So college choice should mean racing to a zero-name in order to obtain a computer internship in a suburb? |
Were you thinking that it's smarter to get a name brand diploma regardless of the quality of education or job prospects? Isn't that like wearing Prada shoes that don't fit right and give you nasty blisters just because they're Prada? Brilliant. |
Yes - the top-rated colleges have pretty low-quality education and the graduates never get jobs.
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If you are in computer science, you will end up working in a suburb somewhere. Are you one of those city snobs? Or think the only valued positions to take are in law firms and government? My husband has NO degree and retired at 35 a multimillionaire, due to his stellar technical skills. There are many, many ways to become successful. Hard work is key. |
I don't buy your story, no way is that realistic this day in age (retiring at 35 and multi-millionaire). |
Drugs? |
I'm sorry you don't buy it, but it's true. He did not perform well in high school - almost dropped out. Mind you this was in the early 80s. He is learning disabled, and things were hard for him. However, math and computer science? He's truly gifted there. So instead of going to college, he pursued computer science on his own, got employed early and worked his way up. Took a job in a small computer firm that eventually went public. Some call it luck, and there was some luck involved, but most of it was his own hard work |
It put GMU ahead of Berkeley for gods sake. Clearly delusional. |
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As someone from outside of NOVA, I thought I'd just chime in to say that GMU is not well-known outside of NOVA. It's basically UVA, VaTech and W&M.
Would you recommend someone attend a CalState over UCLA? That's basically the equivalent of what is being suggested here. Unless it's much more affordable, I don't see how choosing GMU over UVA makes sense. That being said, a computer science degree from basically anywhere will get you a job these days. So, if it's a question of going into debt for UVA vs a big scholarship at GMU, maybe GMU makes sense. |
It's been my experience in tech that hard work doesn't get you very far unless it's coupled with being very smart. |
Probably cost |
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Top ranked schools open up a lot of doors and options for people. Sure you can get a job in a company off the Dulles toll road coming out of Mason, but attending a higher ranked school can mean a better job outside the area for a period of time. Or a better grad school. Trust me, the jobs at tech companies in NOVA aren't going anywhere and are a dime a dozen. Why not go to the best school you can and broaden your horizons and experiences.
If a kid knows for sure that he/she wants to spend their entire life in NOVA then by all means pick GMU. |
How old are you? When was the last time you were on campus. It it is a commuter school then, pray tell, where are the 35,000 parking places? And why are 13,000 kids in dorms and construction never ends at GMU. Please go visit before you post again. GMU has undergone explosive growth (via funds from the legislature) to make it the TECH school providing the Dulles corrider with valued employees. Those same students start during the summer with those companies. Every student graduating from computer science or game design has many options (in addition to going on for a masters' or Ph.D.). One recent graduate is now making seven figures (real seven figures, don't snark about decimal points) as mason computer science graduate. There are also two campuses now that officer computer science and serious game design degrees. The original schools are in Fairfax - the expansions are out in Manassas. My DD, a rising sophomore already has a paid internship working ona game design contract out of the Manassas campus. SHe willhave daily interaction with the company, get paid get credit, and learn more about computer science all at once. |
Where exactly does this recent graduate make $1M? A company around here? What type of job? What is the approx base salary vs. bonus vs. equity? That is, if it's actually true, GMU Marketing Dept?
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How old are you? When was the last time you were on campus. It it is a commuter school then, pray tell, where are the 35,000 parking places? And why are 13,000 kids in dorms and construction never ends at GMU. Please go visit before you post again. GMU has undergone explosive growth (via funds from the legislature) to make it the TECH school providing the Dulles corrider with valued employees. Those same students start during the summer with those companies. Every student graduating from computer science or game design has many options (in addition to going on for a masters' or Ph.D.). One recent graduate is now making seven figures (real seven figures, don't snark about decimal points) as mason computer science graduate. There are also two campuses now that officer computer science and serious game design degrees. The original schools are in Fairfax - the expansions are out in Manassas. My DD, a rising sophomore already has a paid internship working on a game design contract out of the Manassas campus. SHe willhave daily interaction with the company, get paid get credit, and learn more about computer science all at once.
I second the person that said about the last time one was on campus. More and more dorms continue to get added, and the library is being expanded as well. The '06 Final Four run put the school on the national map. I wonder if someone from HR is reading this, do they care what college one got a degree from? I always felt it is a matter of the specific degree, not the college that matters. One of my friends went to a Division 2 college in PA, and works for the fed's making 100K. |