I know it's hard news to take but despite the fact that the market is improving in most major metro areas many companies still think they can get the best for pennies. And as someone who does technical interviews for my company I would strongly recommend against lying. You can "creatively embellish" a little but there is a fine line. Most interviewers will call you on it if it's blatant. It basically comes down to taking a job for money you wouldn't normally have taken but gives you the experience, get a year or two under your belt and start looking for something better. I would suggest trying to find a consulting group if possible. It will give you a chance to make contact with multiple clients and get a wider variety of experience. Also get involved in professional orgs in your area for whatever technologies you want to be involved in. Like many have said before... NETWORKING, NETWORKING, NETWORKING... it's not just for routers and switches!
It's all well and good to talk about funding, incorporation, unemployment and starting a software firm but you're missing one VERY vital point in addition to all of this....
You have to find customers who are willing to pay you for your product! Finding customers, even in niche markets, is pretty easy. Getting your foot in the door and getting them to lay down money for a product they know nothing about from a "company" they know nothing about is a whole different beast. I can cite several examples where a customer chose an inferior product not because they didn't know enough about the superior product but because they knew the name of the inferior products maker or were "good ole buddies" with someone in that org. It's the old saying "It's not what you know but who you know". It's a high risk, usually low to mediocre gain game. There are very few significant success stories.
I would say with a BS and a MS you've probably already got as much technical knowledge you need unless you want to become a prof (not a bad gig if you ask me... have you ever tried to find a prof actually IN their office;). I would say a PhD in IT would be a bad choice. Maybe check out a MBA if you want to make a bunch of money!
BS - Everyone know what it is MS - is More PhD - is Piled high and Deep!
As stated before, capitalization is important for proper language form. For example, not to get into religious debates, but the difference between god and God;)
If you can't tell I'm a big proponent of ISS. But then again I'm also a student at GA Tech! Not a big fan of their BlackICE product but a big fan of their R&D and Corp Security Audit abilities. You may want to also check out your "local" chapter of Infragard and ISSA. These are both very reputable INFOSEC SIGs with members who are actively involved in INFOSEC issues of all varieties.
With a CompE degree you can always get a job in Controls Systems(Industrial Controls/PLCs) where you can make BIG bucks if you know what you're doing.
I would suggest doing some major research on the CompE programs you are looking at though since these are all relatively new programs at most major schools some of them aren't very well established just yet.
Frankly, in regards to the MIS/CIS/CS debate I suggest a CS program for undegrad and looking at a MBA as an extension to this undergrad degree.
At my institution, GA Tech, MIS is looked at with a smirk but not only by CS majors but most of the rest of the students as well. For example, Management majors at Tech don't even have to take Calculus, while everyone else must take 3 semesters of it! This is also the major of the majority of athletes at Tech...
The major point of an undergraduate degree, as it was put to me by one of my wise old professors, is it is not a degree that says you are now qualified to do a specific task but that you are now qualified to learn how to do a specific task. Your undergraduate degree's major task is to teach you how to learn(this is one of the reasons for requiring liberal arts, math, etc....; besides the fact they want more of your money of course;)
Slashdot Mirror
I know it's hard news to take but despite the fact that the market is improving in most major metro areas many companies still think they can get the best for pennies. And as someone who does technical interviews for my company I would strongly recommend against lying. You can "creatively embellish" a little but there is a fine line. Most interviewers will call you on it if it's blatant. It basically comes down to taking a job for money you wouldn't normally have taken but gives you the experience, get a year or two under your belt and start looking for something better. I would suggest trying to find a consulting group if possible. It will give you a chance to make contact with multiple clients and get a wider variety of experience. Also get involved in professional orgs in your area for whatever technologies you want to be involved in. Like many have said before ... NETWORKING, NETWORKING, NETWORKING ... it's not just for routers and switches!
It's all well and good to talk about funding, incorporation, unemployment and starting a software firm but you're missing one VERY vital point in addition to all of this....
You have to find customers who are willing to pay you for your product! Finding customers, even in niche markets, is pretty easy. Getting your foot in the door and getting them to lay down money for a product they know nothing about from a "company" they know nothing about is a whole different beast. I can cite several examples where a customer chose an inferior product not because they didn't know enough about the superior product but because they knew the name of the inferior products maker or were "good ole buddies" with someone in that org. It's the old saying "It's not what you know but who you know". It's a high risk, usually low to mediocre gain game. There are very few significant success stories.
I would say with a BS and a MS you've probably already got as much technical knowledge you need unless you want to become a prof (not a bad gig if you ask me ... have you ever tried to find a prof actually IN their office;). I would say a PhD in IT would be a bad choice. Maybe check out a MBA if you want to make a bunch of money!
BS - Everyone know what it is
MS - is More
PhD - is Piled high and Deep!
As stated before, capitalization is important for proper language form. For example, not to get into religious debates, but the difference between god and God ;)
If you can't tell I'm a big proponent of ISS. But then again I'm also a student at GA Tech! Not a big fan of their BlackICE product but a big fan of their R&D and Corp Security Audit abilities. You may want to also check out your "local" chapter of Infragard and ISSA. These are both very reputable INFOSEC SIGs with members who are actively involved in INFOSEC issues of all varieties.
With a CompE degree you can always get a job in Controls Systems(Industrial Controls/PLCs) where you can make BIG bucks if you know what you're doing.
I would suggest doing some major research on the CompE programs you are looking at though since these are all relatively new programs at most major schools some of them aren't very well established just yet.
Frankly, in regards to the MIS/CIS/CS debate I suggest a CS program for undegrad and looking at a MBA as an extension to this undergrad degree.
At my institution, GA Tech, MIS is looked at with a smirk but not only by CS majors but most of the rest of the students as well. For example, Management majors at Tech don't even have to take Calculus, while everyone else must take 3 semesters of it! This is also the major of the majority of athletes at Tech...
The major point of an undergraduate degree, as it was put to me by one of my wise old professors, is it is not a degree that says you are now qualified to do a specific task but that you are now qualified to learn how to do a specific task. Your undergraduate degree's major task is to teach you how to learn(this is one of the reasons for requiring liberal arts, math, etc....; besides the fact they want more of your money of course;)