or something, or try the non-degree route, but in certain professions the lack of one would hurt you, but you could always get on later perhaps.

See if you can get into a non-bachelor's program to become a registered nurse. You could also become an LPN and then work toward that. It's a profession considered by most as quite secure, growing, hard to outsource. Pay is fairly decent.

 

[DrPizza]

Ditto what Texashiker said. I went the same route when I went back for a mathematics degree; except only 2 kids, and a 3.85 (4.0 in major.) I was always amazed at the college students who claimed they were too busy to do their homework. Too busy? 16 credit hours means that out of the 24*7 = 168 hours in a week, you're busy for less than 20 of those hours (excluding studying & homework, which they claimed they didn't have time for.)

With your grades, internships, etc., are incredibly important. Do something, anything, to gain experience in your field.

 

[jhu]

2.6? You must not be Asian.

 

[njdevilsfan87]

You can recover. After my first year in ME I had a 2.8GPA or so. I slowly increased it and graduated with a 3.55 cumulative and 3.7 in major. My junior year was my best, where I had a 18-credit 3.91 and 19-credit 4.0 - those two really boosted me.

But I worked my ass off... I was hitting the books every day, and maybe slept like 5 hours a day tops to fit in gym, social, and etc. I was so addicted to caffeine... But it paid off. Now I'm getting paid to go school.

Edit: And LOL at jhu.