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CS Majors/Grads?

E

EyeMNathan

Banned
I'm currently a CS major (Freshman year. Yeah yeah, I waited until 22.5 years of age to enter college, so sue me.).

I was curious what kind of pay other CS majors are making, compared to other folks in their area.

Another question was, would a Masters degree make any real difference? I suppose I could always get a Masters while working, but I'm curious if it would be worth anything to go for it pre-employment.
 
Good luck finding a job in the field. Do not take out too many student loans. A master's degree in an unrelated field may actually get you a job.

Good luck.
 
i have friends who, once out of college, were making anywhere between $35k and $70k. this is columbia university class of 2003.

masters degrees can help, but it depends on what kind of work you're going into. if it's a development position, more knowledge of programming can't hurt. if it's a research position, more knowledge of theoretical aspects of computer science can't hurt either. it depends on what you plan on going for.

personally, i majored in CS and ended up doing IT, which is not related to CS at all (contrary to popular belief). i just don't like programming all day and i hated the mathematical concepts that were required of the computer science major. i picked up everything i use now through on-campus (paid) jobs in networking and system admin.
 
My major was CS with a minor in Business. It worked out nicely, as I've worked in the same industry for about 11 years. Strangely, while I majored in CS, I did not want to be a programmer. Today I am a 'technical advisor/manager' more than anything.

I have yet to get a Master, but if I do, it will not be CS (it will probably be more Business-related).

As far as pay, you can always visit Salary.com to see what kind of compensation to expect in the industry. It will vary greatly from job types, but expect to do well. I am certain I make more than 95% of my High School graduating class.
 
NATIONAL:
_____Jr __________Sr ______M.Eng
High $1006.00 ____$1025.00___ $1246.00
Low $752.00 ____$650.00 ____$879.00
Average $879.00__$837.50 ___$1071.75

This is a list of weekly internship earnings (for participating CS majors)--summer after Jr year, after Sr year, and after a Master's in Engineering (not a "regular" master's degree at my school). Salaries are naturally higher than internship earnings...I can't find the figures, but I think the average across all graduates was like 50someK for BS, 60some for M.Eng, and high 60s for MS
 
I graduated over a decade ago so I don't have a good idea about entry-level salaries. But I have been on the hiring side of the desk a few times at this job and my previous one.

A masters could help you stand out against other grads, but a BS CS with good experience (co-op, internship, RA work) could be equally attractive. At a small company you won't see a big pay jump from having a masters.

GPA (overall and major) does matter until you have a year or two of full-time work experience.

Don't listen to people telling you BS like "grades don't matter it's what you know" or "it's not what you know it's who you know." This is CS not international finance. A high GPA will show you were able to learn on someone else's terms and get along with others, and that you cared enough to cut back on the partying when you needed to.

Until you have work experience, college is all we have to judge you by, and we can't interview everyone who applies. so "X with 3.7 overall" goes to the top of the pile while "Y with 3.0 in major" goes in much lower.
 
Originally posted by: tami
i have friends who, once out of college, were making anywhere between $35k and $70k. this is columbia university class of 2003.

masters degrees can help, but it depends on what kind of work you're going into. if it's a development position, more knowledge of programming can't hurt. if it's a research position, more knowledge of theoretical aspects of computer science can't hurt either. it depends on what you plan on going for.

personally, i majored in CS and ended up doing IT, which is not related to CS at all (contrary to popular belief). i just don't like programming all day and i hated the mathematical concepts that were required of the computer science major. i picked up everything i use now through on-campus (paid) jobs in networking and system admin.
Click to expand...

I chose CS because the alternative for me (since I don't want to do Engineering) was a Management Information Systems degree. MIS seemed to be about 80% a business degree, and is even considered a business major at most schools.

I don't know if I'll go into Programming, to be honest I'm guessing that a 4 year degree from anything remotely computer related gets you the same entry-level jobs. I suppose ultimately I'd want to be a Software Designer of some kind. Someone who conceptualizes and comes up with workable ideas (not just ideas, anyone can do that.) for software. Whether that be games or more practical apps really doesn't matter to me.
 
