Hey so I was just wondering if any one from the i-club bay area community has majored in Computer Science or Computer Engineering. I am also trying to major in Computer Science and would just like to ask a few questions.

 

I am a EE, but from what i can recall CS and CE are two different animals. CE emphasizes a lot more on hardware design while CS seems to be more software/programming. concentric. Either of those majors are great fields, although it seems CEs have a higher salary average (if that matters to you).

 

I started as an EE then finished half of a CS program before giving up and graduating with a CIS degree. What are your questions?

 

i got my EE degree from an Electrical and Computer Engineering department. bunch of shared classes. you should just throw out your questions as i'm sure there's lots of geeks on here. interestingly enough, the staff lot at UCSD ECE was filled with WRXs back in 02/03.

 

I majored in CS. Worst mistake of my life. Don't do it.

 

whys that?

 

I agree. Only the fact that it is boring as **** to be coding all day, plus when a bug gets the best of me, I go into a crazy rage.

Although, compared to IT and Networking, I think Developers are in higher demand and generally get paid more. Work is mentally much harder, IMO.

 

Ohh okays thats cool I see alot of you guys actually majored in the fields. Well my questions are was it worth it in the end to major in CE, CS, or EE? Do you guys get decent pay? And did you happen to get your subies after or before you majored in those fields?

 

I have a BS in CE and have worked as an EE for a number of years... Pignose is right - there is a lot of shared classes between the majors but you could probably break the majors down to what they study. CE is the design of digital hardware (and the software that runs on the hardware), EE is the design of analog hardware, and CS is the design of software. All 3 overlap in certain areas.

As to whether its 'worth it,' that's tough to tell someone else. I was in school during the dot-com era where a lot of people expected these majors to make them rich. That is generally not the case. You'll make a decent living but keep in mind that these are the types of jobs that are rapidly being outsourced and wages are constantly being pushed down by the influx of other engineers. If you want harder numbers, you can figure that a starting salary is somewhere between 40 and 60k (maybe lower!) and, after 15-20 years, you'll cap out around 120-150 (if you're doing well).

In a nut shell, my advice is this: if you like the subject matter, study it. If you don't then don't study it because the money will not make it 'worth it.' All of them (CE, CS, EE) are difficult majors and not particularly fun even if you enjoy the subject matter.

 

I'd say, the $ is in getting a MBA from Stanford or Harvard. Us News stats say 80% of MBA grads from the top two MBA schools make 140k on average within 3 months of graduating.

But, you need above a 700 on the GMAT, and only 10% of the people who take that test (including repeats) get above that.

Even the top 50 MBA programs have crazy pay out of college. My mom has been a head hunter for all the fortune 100 companies in the bay and she says a dumb blond with an MBA from Cornell started at 90k, no work experience. Crazy...I am busting my *** for half that.

 

"Was it worth it?" I got into the major when it was super hot and competitive and by the time I graduated, the bubble burst 1 year later (before any of my options vested).

"Decent pay?" Define "decent". I live comfortably in the Bay Area, but I'm a bachelor and have minimal expenses/responsibility.

"Suby before or after major?" After. Does it matter?

Major in something that you're passionate about. You have the rest of your life to figure out your career path. You'd be suprrised at the number of (successful) people who have degrees that are completely unrelated to the field they're currently working in.

If you're not into being a code money or solving NP complete problems, I wouldn't major in CS.

 

The benefits of majoring in any of these majors is the way they "teach" you to think. I think generally people who succeed in these fields already think this way, but the programs tend to help equip you to use your brain. For UCs they focus more on theory, whereas CSUs tend to hammer the practical. Programming or engineering in general requires you to look at a problem, break it down in to pieces, and attack it from different/specific/weird angles.

I would say that I am better off having finished my engineering degree, but I have never "used" it professionally. I went straight in to investment management. From my extravocational activities I can tell you that I don't regret the suffering to get my degree. The mental framework it provides is worth the momentary pain and when I came out it was easy for me to switch fields because they knew I was "good with numbers" and was a problem solver.

As someone who is going through their quarter-life crisis, I can tell you that money isn't everything. You can take that as bs because I'm in the category of the haves rather than the havenots, but I can tell you right now that while it helps, there are a lot of problems money doesn't solve... like fulfillment in life. That's probably why some of these CS/CE/EE heads are complaining. It really depends on your personality. I know developers that LOVE code and could program in to the night and find fulfillment in that. It just goes to show that your job does not define who you are... you define what your job is to you. I wouldn't go after anything because it pays well... they just end up paying you a lot of money so they can work you harder and boss you around more.

Whether it's just a source of income (I work because it pays the bills and I'm "trapped" at my income level and living standard, not because I enjoy being *****ed at by my psychotic micro-manager), a means to an ends (work so that you have money to play), or something you have passion in... your best choice is probably to do something you know you're going to enjoy or have the potential to enjoy the most. I am about to make a career switch to pursue things I love to do... perhaps on a freelance basis. Either that or I'm going back to business school so I can become my manager's manager, which maybe I should have done in the first place.

I got my suby as a senior in college when my previous car got stolen. I got big help from my parents and at the time I was running my own business and working two jobs. If you would've told me before I went to school I wouldn't have listened to any of what I just wrote... so maybe my typing is in vain. =P. Don't worry too much about driving a nice car or having nice things... you can't take it with you when you die... and your real friends don't care... especially as a student. Focus on school and finding your personal passions and your chances (no guarantees in life) of being better off in the future are much higher.

 

I too have a CE degree from a UC.

CS is more for programming, and CE is more for computer hardware but can easily go software. There are more opportunities in software right now and it seems to be more diverse in where you can go work.

I've been doing chip design for years now, so I've totally been using my degree.

I chose this career because it's something that best utilizes the way I think and the skills I have.

This is absolutely true. Even if you don't use your degree (which most people don't use directly), the level of "disciplined thinking" that it teaches you is the most important thing... and this is why when hiring, the hiring manager will give extra consideration to the person WITH a degree vs one without it. The degree shows that the person had the maturity, perseverance, responsibility, and developed thinking to actually complete the program. And since the hiring manager really knows nothing about you, this kind of certification is very valuable.

This is a common oversimplification which ends up being misleading. You really need the theory so that you can "think outside of the box". If you're going to do any real engineering, then you need a solid foundation in the theory because you are constantly deriving your own equation/solutions.

This is true.

Kind of like MacGuyver. You need a solid foundation of "how things work" which will allow you to devise solutions to problems that you never could have gone over in school.

 

For me, it was worth it, because the field is indeed a good fit for the way I think and it has provided a comfortable lifestyle. I missed the dot com bubble and didn't make my $millions so I'm still working. =(

I get descent pay but I'm constantly on the 5 year plan to know my next move; which is pretty much the reality for most people.

I got my WRX well after I started working... but I also started working before WRX even came to the USDM.

For the OP... you should only do the major if you feel like you personally resonate with aspects of the major. You'll specialize in your junior/senior years. I found that I sucked at electro-magnetics but was really good at computer architecture; both are in the EE/CE major. And ultimately, remember, the job is just to allow you to live the lifestyle you want.

BTW, since most people don't use their degree, the engineering foundation is a good one to have (but it's a lot of work in college, compared to say economics) and you still have the freedom to go any direction afterwards. I know a lot of engineer degree holders who went to med school to become a dr, got MBA to go full on business/marketing, teaching, etc.

 

You're right. That is a bit of a stereotype. Doesn't add much color if you're not in it.

by the way, OP... if you're going to be a CS/CE/EE you should probably switch to a wagon. it seems to be a common theme.