anyone graduated with a Bachelor Degree in CompSci?

[andylawcc]

how's the job market going? I am curious since most of my friends are in this field and I don't know should I be in it or not... Competition will be tough by the time I graduate (2 years later) but I know there's a wide range of jobs available for CS ppl, like programming, system admin, web design and all that. However, I am still kinda worry.

 

[LiQiCE]

I just graduated in May 2001, and let me tell you the job market was bad at that time. Last year my friend posted his resume on Monster.com and his phone wouldn't stop ringing. This year, I posted my resume on Monster.com and I got 1 phone call. Thats it, *ONE* ... thankfully I got the job with the one company that called me. No head-hunting agencies even called me. And most companies I called said they were on a job hiring freeze, or they were on a job firing spree! In 2 years time though anything can happen. I'd make my bets on the job market bouncing back by then.

The other positive thing is that every company is dependant on computers now-a-days, so you can probably get a job somewhere. It just might not be with the huge price premium that people were getting in the .COM days. Many IT positions can be filled by CS majors as well, which gives you a nice big market to work in ... If you're willing to do IT work if you can't find your ideal CS job. (There's really a fine line between a CS position and an IT position imho).

 

[andylawcc]

so what IT really is?
it's not just know how to use Win9x, Win2k, Office2k, and email right?
and is it related to MSCE?

 

[LiQiCE]

I'm probably not 100% right about this, but my understanding is that CS generally incorporates Programming, Systems Engineering, Server Admin, Database Admin and things of that nature ...

IT usually incorporates non-programming but computer related positions like Helpdesk Operator, Network Admin, Desktop Support, and things like that ... CS people can often fall under the IT category but not all IT people could be considered CS people ...

It also really depends on the company. I've worked for 3 different companies (2 different ones during my undergrad, and 2 different divisions at one job). Every company had their people structured differently, and restructuing is very common.

In any case, if you want to do strictly programming or something CS related, then you're limiting your job options a bit. If you get a really well rounded education while at college (I highly recommend working for your school's IT department or working somewhere computer related during your undergrad) then you can work a wide range of jobs and also figure out what your specialty is and what you prefer to do. Personally I prefer doing IT work like networking, or desktop support over programming but I also really like doing UNIX admin work. So when I went for interviews I could tell people what my interests and what my specialties were.

You shouldn't worry about selecting a specialty or what your preference is right now if you're a freshman or soon-to-be freshman... You'll figure it out as you go along and take different classes and/or work different jobs.

 

[andylawcc]

thanks for sharing your experience, i appreciate it.

however, I am not a freshman and nowhere near a "soon-to-be-freshman"; its already my third year and I am still undecided, I got most G.E. done already though. (yeii! )

 

[gopunk]

andy - i'm in the exact same position as you. undeclared junior

 

[Ameesh]

i had the oppiste experience, i graduated in june i had more then 7 offers, off which 3 were above 70k. I got a good deall all around, but i had a lot of internships during college which helped me standout. Make sure you do them during college. oh i graduated with a BS in Computer Science from UC San Diego.

 

[Ameesh]

<< IT usually incorporates non-programming but computer related positions like Helpdesk Operator, Network Admin, Desktop Support, and things like that ... CS people can often fall under the IT category but not all IT people could be considered CS people ... >>



thats pretty accurate.

 

[Uclagamer_99]

i was a third year CS major but now i'm undeclared...CS seems so limited these days...i think other engineering fields have much better job prospects after graduation at this point in time

 

[andylawcc]

gopunk: welcome to the club... Undeclared Junior Club, UJC!!! ... that actually sound kinda cool...
urrr.. not.
I hope I will never become the a member of "USC" then...

Ameesh: whao, your experiences give me hope, how did you find all those intern? your school provided/advertised them?
anyway, I hope the job market will be as good as you said 2 (or 3) years later.

 

[andylawcc]

HenHowC: did you take any CS major-related course? what you gonna do with them if you switch major? would you feel bad coz those courses will be "wasted"?

 

[Ameesh]

<< CS seems so limited these days >>




LOL, programming has as much potential as your mind does, if you can think it up you can code it. thats why its kicks ass!


A lot of people who drop out of CS cause they couldnt handle the hard stuff say stuff like this,i hope your not one of them.



Some from schools some from looking on my own. I would suggest getting one big company internship under your belt, like IBM, microsoft (te best internship i ever did), HP, etc. then find a medium sized one and then go for a dotcom if your still interested in one. Most companies when hiring for full time couldnt give a rats ass how many small startups youve worked at, its whetehr youve worked at a reliable long term company and did well there is what matters. After i did my MS internship the offers came rolling in. Its hard to get but very worth it.

 

[sinunbeso]

People, no matter whether we can find a job or not I'd say let's be proud of CS.

 

[gopunk]

i don't think there will be a problem with cs majors getting jobs. at least not a major one... our economy has already started moving in that direction, and i seriously doubt that development is going to shrink instead of increase.