any Computer Science people among y'all?

[Aikouka]

In my software engineering experience, it would probably be easier for you to get a job with a Bachelor's and consider going to school while working for any graduate work. It's also good to note that some companies will pay for it. Companies tend to hire a decent amount of newer workers for the "easier tasks" (not to say they're simple) simply because they don't cost as much money.

Graduate degrees can also cause a problem if your company tries to find other work for you. Usually a doctorate would mean a certain pay grade, and they've got to find room for you in their budget. A coworker told me a story about how their program was performing under-budget (and on-time of course), and they ended up placing this high-level, PhD on the team simply because there were no other spots for him, and they had the budget to support him. The guy supposedly caused more harm than good because he couldn't even code in the language, and usually made mistakes.

I've only got my Bachelor's and have considered getting a Master's, but my thought was... what am I going to get out of it? Is it truly worth working and going to school at the same time? At my previous job, I knew people that did that (the company paid for it), and they literally had very little free time for themselves, and I don't really think I'd want that... especially when I wouldn't get much out of it.

In short, I'd probably just stick with a Bachelor's unless your school has something like a 5-year Master's program (includes Bachelor's obviously).

 

[patrick409]

I have a BS in Computer Science. I have no plans to go for a MS in CS.

I currently work as a software developer. I was hired straight out of school to an entry level "IT Analyst" program at my current company, and gradually transitioned to more senior software development as I got more experienced.

I've been looking at resumes/interviewees the last few years and if the candidate has an MS in CS, it's usually because 1) their BS wasn't in CS, or 2) their BS was from a foreign country. In my experience it hasn't been that common to see someone with both a BS and a MS in computer science.

Sorry if I missed this, but what is your BS in OP?

 

[IceBergSLiM]

you should probably go into something more relevant and promising --- something SECURITY related.

 

[heavyiron8]

you should probably go into something more relevant and promising --- something SECURITY related.

This is something I considered and I'm still considering it.

And to answer the poster above, my bs will be in CS. I still have 2 more years to go though.

 

[Imyourzero]

Sorry if I missed this, but what is your BS in OP?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=32258429&postcount=13

 

[Crusty]

People don't realize but the odds of getting into a high end job straight out of school is slim. IT is the easiest to get into and once you have experience then you can try to apply at a specialized job.

As for working for a major software company... LOL. Yeah good luck getting into MS or Google straight out of college. They get thousands of applications per day.

Not everybody can be an astronaut when they grow up.

It's still worth trying, just don't count on it. IT is easy to get into, so start there.

I was working as a C++ dev at a high-frequency trading firm BEFORE I graduated.... not hard if you have the skills and connections.

 

[heavyiron8]

Security is a pretty wide field, any security experts?

A friend of mine was recruited by the FBI, for his cs and Becuz he's bilingual. I do speak fluent Chinese as well as perfect English, that could help some too I guess.

 

[her209]

Security is a pretty wide field, any security experts?

A friend of mine was recruited by the FBI, for his cs and Becuz he's bilingual. I do speak fluent Chinese as well as perfect English, that could help some too I guess.

How do you feel about going to China?

 

[Aikouka]

Security is a pretty wide field, any security experts?

A friend of mine was recruited by the FBI, for his cs and Becuz he's bilingual. I do speak fluent Chinese as well as perfect English, that could help some too I guess.

With all the recent alleged cyber-terrorism coming from China, I think speaking Chinese wouldn't hurt your chances at all.

 

[gaidensensei]

With all the recent alleged cyber-terrorism coming from China, I think speaking Chinese wouldn't hurt your chances at all.

reminds me that NASA gave out security theft warnings not too long back at the alabama JPL. Friend was saying about how he when he was hired, being the only asian dude in the department, they started sending out email and announcement reminders not to share personal information with people they don't know too well in the field.

 

[heavyiron8]

reminds me that NASA gave out security theft warnings not too long back at the alabama JPL. Friend was saying about how he when he was hired, being the only asian dude in the department, they started sending out email and announcement reminders not to share personal information with people they don't know too well in the field.

lolol, paranoia

 

[Arcadio]

Shit... I was thinking of getting a Masters in CS, but after reading this thread I might choose a different major..

 

[heavyiron8]

Shit... I was thinking of getting a Masters in CS, but after reading this thread I might choose a different major..

If you don't like it, you could do CS for your B.S., then switch to Electric Engineering or Petro Engineering...etc for your graduate school. I believe you need to take some additional classes for that though.