graduating CS/CE majors: work or grad school?

[abc]

Originally posted by: istallion
Unless you've interned at a nice company, got a 3.9+ GPA, or have sweet connections, or all the above, you aren't going to score $55k. Maybe in an area with real high living expenses, I don't know. People with 5 years experience may not score that salary. And any big company could hire 3 Indian programmers for that much.

I agree with you, especially the IT market from late 2001 to now as it has been... that kind of money usually comes from a big company, but the big companies aren't really hiring, especially through oncampus recruiting, which WAS the best ticket into a good company since a grad has no real experience... unless you're the type that already has a degree from another country and came here to get another undergrad kind of deal...

so that leaves smaller companies... but smaller companies dont pay that kind of money, they pay that money to somebody who graduated 3yrs ago and is unemployed.

 

[newbiepcuser]

do both if you can.

 

[MaDDinGO]

Originally posted by: gopunk
grades aren't everything folks, work and research experience count a lot.

As a recent graduate who got a IT job, I can definiately say that Grades Don't Mean Jack!!!......... There are friends of mine with 3.9's-4.0's who didn't even get a offer or even second interviews. Good grades might get you an interview but what gets you a job is your experience and your personality. They want to see how well you can fit in the company's culture and if you will be a good person to work with. Companies will be training you what you will be doing and so pretty much most of what you learned in college is worth nothing to them. And $55K and signing bonus..... with a bachelors degree? haha... dream on

 

[damiano]

work

unless you want to teach

grad school is not that usefull in that field...believe me !!!

 

[MaDDinGO]

Originally posted by: abc

Originally posted by: istallion
Unless you've interned at a nice company, got a 3.9+ GPA, or have sweet connections, or all the above, you aren't going to score $55k. Maybe in an area with real high living expenses, I don't know. People with 5 years experience may not score that salary. And any big company could hire 3 Indian programmers for that much.

I agree with you, especially the IT market from late 2001 to now as it has been... that kind of money usually comes from a big company, but the big companies aren't really hiring, especially through oncampus recruiting, which WAS the best ticket into a good company since a grad has no real experience... unless you're the type that already has a degree from another country and came here to get another undergrad kind of deal...

so that leaves smaller companies... but smaller companies dont pay that kind of money, they pay that money to somebody who graduated 3yrs ago and is unemployed.

So true... i work for a BIG company and 50% are regulars and 50% are contractors. They can hire 2-3 contractors for the price of a regular employee. Especially with a majority of IT comps to outsourcing their jobs to India, you are luck just to find any good paying IT job.

 

[Vcize]

My uncle owns a pretty well off company in Atlanta that hires IT people. Since I'm a CSE major, he told me exactly what they're looking for when they hire people for computer jobs:

1) Experience
2) Experience
3) Experience

He said a master's degree means absolutely nothing to them, and the only students they hire out of school are students that co-op'ed, which he said is a very very good thing to do. Their last 3 hires have all been students who co-op'ed and then graduated.

 

[gotsmack]

If you're a engineering/cs/physics major go back to school for Math. Wall Street firms will pick you up. They're looking for people to do statistical modeling.