"my degree is better than yours"

[Scarpozzi]

As for your degree kind sir, to state that a degree is better than someone elses is only a relative observation to whatever job may require it. What I've found is that few professions (technical or not) require everyone to have the same educational background. Work experience and understanding of the job requirements, required skills, knowledge, abilities, PERSONALITY, and occasionally being able to lift 50 pounds is what sets us apart in an interview. But most importantly is knowing the people that are doing the hiring. People networking is the key to the inside track.

Degrees are merely a stepping stone to get an offer. If you have no people skills or your coworkers just don't like you, corporate america will continuously spit you out.....sometimes before and sometimes after your 3 or 6 month probationary period. I know a Unix admin that gets a new job every 2 years.....at least. Sometimes, his jobs only last 1 year.........he's not a contractor.

If this happens to you, either become a contractor to make more money with the same risk or take a government job with lower pay to gain stability.

 

[BrownTown]

Well there deffinitely ARE easier majors than others, but it can actually vary alot by college as well. For example if you go to a school like Georgia Tech which is know for engineering and not arts and science then the engineering will probably be alot harder, but if you go to another school known for its great humanities classes and not its engineering the result might be switched. Also there are different types of work, I am an EE and there have been several semesters where I haven't done jack crap in terms of work, whereas the English majors I knoew have to read tons of books and write multiple 10+ page papers every week. Personally I would never make it in that sort of an enviroment, and they would probably never make it in EE. So I can't say one is harder than the other, maybe more usefull in that I doubt many of those English majors are getting $60,000 salaries out of college. Also it could be noted that not everyone is looking for a great salary, from their bachelors, for one thing you have tons of people going to med school, buisness school, or law school. And also (and this probably makes me sexist for writing it), but women don't really have to worry all that much they can just marry rich men. Plus, alot of people I know get jobs through friends of the family, so why go for a hard major when all you need is a degree and your daddy's last name?

 

[JJChicken]

Originally posted by: TheoPetro

Originally posted by: loki8481
I dual-majored.

clearly my two majors are better than any of your single majors.

o but I will be getting my math major once my finance one is done and then ill be on par with you. Should have a law degree or MBA done in the next 6 years too so ill eventually trump you

man how much do you want to study. im finishing off my finance and accountings majors this year, then ill work in accounting in an investment bank, get a CA and then become an i-banker. no need for too much studying IMHO.

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi
As for your degree kind sir, to state that a degree is better than someone elses is only a relative observation to whatever job may require it. What I've found is that few professions (technical or not) require everyone to have the same educational background. Work experience and understanding of the job requirements, required skills, knowledge, abilities, PERSONALITY, and occasionally being able to lift 50 pounds is what sets us apart in an interview. But most importantly is knowing the people that are doing the hiring. People networking is the key to the inside track.

Degrees are merely a stepping stone to get an offer. If you have no people skills or your coworkers just don't like you, corporate america will continuously spit you out.....sometimes before and sometimes after your 3 or 6 month probationary period. I know a Unix admin that gets a new job every 2 years.....at least. Sometimes, his jobs only last 1 year.........he's not a contractor.

If this happens to you, either become a contractor to make more money with the same risk or take a government job with lower pay to gain stability.

Indeed.

If you have no interview skills or you aren't as bright as other candidates you are SCREWED. You will never get those higher end jobs because you lack the confidence and personality to shine in your interview.

But some degrees lend themselves better to earning a higher starting salary for average graduates. An average Graphic design student in England probably doesn't get employed or gets employed at a ridiculously low rate, wheres an average CS guy can get a job at a lower tiered company making at least £15k. The graphic design student put in a huge amount of hrs and only people of a certain way could do it. Imagine a non creative CS/EE guy trying to do Graphic design? He'd faily horribly!

Koing

 

[TheoPetro]

Originally posted by: Barack Obama

Originally posted by: TheoPetro

Originally posted by: loki8481
I dual-majored.

clearly my two majors are better than any of your single majors.

o but I will be getting my math major once my finance one is done and then ill be on par with you. Should have a law degree or MBA done in the next 6 years too so ill eventually trump you

man how much do you want to study. im finishing off my finance and accountings majors this year, then ill work in accounting in an investment bank, get a CA and then become an i-banker. no need for too much studying IMHO.

I only have a few more classes to take to get the math major, I have a minor now so I think im off like 6-7 classes. I can do that in a year going part time. Math has always been really easy for me so I think I can do it working full time. Then I am going to take a few years to get experience then its back to MBA or law school and those only take ~2 years.

 

[Reckoner]

Most people end up in different fields than their major, so to say someone's major is "worthless" comes off as ignorant. Most employers just want to see that you have a degree, except in cases of highly specialized fields.

And yes, most engineers seem to have massive ego problems.

 

[Chris27]

Originally posted by: TheoPetro

Comp sci / Math - again very technical/logical, very time consuming (programming), studying was more memorizing than understanding concepts.
Discuss

uhh... No, just No... For one comp science != programming and 90% of it is understanding abstract mathematical concepts. Writing proofs is quite common. You can't memorize your way through that.