Originally posted by: EyeMNathan
Originally posted by: tami
i have friends who, once out of college, were making anywhere between $35k and $70k. this is columbia university class of 2003.

masters degrees can help, but it depends on what kind of work you're going into. if it's a development position, more knowledge of programming can't hurt. if it's a research position, more knowledge of theoretical aspects of computer science can't hurt either. it depends on what you plan on going for.

personally, i majored in CS and ended up doing IT, which is not related to CS at all (contrary to popular belief). i just don't like programming all day and i hated the mathematical concepts that were required of the computer science major. i picked up everything i use now through on-campus (paid) jobs in networking and system admin.
Click to expand...

I chose CS because the alternative for me (since I don't want to do Engineering) was a Management Information Systems degree. MIS seemed to be about 80% a business degree, and is even considered a business major at most schools.

I don't know if I'll go into Programming, to be honest I'm guessing that a 4 year degree from anything remotely computer related gets you the same entry-level jobs. I suppose ultimately I'd want to be a Software Designer of some kind. Someone who conceptualizes and comes up with workable ideas (not just ideas, anyone can do that.) for software. Whether that be games or more practical apps really doesn't matter to me.
Click to expand...

Good choice, lol. That's the fun part...coding is such a g*damn pain.
 
Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
I graduated over a decade ago so I don't have a good idea about entry-level salaries. But I have been on the hiring side of the desk a few times at this job and my previous one.

A masters could help you stand out against other grads, but a BS CS with good experience (co-op, internship, RA work) could be equally attractive. At a small company you won't see a big pay jump from having a masters.

GPA (overall and major) does matter until you have a year or two of full-time work experience.

Don't listen to people telling you BS like "grades don't matter it's what you know" or "it's not what you know it's who you know." This is CS not international finance. A high GPA will show you were able to learn on someone else's terms and get along with others, and that you cared enough to cut back on the partying when you needed to.

Until you have work experience, college is all we have to judge you by, and we can't interview everyone who applies. so "X with 3.7 overall" goes to the top of the pile while "Y with 3.0 in major" goes in much lower.
Click to expand...

I won't have any problems keeping a near 4.0 GPA. I mean I'm not going to an Ivy League school and my employment history is short, so its a bit discouraging, but I'm not sure what the competition is.
 
Originally posted by: EyeMNathan
I'm currently a CS major (Freshman year. Yeah yeah, I waited until 22.5 years of age to enter college, so sue me.).

I was curious what kind of pay other CS majors are making, compared to other folks in their area.

Another question was, would a Masters degree make any real difference? I suppose I could always get a Masters while working, but I'm curious if it would be worth anything to go for it pre-employment.
Click to expand...

You are so doomed it scares me, I re-graduated at 29.

I was a walking stupor and got accepted to Pharmacy at pre-AA. 😕

to be honest your degree will be low on the totem pole...certs are a high priority.

However, if you can come into an interview and solve a problem they have, you will be hired.

If they have a decent financial structure, keep solving them and profit!

Å
 
Here is some advice: start interning during ur Freshie year. Get good grades, impress your Profs and they'll likely hook you up with some pretty sweet internships. Better yet, get on your university's honors college and you'll have first dibs to some great internships. Basically, do anything to get real world experience while in college.
A master's could be especially useful provided you do a thesis on something related to the line of work you are interested in.

I'm graduating in December with a BSCS.. took me four long years while I was employed as a programmer for an international electronics company. It wasn't easy... but I'm glad its going to be over with pretty soon!
 
You don't necessarily need your profs to ghook you up with internships. I mean you'll be a slave there.

I suggest going to the private industry and looking for an internship. If you're skilled you can easily be doing QA testing.
 
I'd go for a coop job and as much real world experience as you can get over a master's.

Right now I'm doing my first work term (finished freshman year) at ~37k if I was year round.

Your success finding a coop job depends on your school/location/your grades/your experience/how well you interview/etc. Senior people like to hire students who went to the same school they did (they'll hire others of course though, just a plus if people from your school made it far).

