Word of caution for aspiring CS majors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just graduated from William and Mary with a double major in CS and Math. He has a job lined up with the Federal Gov't paying about 80K. He feels very fortunate, as most of his CS friends are still looking for jobs. I agree with many of the above posters that the current problems are likely just cyclical, but its a problem right now for new CS grads. Also, the ability to show personality is a huge advantage, one which my son and his friends don't really have.

Congrats to your kid. Mine just graduated from UVA with a CS degree with 3.8 GPA and he is still looking for a job. It is very tough out there.

Apply to NIST, NSWC in Carderock, NRL in DC, ARL in Adelphi, NOAA in Silver Spring, NAVSEA at the Navy Yard. BSCS is a shortage category, so most have direct hire authority.

Contact their HR offices directly with a resume and a polite cover letter.

To get past the first filter, the resume MUST explicitly say "US Citizen" somewhere (usually at the bottom).

[Anonymous]

Also, disa.mil at Ft Meade is always looking for BSCS new grads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just graduated from William and Mary with a double major in CS and Math. He has a job lined up with the Federal Gov't paying about 80K. He feels very fortunate, as most of his CS friends are still looking for jobs. I agree with many of the above posters that the current problems are likely just cyclical, but its a problem right now for new CS grads. Also, the ability to show personality is a huge advantage, one which my son and his friends don't really have.

Congrats to your kid. Mine just graduated from UVA with a CS degree with 3.8 GPA and he is still looking for a job. It is very tough out there.

Serious questions: What area(s) of CS did DC concentrate in ? What were the 4th year CS electives ? What are DC's strongest 2-4 CS skills ? Maybe someone here can help steer your DC in a useful direction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why is DCUM assuming comp sci majors have no writing skills?
why is dcum assuming english majors have math skills?

why is dcum assuming comp sci majors have lesser social skills than english majors?

This. My CS major at an Ivy writes beautiful papers and receives solid A's in writing and other humanities classes which are easy in comparison. I wonder how many Humanities majors could do as well in the CS classes - and I'm not talking intro to CS or CS for nonmajors but the weeder classes. Good luck.

Wow you’re very proud aren’t you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why is DCUM assuming comp sci majors have no writing skills?
why is dcum assuming english majors have math skills?

why is dcum assuming comp sci majors have lesser social skills than english majors?

This. My CS major at an Ivy writes beautiful papers and receives solid A's in writing and other humanities classes which are easy in comparison. I wonder how many Humanities majors could do as well in the CS classes - and I'm not talking intro to CS or CS for nonmajors but the weeder classes. Good luck.

Wow you’re very proud aren’t you?

DP. Maybe, but not wrong. The myth is that folks good in STEM are always poor at reading, writing, history, and whatnot. The reality is that many good STEM students also are good at those other easier things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's good that they're not expanding the seats. My English major found a good high-paying job quite easily out of school, but I know there are not clearly established paths for those majors as there are (or at least used to be) for CS majors.

Please share firm and $.

I won't name the firm but it's a large consulting firm with quantitative focus. Salary is around $90k. I agree with the advice to go to the best school you can get into, do as well as you can in that school, and don't accept the notion that you are limited by your major. My English major also took math, econ, government, etc, so firms knew she could do the work.

Great advice.
And hustle. Wherever you are.
I’ve already help DS research the clubs/teams to join at Ivy - will be freshman in fall.

The parenting job doesn’t end once they get in to a top college or program. It shifts and changes. Now they need life & career advice. Show them where to look, questions to ask, clubs to join, people to meet.

I know this is much harder with introverts….

Helicopter parenting never ends.

+1
if above was a real post, that kid is headed for a nervous breakdown.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get a liberal arts degree (economics and something soft) from the highest ranked school you can.

Recruiting for finance, consulting, and corporate /strategy roles are much much easier if you are in English and economics major coming from Rice or Vanderbilt or Emory compared to CS at Purdue…..

Ask around people!!!

This. College is not trade school, despite the pervasive and lingering lower middle class belief to the contrary.

This is 2024, not 1954, despite how some elite people want to think it is. College is no longer about a liberal art education, and then get some job because you have a degree. That's 1954 thinking. This is not how it works today, in 2024.

As thé decades pass, the liberal arts majors will have a better understanding of the world and how it works that the person who is not interested in anything that isn’t tech or tech-related. The non liberal arts major won’t even realize what they can’t understand because of their lack of knowledge of history, arts, and humanities. Old age will be difficult for them because they just. won’t. get. it.

That's your imagination.
The employers who actually pay don't agree with your imagination.
The employers who pay are the ones matter.

You are entitled to your view as I am to mine.

Note my spouse and I both graduated with humanities majors from a T10 university.

Our combined annual income averages between $4.5-6million a year.
We are definitely not alone.

That much in income and you're on DCUM?

Yeah....right. And I'm Elon Musk.

You’d be surprised….and I’m not even in DC!

Why do people who don’t live in the dmv go on DCUM?

Better question, how many posters are in the DMV? I'll guess 1 in 4, tops.

I think it's more like 3 in 4. Maybe this thread is skewed, but not the overall site. But it's not 75% non-DMV considering how many posts you will get to any thread about whether the Big3 schools are doing better or worse with college admissions.

Agree 3/4 in DMV and 2/4 in VA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why is DCUM assuming comp sci majors have no writing skills?
why is dcum assuming english majors have math skills?

why is dcum assuming comp sci majors have lesser social skills than english majors?

This. My CS major at an Ivy writes beautiful papers and receives solid A's in writing and other humanities classes which are easy in comparison. I wonder how many Humanities majors could do as well in the CS classes - and I'm not talking intro to CS or CS for nonmajors but the weeder classes. Good luck.

