Microbio/chem grad -> CS career: best method?

tribalcode
Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:23:21 +0000

Definitely a lot of biology/CS majors on here, so I’m hoping to get some input.

Here’s my background: I completed Molecular and Cellular Biology Honors (major)/Chemistry (minor) at Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, class of 2011 with a 3.7 gpa. Didn’t get med school admission right away, so I did a one year medical sciences DipHE. Med school still not looking good second time admission cycle; it’s just too competitive right now. So I’m considering a switch to comp sci, something I have always considered an equal alternative to medicine. Only question right now is what’s the best path moving forward.

I’m just going spill my brain into this post, so bear with me. The way I see it, there’s three ways to get into this comp sci given my background:

1) Masters in CS: It’s the most logical step considering I already have a BS degree, but would require taking considerable number of cs courses just to be considered for admission. Furthermore, grad admissions are competitive and there’s no guarantee at a good univ like UofI.

2) 2nd bachelors in CS: Good idea considering all the prereqs for masters admission are the same as those required for cs. Most universities I’ve spoke with said I could transfer in as a 2nd year student next August without an issue, though they did not recommend this option. However, the opportunities of going to UofI is research work during the semesters and internships during the summer. It’s also easier compared to the path for masters and I won’t be drifting.

3) Dive straight into the job pool: I would first have to self-learn and maybe even take some online courses to power through the basics. It seems getting up to Data Structures and Algorithms is a must for reasonable cs competency. Then, aim for a part-time job or internship as job experience is the main criteria that will lead to a decent full-time job regardless of what degree I have. However, this is the most uncertain path.

If you are still reading my post, thanks for your time. I’m just burning through all the pros/cons for each of those three options to figure out which one has the highest yield and hoping to share it with others in similar situations. Appreciate any input at all.