Majors

[AznAnarchy99]

Is anyone here majoring or have majored in Political or Computer Science/Engineering?

And what do you think of it?

 

[paulney]

That's like asking: what should I get - an SUV or a sports car?
Two polar majors.

 

[RedArmy]

Computer Science and Computer Engineering aren't related too much. There might be a few low level classes that overlap but the similarities end there. If you're not sure if you want to do that or Political Science then it sounds to me like you need to sort out what career you want to pursue in the future and where you see yourself in 10 years.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

I don't know if the situation is the same in USA, but I have 3 friends with PoliSci degrees who have never had decent jobs in their lives. It's basically a worthless degree around here, right up there with a psychology undergraduate degree.

 

[JM Aggie08]

CIS all the way

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Originally posted by: RedArmy
Computer Science and Computer Engineering aren't related too much. There might be a few low level classes that overlap but the similarities end there. If you're not sure if you want to do that or Political Science then it sounds to me like you need to sort out what career you want to pursue in the future and where you see yourself in 10 years.

Where Im going (UCLA) has 2 programs, Computer Science only and Computer Science and Engineering.

I like both subject matter, its just if I can be happy with the career I end up with, with my choice. I want to see what other people here have done with those degrees and their success (or failure) with it.

 

[Toonces]

I'm a Poli-Sci grad... most of my graduating classmates have ended up working themselves into various branches of government. I wanted to travel after school so here I am in Japan teaching English at a junior high school. The job is great, living in Japan has been an incredible experience, travelling SE Asia (Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia - China/HK this summer; Vietnam/Laos this winter) is extremely rewarding, and all before 25.

This isn't permanent, that's something I'm going to face next year as I plan to take the Foreign Service examinations (Canada), apply for internships at a few embassies, or look at various opportunites in the NGO field. I know that my pay isn't going to be great but accumulating wealth has never been a huge ambition of mine. It would be nice though

In any event, what I find the most rewarding from my undergrad is how much it has enabled me to explore non-linear opportunities. I started as a Finance major, with an option to attend law school upon graduation, but after first year I knew that, although lucrative, it didn't seem like a life I wanted to live. With poli-sci the lack of concrete 'career' path is at times frustrating (unlike my roommate from UWaterloo who did Comp-Sci and was recruited before he graduated for a job in Redmond) and takes a lot of work finding leads on employment and creating opportunities - these types challenges that appeal to me.

Choosing a major shouldn't solely be based on earning potential or parental/societal expectations - look at what you want to be doing and where you want to go in life. Then remember it'll never work out that way Good luck.

 

[JohnCU]

i majored in EE, i love it. decent $ and lots of jobs.

 

[Uppsala9496]

One of my degree's is in political science.
I currently work in the insurance industry (underwrite financial lines) managing 2 books of business.

 

[Deadtrees]

First, ask yourself the point of being in college.
Is it for you to get a job? If so, Computer Science/Engineering is a better choice.
Is it for you to 'learn' and shape your world view better...etc, political Science is a better choice.

 

[Gibson486]

engineering....yeah....hahahaha... I got one of those degrees. It's alright. Money is ok, but it can be good if you get in the right industry. If you are in purely for the money....you can become an engineer, but you are really limited to what industries you will enjoy.

 

[Safeway]

Computer science, hands down.

<Hard science> to Law School works really well.

 

[TecHNooB]

CS degree by itself is usually not the way to go. If you do CompE that's different. But if you choose CS, you could double in something else. Most CS guys also major in math. My bro will be doing CS / Physics at UCLA.

 

[KillerCharlie]

If you want a degree you can use, go for CS.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

Originally posted by: AznAnarchy99
Is anyone here majoring or have majored in Political or Computer Science/Engineering?

And what do you think of it?

Take the intro classes to both to see which better suits you.

 

[tboo]

I vote for Lee Majors

 

[RESmonkey]

Poli-sci will be much easier. Much, much, MUCH easier.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Originally posted by: RESmonkey
Poli-sci will be much easier. Much, much, MUCH easier.

Having been a poly sci major for 2 years before switching to IS, I disagree. Poly Sci was a lot more interesting from a knowledge standpoint, but I did not miss those 20pg. term papers on a subject you couldn't care less about.

IS was a lot more practical and lab-oriented, for the most part. Sure, I probably could have killed myself in Telecom. class, but my whole last semester was spent in labs building web programs.

Got a career right out of college during the hardest months of the recession too.

 

[zerocool84]

Political Science and Liberal Arts are the degrees that people get when they don't know what they want to do.

 

[evident]

comp eng > comp sci. if you really want, get a minor in comp sci when you're at it. this allowed me the flexibility to apply to comp sci related jobs as well as EE type jobs

 

[Corporate Thug]

Poli Sci is only good if you are going into law. That's what I did. Easy enough where you can get a very high GPA + have fun for 4 years in preparation for law school.

 

[RichieZ]

Originally posted by: toonces
I'm a Poli-Sci grad... most of my graduating classmates have ended up working themselves into various branches of government. I wanted to travel after school so here I am in Japan teaching English at a junior high school. The job is great, living in Japan has been an incredible experience, travelling SE Asia (Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia - China/HK this summer; Vietnam/Laos this winter) is extremely rewarding, and all before 25.

This isn't permanent, that's something I'm going to face next year as I plan to take the Foreign Service examinations (Canada), apply for internships at a few embassies, or look at various opportunites in the NGO field. I know that my pay isn't going to be great but accumulating wealth has never been a huge ambition of mine. It would be nice though

In any event, what I find the most rewarding from my undergrad is how much it has enabled me to explore non-linear opportunities. I started as a Finance major, with an option to attend law school upon graduation, but after first year I knew that, although lucrative, it didn't seem like a life I wanted to live. With poli-sci the lack of concrete 'career' path is at times frustrating (unlike my roommate from UWaterloo who did Comp-Sci and was recruited before he graduated for a job in Redmond) and takes a lot of work finding leads on employment and creating opportunities - these types challenges that appeal to me.

Choosing a major shouldn't solely be based on earning potential or parental/societal expectations - look at what you want to be doing and where you want to go in life. Then remember it'll never work out that way Good luck.

what does getting a polisci degree have with doing the JET program? I have a friend who was CS and he did JET too.

 

[Mo0o]

The polisci degree isnt going to do much for you. If you wanted to get into that field a lot of other degrees would do just as well. Otherwise, its just a random thing you major in to into grad school, which CS can do just as well. Computer Science actually gives you a skill for the job market.

I would take intro courses for both and see which one you like better, it should become fairly obvious.

 

[RichieZ]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21

Originally posted by: RESmonkey
Poli-sci will be much easier. Much, much, MUCH easier.

Having been a poly sci major for 2 years before switching to IS, I disagree. Poly Sci was a lot more interesting from a knowledge standpoint, but I did not miss those 20pg. term papers on a subject you couldn't care less about.

IS was a lot more practical and lab-oriented, for the most part. Sure, I probably could have killed myself in Telecom. class, but my whole last semester was spent in labs building web programs.

Got a career right out of college during the hardest months of the recession too.

IS or MIS != CS

 

[MotF Bane]

Go read P&N for a week or so. If you get pissed off at the lunacy in there, pol. sci. won't be good for you.