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Non-Programming Jobs For a Computer Science Major?
An anonymous reader writes "I recently graduated from a 'major' university in America with a BS degree in Computer Science. I unfortunately must admit that I am not very skilled with programming. I finished with the degree, and I've spent much of my college career working a job doing technical support (fixing laptops, troubleshooting Windows problems, etc). What jobs can I get with a computer science degree that are NOT mainly programming jobs? A little programming wouldn't be bad, but none would be preferred. And what kind of salaries do these jobs typically fetch?"
With that Degree you can apply for admin positions... maybe systems...which may require a little windows scripting, but also network admin, or even a managerial position over a help desk!
Whatever you do find... good luck!
You can probably get QA easily enough, especially if you can write automation scripts or programs.
Pay is probably 3/4 of a programming position.
GPL Deconstructed
Testing
Project Management
Product Support
Software Sales
Systems Administration
Programming is just one part of computer science; there are needs for all of these other areas as well.
You could go into management. An MBA helps but is not essential. Just check the mirror first, if you see pointy hair sticking up above the ears, do NOT get into management in any technical arena, you won't be doing the rest of us any favors. *joke*.
If you can do "lite" programming, running a web site, doing system administration, or database administration might be your cup of tea.
You could also consider hardware work or being a technical instructor. There is a demand for teachers for high-school/trade-school-level certifications such as A+. There is also a need for technical instructors who can teach "office" skills or "lite database" skills such as beginning and intermediate Microsoft Access.
You probably have a math or science background. Have you considered teaching these classes at the secondary or community college level?
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
Are you good at maths? I would probably say something like statistics in applied disciplines such as Biomedicine. Medical Scientists and Researchers are always short off smart guys who can help them analyze data and publish fancy data reports.
"Sum Ergo Cogito"
A lot of jobs you could get with any or no degree: financial services; screenwriter; salesman; etceta. If a job doesn't require a specific degree, and few do (accounting, law, medical fields, anything that requires certification), then you could probably get involved even if it's unrelated.
Your ad here. Ask me how!
You are in a unique position; us programmers can't stand to be in management, we simply cannot do our jobs there (not to mention we're slightly introverts!). If you are skilled and don't mind managing, you can bring home a decent wage. Especially if you know how to manage programmers! Good management for a development team is a sorely needed position.
Just my $0.02. Any fellow programmers want to back me up or dispute my claims?
If I mod you up, it doesn't necessarily mean I agree with what you've said, sorry.
Where I work (large company), Program Manager is in the business and writes requirements. Project Manager is the I/T function that deals with the schedules. Program Managers need to understand the processes in the business in order to document them.
If you want to continue in a more technical vein, then System Engineering, DBA, Network Administrators, etc. all would be a good fit.
Incidentally, Project Management is the fastest way into people management around here. So if you have aspirations in that direction, go get your PMP certification (Project Management Professional). While it's "just a piece of paper", for some reason people like it.
Layne
(sorry if already mentioned)
...OR...
QA with a programming knowledge can garner good money at some companies these days.
Maybe going into a Business Analyst position any sort of Software/Development Analyst might be for you? They gather requirements and provide functional and sometimes technical specification documents for software dev shops.
Of course, seriously (not) - WHY DID YOU GET A COMPSCI DEGREE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO PROGRAM???
You could get a job as a Program Manager or similar position. They do more design work than actual programming. Those positions pay about the same as programming positions.
In my experience, a program manager who isn't at least potentially good at programming doesn't make a very good manager. But my sample is limited.
People with CS degrees solve the computing problem and then implement it themselves to test their work in real life situations.
Even people with Math degrees should know basic programming.
