What should I do in addition to my Computer Science degree?

College Confidential Community
1

So, I’m currently in my 3rd semester of college as a CS major and I am still not decided on whether or not I want to double major or just minor. My end goal is to just be as employable as possible, have job security, and open as many doors as possible for myself. One thing to keep in mind is that I have a full ride for 4 years but a double major would likely take 5 years so i would have to pay out of pocket. Here are some possible double majors/minors that I am considering and my thinking behind each

  1. Economics and Finance - I figure that this will help my land jobs at companies that aren't completely tech centered and that I would be more qualified for management positions at those companies.
  2. Business Administration or Management - Same as above but also, this would give me a leg up if I ever decided to start my own tech related company (that may be in the cards).
  3. Marketing - This is a little odd but maybe it could help me out with the design aspects of web pages/apps?
  4. Electrical Engineering Technology - This is where job security comes into play. My school doesn't have Computer Engineering but I have always been very interested. I would be at ease knowing that if I didn't land that job at Google (just an example), that I could work as an engineering technologist and start at around 70k.
  5. Graphic Design - This would probably be the most fun. I have always had a passion for video games and I would love a job where i could put both my CS and GD skills to use and design the games. I am aware that this typically pays less.
  6. Math - I know it goes well with CS, especially if you plan on grad school in the future. I am not outstanding at math but i put in the time and effort to be fairly good.

My first question is do you think I should double major or just minor? Also, what are your opinions on the areas of study I listed above? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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I would minor, not double major, no matter what you choose. It’s not worth paying for the second major in any way.

Econ/Finance would keep the most doors open and complement best, but only if you have an interest in the IB and financial sector.

Marketing will not lead to better web design overall - you’d want UI/UX, or even psychology and sociology before marketing.

If you want to go into game design, graphic design would help, but there are very few doors in that industry.

Math helps in general and will complement CS but won’t open too many new doors - maybe some Data Science stuff, which it doesn’t seem like is a field you’ve mentioned as interesting. More than Marketing, though.

Personally, I would recommend either business/econ/finance or just going with something you’re interested in. UI/UX/Graphic Design would all have some value.

If a startup could be in the cards, basic business sounds like the best bet.

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In addition to a CS major, I would consider a minor in Math, Statistics, or Econ.

4

@Perspectivelol, don’t worry about minors, take the courses that you’re interested in, and that are most relevant to the work you want to do.

5

Do a statistics minor or if your school has it, a Business Analytics/Data science minor/certificate. Big Data is hot right now in industry. Then, I’d advise you look into PhD Programs in CS (if you’re a US citizen). Companies like MIT Lincoln Lab and JHUAPL always have job openings for US Citizens with PhD’s in CS (especially in areas like embedded programing for Radars, information security, and big data). The things about these companies is that they are very very stable, and not only that, there is a secure and fair career progression system in place. While you may start out with a 70-80 K salary (on the low end) as a PhD, its very possible to have an end career salary at even 200k+