Word of caution for aspiring CS majors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's why my kid is double majoring with math. Hoping for options...just in case.

My kid is also a double major in math and CS, but only because they love math. I don't think a math major in and of itself is lucrative.

[Anonymous]

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….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are English majors in high demand?

Actually, yes. The future is bright for humanities majors.

For low paying jobs.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/14/here-are-college-majors-with-the-highest-and-lowest-rate-of-return.html


College majors with the highest and lowest return

A recent study published in the American Educational Research Journal found that engineering and computer science majors provide the highest returns in lifetime earnings, followed by business, health, and math and science majors. Education and humanities majors and arts majors had the lowest returns of the 10 fields of study considered.

STEM, health and business majors are among the highest-paying, leading to average annual wages that are higher at the entry level and significantly greater over the course of a career compared with liberal arts and humanities majors.

[Anonymous]

CS + business = best results.

I got a BBA, then went back to school to study CS. That's when my salary sky rocketed.

I would advise do a Business degree with a CS minor, or vice versa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are English majors in high demand?

Actually, yes. The future is bright for humanities majors.

For low paying jobs.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/14/here-are-college-majors-with-the-highest-and-lowest-rate-of-return.html


College majors with the highest and lowest return

A recent study published in the American Educational Research Journal found that engineering and computer science majors provide the highest returns in lifetime earnings, followed by business, health, and math and science majors. Education and humanities majors and arts majors had the lowest returns of the 10 fields of study considered.

STEM, health and business majors are among the highest-paying, leading to average annual wages that are higher at the entry level and significantly greater over the course of a career compared with liberal arts and humanities majors.

Adjusted for college rank?

Anthro majors at Dartmouth do not equal anthro majors at UMD

[Anonymous]

Imagine humanities majors

[Anonymous]

Perhaps folks didn't read the article. There is a throwaway line:

"To be sure, comp-sci majors from top-tier schools can still get jobs."

The article also goes on to state that many IT departments of non-tech companies are hiring lots of kids.

Unfortunately, the example kid they give of a CS degree from Catholic is the same story as told about every major since they started writing these articles about every major.

A CS degree from Catholic isn't the same as a CS degree from UMD. Much like a business or english or any other degree from Catholic is not the same as the equivalent from [INSERT TOP SCHOOL HERE].

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why we need entrepreneurs to create more of the jobs your kids want.

We need your kids to be the entrepreneurs! That's what Gates and Zuckerberg and Page did!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's why my kid is double majoring with math. Hoping for options...just in case.

My kid is also a double major in math and CS, but only because they love math. I don't think a math major in and of itself is lucrative.

Math connects back to the data science and financial quant side (and goes further "just for fun")

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps folks didn't read the article. There is a throwaway line:

"To be sure, comp-sci majors from top-tier schools can still get jobs."

The article also goes on to state that many IT departments of non-tech companies are hiring lots of kids.

Unfortunately, the example kid they give of a CS degree from Catholic is the same story as told about every major since they started writing these articles about every major.

A CS degree from Catholic isn't the same as a CS degree from UMD. Much like a business or english or any other degree from Catholic is not the same as the equivalent from [INSERT TOP SCHOOL HERE].

What's CS degree from Catholic??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why we need entrepreneurs to create more of the jobs your kids want.

Being an entrepreneur is too hard for most people. I say this as an owner with 50 employees and $26M in sales last year. People want the success without the risk and pain. Honestly, most people are basic and want a steady paycheck for minimal effort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps folks didn't read the article. There is a throwaway line:

"To be sure, comp-sci majors from top-tier schools can still get jobs."

The article also goes on to state that many IT departments of non-tech companies are hiring lots of kids.

Unfortunately, the example kid they give of a CS degree from Catholic is the same story as told about every major since they started writing these articles about every major.

A CS degree from Catholic isn't the same as a CS degree from UMD. Much like a business or english or any other degree from Catholic is not the same as the equivalent from [INSERT TOP SCHOOL HERE].

Catholic is a terrible example. That same kid with the kind of networks that Catholic builds on would land a great job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's why my kid is double majoring with math. Hoping for options...just in case.

My kid is also a double major in math and CS, but only because they love math. I don't think a math major in and of itself is lucrative.

Yes, adding math is not well rounded. In a good market a math major can bs their way into a cs job, that’s really best case scenario. And math is much more popular than even the recent past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's why my kid is double majoring with math. Hoping for options...just in case.

My kid is also a double major in math and CS, but only because they love math. I don't think a math major in and of itself is lucrative.

Math connects back to the data science and financial quant side (and goes further "just for fun")

half the math majors at UMD are double majors. There's a reason for that. My kid is a double math/cs major.

It's like a physics major. It's a hard major, to be sure, but in and of itself, it's hard to get a good paying job with just a BS in physics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are English majors in high demand?

Actually, yes. The future is bright for humanities majors.

For low paying jobs.

I make $300,000. But sure.