"I only speak the truth"
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An Ed Tech is in charge of implementing technology solutions in schools, picking out hardware/software, and managing the budget for that sort of stuff. Whiteboards, overhead projectors, USB cameras...all of it (not just computers). It's almost a sub-set of Library Sciences. Another huge time eater is training faculty how to use computers and software solutions. You'll also be setting up the kiddies e-mail accounts and the such (unless you work in a big school with an actual IT department). It is good to know a lot about computers/computing in general, but more important to have good research skills and business savvy. Most of the time you'll be trying to justify your purchase suggestions to somebody who knows less than you and someone who won't want to give you any money to do it.
In short, it takes more education to be an Instructional Designer, but more technical savvy to be an Ed Tech. I'm kind of in both worlds, as my degree is MAEd in Computer Education--straddling both curriculum and educational technology realms.
Very true.
Oh sure we learned a lot about computer architecture and digital logic but nothing useful about how to actually maintain a PC! There was nothing about how to install more memory or troubleshoot a bad power supply. We never even opened a computer case in a class!
I guess I'm not qualified to work as a computer technician- I'll just have to settle for making twice as much as a software engineer. :(
Of course I do know how to build and maintain a computer- it's really easy and no classes were required. It is handy at home but useless at work of course.
BSAs play a critical function in most IT project teams, and often pays just about as well as a programmer if you have any experience (entry level positions don't pay much, but you need to earn your dues).
In addition, if you get a bunch of experience and understanding of methodologies (UML, RUP, Agile, Requirements Engineering, etc), you can easily make good money contracting in large metro areas.
This role can easily transition into a technical/software project manager if you're good at time/expectations management, or into IT management (for large organisations).
In the UK, this role is also called a Management Information Systems Analyst.
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UMM... doesn't a PMP require something like 4500 hours of work experience to acquire?
Category 1: With a baccalaureate degree PMP candidates must:
1.Document at least three calendar years experience in project management (during the past six years), including at least 4,500 hours experience within the five recognized project management process groups.
2. Document at least 35 contact hours of formal training in project management.
3. Pass the PMP Certification Exam.
It's not something to go chase just because... its not like a MBA.
Don't forget the PMP also requires continuing education and renewals...
Why does everyone associate IT with programming. You can have a very long and successful career doing systems administration and probably make more money than a full time programmer.
My main problem with accenture is that they will take someone with a psychology degree, send them to a 2-3 week training camp on how to program in C, Java, whatever, and then send them to the client to rack up the billable hours.
It amazes me that companies let them get away with staffing such underqualified individuals at their expense.
Also, having dealt with such individuals, it is maddening to try to get any work out of them. The most basic computer science concepts are missing...
If you are outgoing, technical sales might be a good fit. The received view among engineers at least used to be that the very top of the class ended up becoming professors, making very little. The next cut design engineers, doing OK, but nothing spectacular. Below them were the manufacturing engineers, making about the same. The C students, however, ended up in sales and made the most of any of them.
Here in Cali, those waiters make $7.75!
You cannot have a PMP and no experience!
PMP requires 4500 hours of PM experience, and PMI will check credentials.
no way, world is full of turnkey solution systems where programming isn't even allowed by admins or support. And network engineers, SAN engineer, architects, hardware techs...they don't program, nor do most windows admins for that matter.
Uh... this isn't completely true. Two year degrees at places like 'Devry' and ' Technical Institute' are usually degrees in "Computer Programming".
"When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
Basically you're looking at in house IT (installing and maintaining enterprise software applications, working an internal helpdesk, provisioning servers and/or desktop machines, etc.), customer-facing phone or email support (ick), or some sort of sales engineer (SE) position where you're just a salesperson with a technical background and in-depth product knowldge. Or you could teach high school level Computer Science or "Computer Applications" (e.g. "How to use MS Office") courses.
Check out salary.com (or similar) for what each of these would pay in your area.
Well a couple things:
1) I had a reputation for being a computer nerd before college. I actually built my own systems in the FidoNet days (ahhhh. the memories.... $500 56.6K modems.... $30/meg of RAM)
2) I worked in the computer labs.
3) I actually helped out folks, not hiding behind a monitor surfing the web.
