BA or BS in Computer Science

TXArtemis
Thu, 07 Jun 2012 11:49:22 +0000

There is a healthy market for CS majors, so I think as a very generalized statement, that is a path that is likely to lead to options. See how many CS-related jobs made this list: [The Best Jobs of 2012 - US News and World Report](http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2012/02/27/the-best-jobs-of-2012) But you have to like CS! I assume you’ve already done some programming and enjoy it. Can you see yourself 5 years from now coding day in, day out? (Not that coding is the only option, but you get what I mean.) It’s never wise to pick a major just because it will lead to employment…

But it IS wise to think ahead to how will my college education help me get employed, and it is harder to quantify the results of obtaining a BA. It’s wholly dependent on what course of study you choose, what you see yourself doing with it, your ECs and internships during college, etc. As with anything in life, it’s all about what you make of the opportunities! I think you have to either be driven to achieving a very specific goal, and engaging yourself in and out of class in activities that support that path, or very flexible and open to future pursuits, and engaging yourself in and out of class in a broad range of activities, any one or more of which could ultimately open doors.

If you’re still in HS, find out if your own HS or others or even colleges nearby have a career counseling center. It would be helpful to spend some time doing some career testing in an effort to identify possibilities that make sense for you. There are a lot of career resources on the 'net, too. See [List of SOC Occupations](http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm#15-0000), the collection of articles at Princeton review, e.g., [Careers for English Majors](English | Careers & Sample Curriculum | The Princeton Review), and this [The New University of Missouri Career Center](http://career.missouri.edu/students/majors-careers/skills-interests/career-interest-game/?menu=student&expand=si) And if you’re already at UT, see, e.g., [SLCC - Career Assessment](http://www.lifelearning.utexas.edu/c_careerassessment.html)

Of course, if you like CS but also want to pursue some liberal arts studies, then you can do both, although I imagine it is easier to start out as a CS major and add humanities to your load than vice versa.

Good luck!