Wow you’re very proud aren’t you?

DP. Maybe, but not wrong. The myth is that folks good in STEM are always poor at reading, writing, history, and whatnot. The reality is that many good STEM students also are good at those other easier things.

+1 Many are also strong in fine arts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why is DCUM assuming comp sci majors have no writing skills?
why is dcum assuming english majors have math skills?

why is dcum assuming comp sci majors have lesser social skills than english majors?

This. My CS major at an Ivy writes beautiful papers and receives solid A's in writing and other humanities classes which are easy in comparison. I wonder how many Humanities majors could do as well in the CS classes - and I'm not talking intro to CS or CS for nonmajors but the weeder classes. Good luck.

Wow you’re very proud aren’t you?

DP. Maybe, but not wrong. The myth is that folks good in STEM are always poor at reading, writing, history, and whatnot. The reality is that many good STEM students also are good at those other easier things.

“They can’t write” is pure cope from the dummies who can’t do math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why is DCUM assuming comp sci majors have no writing skills?
why is dcum assuming english majors have math skills?

why is dcum assuming comp sci majors have lesser social skills than english majors?

This. My CS major at an Ivy writes beautiful papers and receives solid A's in writing and other humanities classes which are easy in comparison. I wonder how many Humanities majors could do as well in the CS classes - and I'm not talking intro to CS or CS for nonmajors but the weeder classes. Good luck.

Wow you’re very proud aren’t you?

DP. Maybe, but not wrong. The myth is that folks good in STEM are always poor at reading, writing, history, and whatnot. The reality is that many good STEM students also are good at those other easier things.

+1 Many are also strong in fine arts.

DC will join UMD marching band in the Fall. Band director mentioned that 50% of marching band is from either school of engineering or school of math and computing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just graduated from William and Mary with a double major in CS and Math. He has a job lined up with the Federal Gov't paying about 80K. He feels very fortunate, as most of his CS friends are still looking for jobs. I agree with many of the above posters that the current problems are likely just cyclical, but its a problem right now for new CS grads. Also, the ability to show personality is a huge advantage, one which my son and his friends don't really have.

Congrats to your kid. Mine just graduated from UVA with a CS degree with 3.8 GPA and he is still looking for a job. It is very tough out there.

Apply to NIST, NSWC in Carderock, NRL in DC, ARL in Adelphi, NOAA in Silver Spring, NAVSEA at the Navy Yard. BSCS is a shortage category, so most have direct hire authority.

Contact their HR offices directly with a resume and a polite cover letter.

To get past the first filter, the resume MUST explicitly say "US Citizen" somewhere (usually at the bottom).

Yes exactly.

There are TONS of jobs in CS right now!

Just need to be persistent; that is all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why is DCUM assuming comp sci majors have no writing skills?
why is dcum assuming english majors have math skills?

why is dcum assuming comp sci majors have lesser social skills than english majors?

This. My CS major at an Ivy writes beautiful papers and receives solid A's in writing and other humanities classes which are easy in comparison. I wonder how many Humanities majors could do as well in the CS classes - and I'm not talking intro to CS or CS for nonmajors but the weeder classes. Good luck.

Wow you’re very proud aren’t you?

DP. Maybe, but not wrong. The myth is that folks good in STEM are always poor at reading, writing, history, and whatnot. The reality is that many good STEM students also are good at those other easier things.

+1 Many are also strong in fine arts.

DC will join UMD marching band in the Fall. Band director mentioned that 50% of marching band is from either school of engineering or school of math and computing.

Sounds like the stereotypical marching band demographic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why is DCUM assuming comp sci majors have no writing skills?
why is dcum assuming english majors have math skills?

why is dcum assuming comp sci majors have lesser social skills than english majors?

This. My CS major at an Ivy writes beautiful papers and receives solid A's in writing and other humanities classes which are easy in comparison. I wonder how many Humanities majors could do as well in the CS classes - and I'm not talking intro to CS or CS for nonmajors but the weeder classes. Good luck.

Wow you’re very proud aren’t you?

DP. Maybe, but not wrong. The myth is that folks good in STEM are always poor at reading, writing, history, and whatnot. The reality is that many good STEM students also are good at those other easier things.

That's called wishful thinking.. Along the lines of 'All jocks are idiots'. What is real is that, outside of those 'intentional' LA kids (those with grad school plans such as law) most end up in LA because they couldn't hack the more difficult majors... and 'reading, writing, history and whatnot' knowledge and skills can pretty much be acquired off the internet these days. Not so with coding or engineering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why is DCUM assuming comp sci majors have no writing skills?
why is dcum assuming english majors have math skills?

why is dcum assuming comp sci majors have lesser social skills than english majors?

This. My CS major at an Ivy writes beautiful papers and receives solid A's in writing and other humanities classes which are easy in comparison. I wonder how many Humanities majors could do as well in the CS classes - and I'm not talking intro to CS or CS for nonmajors but the weeder classes. Good luck.

Wow you’re very proud aren’t you?

DP. Maybe, but not wrong. The myth is that folks good in STEM are always poor at reading, writing, history, and whatnot. The reality is that many good STEM students also are good at those other easier things.

That's called wishful thinking.. Along the lines of 'All jocks are idiots'. What is real is that, outside of those 'intentional' LA kids (those with grad school plans such as law) most end up in LA because they couldn't hack the more difficult majors... and 'reading, writing, history and whatnot' knowledge and skills can pretty much be acquired off the internet these days. Not so with coding or engineering.

You really have no clue what you are talking about...

That said, CS is about far far more than "coding"

[Anonymous]

I have 2 CS degrees. I have not written any substantial amount software in 27 years. I have not even written 1 line of Python. People value the other CS skills I bring to the table.