 

[QurazyQuisp]

At least at my school, it is widely known that business majors are easier than engineering majors. The engineering college hands out the least amount of 4.0s compared to any other college and it's a significant amount less. The only CS classes I can remember where it was mostly memorization was back in the first two programming courses, and maybe discrete mathematics, after that it is pretty much all application of what you've learned on the exams/projects. (in a way that you couldn't really do well if you didn't understand the concepts thoroughly. (Our CS department is part of our engineering department, I know at some schools it's part of the math department)

One of my best friends used to be a EE major, but decided to switch to Supply Chain (We have the best Supply Chain school in the world, we beat out MIT year after year) and he says it is significantly easier than EE. (He was a 4.0 student in EE, so no dummy)

I can't really compare my CS and EC majors as they are both quite different as far as classes go. Some EC classes are really easy, where as some are very difficult.

 

[TruePaige]

Originally posted by: Chris27

Originally posted by: TheoPetro

Comp sci / Math - again very technical/logical, very time consuming (programming), studying was more memorizing than understanding concepts.
Discuss

uhh... No, just No... For one comp science != programming and 90% of it is understanding abstract mathematical concepts. Writing proofs is quite common. You can't memorize your way through that.

Let's be honest...

To most employers, comp sci = programming.

Not saying it's perfect, but it's the world we live in. =p

 

[TheoPetro]

Originally posted by: Chris27

Originally posted by: TheoPetro

Comp sci / Math - again very technical/logical, very time consuming (programming), studying was more memorizing than understanding concepts.
Discuss

uhh... No, just No... For one comp science != programming and 90% of it is understanding abstract mathematical concepts. Writing proofs is quite common. You can't memorize your way through that.

from my experience (remember I only took 4-5 classes in it, 3 years ago) the programming was very time consuming. I didnt say that comp sci was only programming but it did involve a lot of it so that was the part I addresses. I lumped math in with that and the only thing I said relating to math was that it was logical. That "90%" bullshit number is partly what my post is getting at. People inflate things to make their majors sound harder to lay people.

 

[JS80]

So what's the definition of "better"? Which major makes most money?

I would say the richest people I know are Applied Mathematics majors. I think my friend cleared $2 million last year doing prop trading for a hedge fund (age 26) and he says a lot of his coworkers are Applied Math. And I know another person who made $20 million shorting mortgages for a private equity shop (age 27). He was probably Finance/Economics.

 

[Chris27]

Originally posted by: TheoPetro

Originally posted by: Chris27

Originally posted by: TheoPetro

Comp sci / Math - again very technical/logical, very time consuming (programming), studying was more memorizing than understanding concepts.
Discuss

uhh... No, just No... For one comp science != programming and 90% of it is understanding abstract mathematical concepts. Writing proofs is quite common. You can't memorize your way through that.

from my experience (remember I only took 4-5 classes in it, 3 years ago) the programming was very time consuming. I didnt say that comp sci was only programming but it did involve a lot of it so that was the part I addresses. I lumped math in with that and the only thing I said relating to math was that it was logical. That "90%" bullshit number is partly what my post is getting at. People inflate things to make their majors sound harder to lay people.

Well I don't know how they handled the CS program at your school, but at CMU, what I said is true. It isn't an exaggeration. CS is all about solving problems, proving your method is correct (you can't just memorize a formula/theorem, if you can't formally prove it yourself you can't use it), and proving how good of a solution it is. Computers are used in the final step of providing a simulation of that idea/problem. Computers are to computer scientists as are calculators to mathematicians. They are just a tool.

 

[sdifox]

TheoPetro, you got it wrong, it's not that my degree is better than yours, it's really your degrees sucks.

 

[SirStev0]

Gradually digressing level of complexity in major... Hrmm... I think Starbucks is hiring...

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: TheoPetro

Originally posted by: Chris27

Originally posted by: TheoPetro

Comp sci / Math - again very technical/logical, very time consuming (programming), studying was more memorizing than understanding concepts.
Discuss

uhh... No, just No... For one comp science != programming and 90% of it is understanding abstract mathematical concepts. Writing proofs is quite common. You can't memorize your way through that.

from my experience (remember I only took 4-5 classes in it, 3 years ago) the programming was very time consuming. I didnt say that comp sci was only programming but it did involve a lot of it so that was the part I addresses. I lumped math in with that and the only thing I said relating to math was that it was logical. That "90%" bullshit number is partly what my post is getting at. People inflate things to make their majors sound harder to lay people.

err, memorising gets you nowhere with programming, that is actually creative work. You picked the most artsy aspect of comp sci

 

[markgm]

Cool, congrats on being better.

 

[TheoPetro]

Originally posted by: SirStev0
Gradually digressing level of complexity in major... Hrmm... I think Starbucks is hiring...

gradually decreasing level of complexity and a drastically increasing level in pay... I think ill buy a few starbucks and maybe you could work at one of them

 

[Born2bwire]

What the hell is finance doing up there with degrees like CS or Physics?

 

[IceBergSLiM]

all i know is the dumb kids at my school were all comm majors.

