arvindch

Hi!

How are Computer Science Undergrads doing in the job market these days?
Do they get paid well?

I want to major in CS, however, I need to pay off any debt after college; before, I think of a Mater's..


Thanks!

terenc

Very well.
Very well.

In the CS field, a Masters degree is not strictly necessary or even advantageous - it depends on your situation, though (and where you go for undergrad)

arvindch

Hm. Ok.

What type of colleges give you an advantage?
Does one necessarily have to attend an Ivy or likewise to be worth something right after an undergrad? How do hiring companies look upon kids with degrees from lesser known, but academically challenging or smaller colleges?

Thanks!

ucbalumnus

The "top" schools in CS are not necessarily Ivy League schools.

And big state universities are often favorite recruiting grounds, due to relatively large numbers of CS majors there and reasonably broad and deep CS major courses and curricula.

arvindch

Which types of colleges, then?

Can you list any such state colleges?

Thanks!

b@r!um

Does anybody know about the job prospects of international CS majors? That might be more relevant to the OP than CS majors in general.

At my undergraduate college, international students seemed to have a much harder time finding jobs. (I think the only two companies who've hired international CS majors have been Google and Microsoft.) Many internationals went to grad school because they couldn't find a job and wanted to stay in the US. However, I can only speak for my own college, a small liberal arts college with a tiny CS program. I don't know if students from larger universities are facing the same obstacles.

arvindch

@barium-

Really? However, do you think it could have been because those students hadn't done much during their college time? A cousin in Texas said employers look for people who utilize resources during their college years and do various projects, some internships/co-op and other programs - since they boost your resume and offer valuable experience. Any ideas?

Also, approx. what percent of the internationals at your college were hired?

Thanks!

b@r!um

3 got hired (by Microsoft and Google), 2 did not. That's 4 years' worth of data. I realize that it's a very small sample size, which is why I invited others to share their experiences.

They all did something, just maybe not what prospective employers were looking for? One of the students who did not get a job worked part-time for the Information Services department at the college, and spent two summers doing research with professors. The other one built and designed websites, and taught CS classes at a local high school.

Most smaller employers prefer not to hire foreigners because they don't want to deal with visa stuff. (The employer might have to pay several thousand dollars in processing fees, must maintain paperwork showing that hiring foreign nationals does not adversely affect the working conditions of his staff, must pay above-average wage, etc.) Larger employers might not be able to hire foreigners if they do contract work for the US government.

arvindch

@barium-

What did the guys who got hired, do ?
Which college are you at, now? Also, what can you tell me about NJIT?

@Others-

What are the stats for international undergrad employment?
And, which affordable state schools have good CS Programs?

Thanks!

b@r!um

I have no idea. I didn't keep in touch with them after they graduated.

I'm a graduate student at Stanford right now. (Not in CS though.)

Nothing.

arvindch

I meant what did they do during their college years?

Why are some affordable colleges, which might offer better post-college employment prospects, of you have the info?

sumzup

At my school (the University of Washington), it doesn't seem as if international students are at any disadvantage. A lot of them have internships at good companies this summer. This may be because the Seattle tech scene is starved for good software engineers and UW is quite good at providing those, although it really could be doing better. (see http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/te...pagewanted=all )

Other good state tech schools include several UCs, Michigan, UT-Austin. I don't remember others.

arvindch

Thanks for the info.

Also, on a side note, all the universities you listed cost 40k$+ per year to attend. And, they don't offer any financial aid to internationals. Do you know any that do, or are less expensive?

Thanks!

ucbalumnus

What is your price limit?

You may want to look here, or go to the link and adjust the search for your price limit. Of course, not all of them have decent CS major programs, so you have to check that carefully.
Less expensive (list price) less obvious schools that attract "good" students

terenc

Even though I really dislike the US News rankings, the US News rankings for CS grad school is a fairly good approximation of the strength of the CS undergrad program. Some state schools are on that list, like Georgia Tech and UIUC - not sure how much they cost for internationals, though.

Whether a Master's is necessary depends on your school. As an extreme and fairly unrealistic example, if you got a CS degree from, say, MIT, you wouldn't really need a Masters for any of the top CS jobs - again, this is a rather extreme example.