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Computer Science as a Major and as a Career
An anonymous reader writes "IBM DeveloperWorks is running an interesting Q&A with Director of IBM's Academic Initiative, Gina Poole. In the article she talks specifically about taking computer science as a major and ultimately as a career. From the article: 'There are a couple of reasons [for the decline in science and engineering degrees]: one is a myth, believed by parents, students, and high school guidance counselors, that computer science and engineering jobs are all being outsourced to China and India. This is not true. The percentage of the total number of jobs in this space is quite small -- less than 5%. According to a government study, the voluntary attrition in the U.S. has outpaced the number of outsourced jobs to emerging nations. Further, for every job outsourced from the U.S., nine new jobs are actually created in the U.S.'"
You have to pick a major and career. Do you pick the same major as the barrista who serves up your latte's and as the old guy working at Home Depot who got laid off because they didn't feel like providing any training and continuing to provide pension and medical benefits? Comp sci careers have no legs. You'd be better off picking a career with longer term prospects, like suicide bomber.
Do not misunderestimate my spelling or grammar skills. And do not doubt that there are WMDs in Iraq.
You spelled grammar right, you poser.
Well, do ya, Punk? Do ya?
But by definition, the top comp sci. departments are a small fraction of all the comp sci. departments, and the students in those top departments are by extension a small fraction of all comp sci. grad students. Postdocs certainly aren't as freely available as you claim to the rest of us (i.e. tier 2 onwards).
By the way, 30k/year for a grad stipend???? That troubles me deeply...I thought my 17k was high-end. Some lucky bastard somewhere is enjoying lobster bisque while I shell out for ramen. But then again, who does this for the money?
An old-timer with old-timey ideas.
Wanna make an extra $25k? Hire me to do your job for $75k, keep skimming the other $25k, and get yourself another job for $100k.
Procrastination -- because good things come to those who wait.
Your interactions will consist mainly of mind dulling staff meetings, early morning, barely intelligible conference calls to far off lands attempting to keep outsource staff up to speed (good luck with that) while the real work will be long solo hours staring at a machine (evenings and weekends if need be).
What office job doesn't have this kind of description?
You could have gotten away with lying about your job, but you got greedy.
-Peter
Dude! Why are you so opposed to boot-kissing and ass-licking??