The gist of what I've seen people writing here is that it all boils down to what you would like to be doing. I am an electrical engineer, my fiance is an Information Science graduate from the University of Pittsburgh. The IS school here places alot of emphasis on looking at software from an application and usability standpoint, how humans interact with software and how it can be optimized. I have a good number of friends from school who are CS and computer engineers. They all are very interested in what they do, and enjoy it, unfortunately, not a single one of them have got a job that can touch hers pay or opportunity wise. We both recently went through the job search hassle, and we both even looked at a couple of the same jobs. What it seems from what we've experienced is that ultimately, being able to write software is the modern equivalent to the steel mill workers of the early 1900s. You must understand that as a CS major, you are going to be competing directly against people in India and China and other developing countries. Being able to code is something that can be learned very cheaply any more, and it doesn't require a degree to learn well. Look at this website and consider the implications: www.odesk.com, or search for odesk if this link doesn't show. I know people that are using this to further their businesses. They hire TEAMS of coders to write their software for them out of India for less than the cost of one CS person from the states. Can you compete with that?
What employers want anymore is the ability to recognize how business can be optimized through code. Generally speaking, and its undeniable, coders don't have nor are required to have personality, or social skills. There are obviously exceptions. Businesses want people that can interface with clients, and who are technically savy enough to understand the needs of the clients business and the capabilities of their own business.
So ask yourself, do you want to be a coder trying to compete against the worlds market of coders, many of whom are willing to work far harder and longer than you because they are desperate? Or would you be interested in a career in IT consulting where you are hired in as a manager of coders from the start?
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The gist of what I've seen people writing here is that it all boils down to what you would like to be doing. I am an electrical engineer, my fiance is an Information Science graduate from the University of Pittsburgh. The IS school here places alot of emphasis on looking at software from an application and usability standpoint, how humans interact with software and how it can be optimized. I have a good number of friends from school who are CS and computer engineers. They all are very interested in what they do, and enjoy it, unfortunately, not a single one of them have got a job that can touch hers pay or opportunity wise. We both recently went through the job search hassle, and we both even looked at a couple of the same jobs. What it seems from what we've experienced is that ultimately, being able to write software is the modern equivalent to the steel mill workers of the early 1900s. You must understand that as a CS major, you are going to be competing directly against people in India and China and other developing countries. Being able to code is something that can be learned very cheaply any more, and it doesn't require a degree to learn well. Look at this website and consider the implications: www.odesk.com, or search for odesk if this link doesn't show. I know people that are using this to further their businesses. They hire TEAMS of coders to write their software for them out of India for less than the cost of one CS person from the states. Can you compete with that? What employers want anymore is the ability to recognize how business can be optimized through code. Generally speaking, and its undeniable, coders don't have nor are required to have personality, or social skills. There are obviously exceptions. Businesses want people that can interface with clients, and who are technically savy enough to understand the needs of the clients business and the capabilities of their own business. So ask yourself, do you want to be a coder trying to compete against the worlds market of coders, many of whom are willing to work far harder and longer than you because they are desperate? Or would you be interested in a career in IT consulting where you are hired in as a manager of coders from the start?