EDIT: For interviews, make sure you can describe a project you did that you really liked. If you've got cool out-of-class projects to show off that helps too. I hear the interviewers where I work talk about how they had to "pull" information out of some people.
 
Originally posted by: mAdMaLuDaWg
Here is some advice: start interning during ur Freshie year. Get good grades, impress your Profs and they'll likely hook you up with some pretty sweet internships. Better yet, get on your university's honors college and you'll have first dibs to some great internships. Basically, do anything to get real world experience while in college.
A master's could be especially useful provided you do a thesis on something related to the line of work you are interested in.

I'm graduating in December with a BSCS.. took me four long years while I was employed as a programmer for an international electronics company. It wasn't easy... but I'm glad its going to be over with pretty soon!
Click to expand...


Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately as I am at a local college for Freshman and Sophomore years I'm sure that once I transfer to Washington State University I will be low on the totem pole and past my ability to make those kinds of connections. Not to mention there aren't many options for internships in the immediate vicinity. (But I know nothing about internships, so heh.)

The more I read it seems I'll be lucky to even find a job! But being the first person in my family that I know of with a college degree will be something to be proud of.
 
Originally posted by: alkemyst
Originally posted by: EyeMNathan
I'm currently a CS major (Freshman year. Yeah yeah, I waited until 22.5 years of age to enter college, so sue me.).

I was curious what kind of pay other CS majors are making, compared to other folks in their area.

Another question was, would a Masters degree make any real difference? I suppose I could always get a Masters while working, but I'm curious if it would be worth anything to go for it pre-employment.
Click to expand...

You are so doomed it scares me, I re-graduated at 29.

I was a walking stupor and got accepted to Pharmacy at pre-AA. 😕

to be honest your degree will be low on the totem pole...certs are a high priority.

However, if you can come into an interview and solve a problem they have, you will be hired.

If they have a decent financial structure, keep solving them and profit!

Å
Click to expand...

I haven't graduated yet (wont for at least another 2.5 years), but certs?

I hope you realize we're talking about CS, not IT. Most older students I know say the most important thing is experience (read: internships) with a degree, or at least getting the degree. I have never heard people say certifications were necessary for an entry-level position, and more valuable than a degree to get a foot in the door.

Now if you're talking about certain specialized certifications, which I have heard of, than you're talking to the wrong person about certifications. A fresh college graduate is probably not going to have the experience, money, or time to get those certifications. And for an entry-level CS job, I really don't think they're needed.

For example, what kinda fresh college graduate is going to be able to actually get a SAS certification?
 
definitely pursue internships. it gives you a foot in the door every time, and if you're a good match for the company and they think so as well, they may offer you a very promising full-time position in the future. i wish i had some more practical corporate knowledge before i graduated. sure, working in academia is great, but as students, there's not only the inability to gain real growth potential, but there's also bureaucracy. even if you were to have an idea (and i generally had a few), it wouldn't make it far up the ladder. 🙁

while my job is definitley not paying me a super exciting salary to brag about, the work environment is great enough and my input is really valued. i think that's more important than money, because work takes up a good portion of your day.
 
If you list a bunch of easy IT-oriented certs on an application for a software development job, I'd wonder why you were wasting time on them since they have nothing to do with your job.
 
Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
If you list a bunch of easy IT-oriented certs on an application for a software development job, I'd wonder why you were wasting time on them since they have nothing to do with your job.
Click to expand...

Since you seem to have experience hiring Dave, what would be my chances, provided I keep my GPA high, of being able to beat competition for jobs? I know there are probably a lot of hotshots out there with fancy school names on their degrees and high powered internships.
 
Originally posted by: EyeMNathan
I'm currently a CS major (Freshman year. Yeah yeah, I waited until 22.5 years of age to enter college, so sue me.).

I was curious what kind of pay other CS majors are making, compared to other folks in their area.

Another question was, would a Masters degree make any real difference? I suppose I could always get a Masters while working, but I'm curious if it would be worth anything to go for it pre-employment.
Click to expand...

Lol, wait until you get through CS degree before you worry about grad school....


Grad school for CS majors isnt so much to make more money, as do what they want while making comparable money
 
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