Computer science or computer engineering?

mustang123
Sat, 06 Dec 2014 14:25:51 +0000

@Brenms‌ As a Computer Engineering graduate in 2011 and a Software Engineer for the past 3-4 years full-time, 2 years part-time while studying at Cal Poly, and highly involved in the new grad recruitment process for the engineering teams I am on at the two companies I’ve worked at, I can tell you this is poor and misguided advice.

Any field, ME or CS/CPE can be learned on your own. However what a college degree program gives you is structured learning plan, labs, and testing that ensures competency and credibility for the field. Not only that, but I highly doubt someone studying ME at Cal Poly would be physically able to find the time to study / practice computer science on their own as ME and CS do require significant investment in time.

Lastly, if you want to be a software engineer or go to any CS field other than being an IT technician, good luck getting your resume screened. Almost all new grad programs and even internships related to CS will only look at CS/CPE majors. Even if somehow your resume gets screened through, good luck getting through thorough technical interviews which will easily expose weaknesses in your lack of a proper CS education.