 

[TheoPetro]

Originally posted by: Born2bwire
What the hell is finance doing up there with degrees like CS or Physics?

RTGDPRT
Read
The
God
Damn
Post
R
Tard

 

[Xavier434]

Originally posted by: Chris27

Originally posted by: TheoPetro

Originally posted by: Chris27

Originally posted by: TheoPetro

Comp sci / Math - again very technical/logical, very time consuming (programming), studying was more memorizing than understanding concepts.
Discuss

uhh... No, just No... For one comp science != programming and 90% of it is understanding abstract mathematical concepts. Writing proofs is quite common. You can't memorize your way through that.

from my experience (remember I only took 4-5 classes in it, 3 years ago) the programming was very time consuming. I didnt say that comp sci was only programming but it did involve a lot of it so that was the part I addresses. I lumped math in with that and the only thing I said relating to math was that it was logical. That "90%" bullshit number is partly what my post is getting at. People inflate things to make their majors sound harder to lay people.

Well I don't know how they handled the CS program at your school, but at CMU, what I said is true. It isn't an exaggeration. CS is all about solving problems, proving your method is correct (you can't just memorize a formula/theorem, if you can't formally prove it yourself you can't use it), and proving how good of a solution it is. Computers are used in the final step of providing a simulation of that idea/problem. Computers are to computer scientists as are calculators to mathematicians. They are just a tool.

I agree with Chris. Memorization is no where near enough. It might get you by with some of the lower end required classes but a large number of the concepts are needed to be understood. While many of those concepts do not directly apply to what an employer is interested in, they do allow you to have a deeper understanding of how things work which will allow you to make much better decisions that save time in the work place if you are a programmer. Employers like that part even though many may not realize that your understanding of those core concepts is what allowed you to deliver that kind of performance.

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: TruePaige
Let's be honest...

To most employers, comp sci = programming.

Not saying it's perfect, but it's the world we live in. =p

However, most expect software engineering practices out of you .

 

[Born2bwire]

Originally posted by: TheoPetro

Originally posted by: Born2bwire
What the hell is finance doing up there with degrees like CS or Physics?

RTGDPRT
Read
The
God
Damn
Post
R
Tard

Seriously, it's not a real degree like an engineering or physical science degree. It's pretty easy to see this if you've taken any engineering courses.

 

[m1ldslide1]

Originally posted by: Imdmn04
Bullshit, why do you think all the athletes major in Sports Management?

Fixed. (At least for my state alma mater)

 

[m1ldslide1]

Originally posted by: Eeezee
First of all, define "better." Usually I see people on ATOT making the claim that certain majors are useless from a career standpoint, and that is undeniable. Majoring in English might be hard (and rewarding) for some people, but it's still a "worthless" major because it won't get you anywhere except academia. Philosophy has similar problems. Also, psychology suffers from being a relatively new science, and as such it gets looked down on from all of the older sciences and engineering professions.

Back to the topic.

You took three majors, that doesn't mean all majors are of equal difficulty or value or whatever it is you're using to define how "great" a major is. I'd expect you to have at least SOME idea as to why three out of hundreds is rarely an adequate sample size considering your background.

It is undeniable that there are many majors that are just easy. I'm a physics graduate. I'll be the first to admit that I can't dance well and would never cut it as a dance major. I wouldn't do well as an art history major either (I've never been a fan of art history specifically). However, I could spank the shit out of Communications or Family Studies. Anyone can succeed in those majors, although there was a rumor at my university that our Communications dept was #1 in the nation, U of Arizona; I don't know if it's true. Finance might prove challenging, although algebra and arithmetic are really my area of expertise. I could spank Business Administration/Management. I could probably spank Psychology, but we went over why that's an iffy topic.

Amongst the majors you've experienced, the salary averages should have been Finance > Physics > Comp Sci > Math., or maybe I'm confusing accounting with finance. In any case, there IS a difference in average salary and the more highly technical majors ARE required for a more highly technical job. If you major in English you're never going to be a systems engineer. If you major in Chemistry you have a good chance of becoming whatever you want (if you take some standardized tests and go to a grad school in the field you're interested in, such as Law, Medicine, Chemistry, other sciences, etc.)

I disagree on several counts. From my personal experience, people with liberal arts degrees like philosophy and english tend to go into business and become quite successful. If you're a hiring manager, someone with an english or philosophy degree will often have superior oral/written communications skills and ability to understand abstract concepts. I heard a study on NPR a few years back that said the same thing, and talked about the same trend. Unless you have a real trade coming out of college (like systems admin, engineer), then everybody pretty much starts at square 1.

Personally I was an International Business major with a minor in jazz performance, and I'm now a senior network engineer for a major university. That's OJT for you - I couldn't get a job for shit with my BA and ended up doing temp work for an IT company. Six years later I had worked my way up to being a lead design engineer there, and have since moved on to my current job. Nobody knows about or cares about my degree, and that's because I have a trade. I was fortunate to land in a place where I could learn that trade, but it was my innate communication skills and ability to work well in an organization that let me get where I am. My story isn't that uncommon, and I think that regardless of what you might think most hiring managers are aware of it.