4) I wore a tie. Got some funny looks, but it also said I cared about the job.
From word of mouth I got jobs. My most interesting job was to tutor a "slow" older student. The Indian professor referred me to him. When I got to meet him, he had a thick German accent. Turned out he was the retired CEO of a mid-sized company. Not slow in the least. He had no computer skills because he grew up when secretaries handled those base functions and he never learned.
I would tutor him in his mansion. The only reason he had a hard time in the class was because his native language was German, and the Indian prof was hard for ME to understand. I could kick myself for not continuing the relationship after the tutoring was complete, but I was a typical nerd with not enough social sense...
The bottom line: care about what you do, go the extra mile and you will stand out from the crowd. This ain't an IT thing. This is a life thing.
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I have a computer science degree and I now have a tech support for a fortune 500 company. The comp sci degree relies heavily on programming to teach computer related concepts. Don't think of this degree as a trade certificate, think of it as general computer knowledge. Just about every computer related field will higher people with a computer science degree.
As a network admin I get to use a lot of cool technologies and watch them come together to do what I need. You use your CS knowledge a lot in an abstract sense. The bad part of it is you have to climb through a lot of muck to get to a Network admin level. You have to deal with a lot of people who don't understand the field and will be your boss. You will work for crap pay at first doing things that make you cringe. But you climb fast if you are smart and able to take opportunity when it presents itself. I am in the midwest, only 6 years out of college making well above 50K.
Stay away from 3rd party crap if you can, stay close to internal networking. 3rd parties aren't interested in really shaping technology, they just want to crank out a product and move on to the next paycheck. Internal IT gets to coordinate and work on the big projects and technologies. It is also far more rewarding to be part of a growing company and using your knowledge to solve issues and make business methods run smoother.
You wont use your programming as much but you will find it extraordinarily useful when talking to co-worker programmers, or writing scripts to automate a task, or just troubleshooting an error.
In summary: CS is not about coding, it is about shaping solutions via computational methods. I am not a programmer and I knew I wasnt in college, I was in your exact same situation a few years ago when I graduated and I LOVE what I do. Network administration is a blast.
CS: It is all sink or swim...oh and did I mention there are sharks in that water?
You're talking about "manager" as in "department manager", right? Not the same thing as a project manager.
EMC hires hundreds of IS/IT grads each year and trains them to install and support EMC equipment. It is called "Associate Customer Engineer" or GSAP , I belive the pay starts around mid 50s with a very rapid increase over the 2 year commitment. Then there are lots of opportunity once 2 years are done. https://sjobs.brassring.com/1033/ASP/TG/cim_home.asp?partnerid=20085&siteid=5109
http://www.leadmagnet.50megs.com
In my experience, only about 25% of CS majors actually enjoy the raw problem solving involved in a true CS related career (read - technical coding and design). Working in firmware, most of the folks I work with solve problems that require tight, fast, and efficient code that often requires practical application of theory. However, a lot of the people I work with are dead weight. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but that's the truth. They're CS by training, but they don't get the same tiny little adrenaline rush by fixing some bug or speeding up some algorithm by a significant percentage. Those folks would rather be in management roll (which often requires technical knowledge and 'people skills') or in a higher level design roll, which often requires quite a bit of the in-the-trenches experience. My advice to you? After reading your short paragraph, you sound like someone who should also have a degree in management. Combine a CS degree with an MS degree and you could lead teams using both the higher level technical skills you learned as a CS major (some love of the maths must have driven you in to this field, right??) and using the MS degree you could take a broader management approach and pull the two together and have a really promising career that doesn't involve a lot or programming. Me personally? Give me a problem and a hardware set, and if I can't write a proof that the problem can't be efficiently solved on said hardware, then I'll deliver a solution that works. CS to the core. W00T! Good luck, anonymous reader, because by asking the question you have you've probably already advanced your potential more than most who find themselves in your shoes and refuse to admit that they may have not chosen wisely according to their own personal desires.
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