Computer Science Majors?

[xizor]

Originally posted by: alkemyst


I am a computer science major....absolutely no jobs due to several things

1) you have $30k in school loans, some 'kid' else has a web class certificate he sent a SASE in to get, total cost .37 cents x 2.
1a) You need at least $25/hr to cover loans and live decently, same kid needs about $3/hr more than cash and carry to cover his paintballs and manga subscriptions he lives at home

2) while you were spending time in class, same kid spent his day taking every cert on the net, you have AS, BSCS after your name he has every letter in every alphabet ever conceived.

3) you need benefits, he still has his parent's coverage.

etc....

My area is bad for computer jobs as it is....I have experience back to 1983 and a Comp Sci Bachelors and about 140 hours in Biology/Chemistry (2 classes shy of the degree but alot of extras)....the first thing I get asked is am I A+, MCSE, CNA, CCNA, etc....my experience and degree don't even get asked about.

If I do get a job lined up, I get asked what do I expect....we dance around because it's a loaded question...they are hoping I shoot lower than they want.

I usally end up saying bet $20 to $25 to start with paid vacations and holidays, and health insurance.

I goes down like this...

no health...most of our employees are self insured (since they are kids)

no paid holidays, but you can take off most any day you want....yadda yadda yadda

We can start you at $12 per hour for 3 months, if you do well we can consider $15 and then maybe more later (which never happens).

I should have stayed in banking....10 years ago I had a big house on the water, covered two nice cars, ate out every night, went out every night to a movie or something fun, bought tons of junk I didn't need....had no debt.

Now I have $32k in school loans, $8k in credit debt. (was over $20k, but these past two years I knocked it out pretty good)

Also the whole EE CS argument is pointless...some get hardware and the math well, some get programming well.

EE = Hardware CS = Software they are two similar but different disciplines. You might as well compare a Vet with a MD and debate that out.

wow, that's bleak. I worked at an internship for a consluting company this summer for $15/hr having a BS degree and no experience or certifications at all. Why are you aiming for a job w/ A+, MCSE, CNA, CCNA? As a CS major I wouldn't consider these important to computer programming in the least bit. As far as I know they're all hardware. Grab a J2EE or .Net book and read up, that's where the programming jobs are.

I'm completing my MS and expecting a salary of at least $62k, and my friend graduating w/ a BS and 3.0GPA was offered $53k by Lockheed Martin. Honestly, the job market is not so horrible.

 

[xizor]

Originally posted by: alkemyst


hmmm yes and no....a 3.5 GPA from a top ranked school yes....but grades are only good for your first job if they even get brought up....I have never been asked my grades on a interview or asked to provide them. The MS and any graduate degree goes without saying....for some it's not practical and can cost more than the first four years of undergrad.

Companies are hiring in some localities. The fact is in many they are not. In West Palm Beach the market is dry for 'real' programmers. Companies want 'kids' they put out ads with 10 lines of skillsets and certificates wanted and at the end of the listing put: Pay up to $25k salary yearly, 50hours/wk based on experience

Might I suggest aiming higher, see my post above, but I've never ever been asked about certifications by IBM, Lockheed Martin, insert big company here. They're looking for careers, not teenagers who have read books. Every company I interview with looks at my GPA first.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: xizor

Might I suggest aiming higher, see my post above, but I've never ever been asked about certifications by IBM, Lockheed Martin, insert big company here. They're looking for careers, not teenagers who have read books. Every company I interview with looks at my GPA first.

Aiming higher? I don't take those jobs....I won't code for a company for less than $20 per hour....or around 1/3 what they charge hourly. That's the question I ask, how much are you planning to bill my time out for.

I am expecting you are fresh out of school then with no experience....when I got out of school the first time around 1995 I already had about 12 years in banking (started filing papers and sorting loan documents at 12 for my dad's bank)...so maybe GPA wasn't needed.

Not everyone has a 'big company' in their area. We have some...siemens wants CE's, IBM is gone but used to be a big hirer from my second college in Boca where their home base was, and we have Pratt-Whitney which hires and fires almost in lunar phases.

I am giving up working for someone, its too stressful to deal with the petty BS and fake crisis situations everyday. I am outlining several ideas and exploring them, I have helped a couple people that were sort of slackers get businesses off the ground and while they are not cutting-edge, they are able to buy the house, car, toys and vacations. One guy doesn't even work anymore save doing a walk through randomly a couple times a week or whatever. He's got a young guy running the place basically that's making twice what he was wherever my friend found him (I think an home appliance store)....the guy has no education, doesn't want an education, but is making a nice amount of money....my friend is back to being a slacker and now getting paid. I can't even remember WTF his business is, something stupid like printing pens or notepads or something...