/biz/ - Business & Finance

>>907159
>907159
>What is/was your major?
Computer Science

>How much does/did it cost you?
Less than $30,000 for my Bachelors

>>Do you think it was worth it and why?
Yes. Because I make a lot of money and enjoy my work.

>>What would you do differently if you had the chance?
Not much since I went back to school and was more mature than the 18 year olds there.

They should take it seriously and do the work. Not just to get the grade but to learn it, because you'll use it.

For important topics I'd read extra books not assigned in class. Then I'd take all the theory from class and bring it to engineering concreteness by writing programs which were not assigned in class.

Basically, I went above and beyond. Some kids do the minimum effort, for the minimum passing grade to get the Bachelors. Sometimes they even drop the CS major since its "too hard". You might as well drop out of school if that's your attitude.

>>646845
>Cs is dead dude. Too many people wanted a piece of the pie.

Not really.

I am going at night and on weekends to complete my CS degree, which I'm almost finished with.

Even among the smart seniors who study, none of them know what software version control is. None of them thinks of going on Github, looking through issues and sending in patches.

I do my school work then I study on my own. I have initiative, because I want to learn more and know this better.

Some kids in class slack. One told me he doesn't do homework since it's only 10% of the grade and he'll pass without it. I don't see that kid destined for success in the field.

I enjoy learning about computer graphics in school, then learning some more OpenGL on my own, then putting out an app. I learn about database normal forms in class, then use that to organize information on commercial web sites I put up for the corporation I own.

These kids don't have that initiative. I also enjoy it all too.

CS has been a good degree since it arose in colleges and is still a good degree. But if the subject doesn't excite you and you don't give 110% to it, then it's not for you. If you're dedicated to it, it will pay off, even if there's a glut of people. Because there is NOT a glut of good people.

>>637159
>Is getting a CompSci degree not stupid now considering the amount of people who will know how to code in a few years, thanks to code academy etc. and it being what people learn in school.

A CS degree is not about "learning to code". People taking a codeacademy course won't learn how to program. I can hand a Stradivarius violin to a three year old and I'm sure he could make noise come out of it.

I am taking CS classes at a decent public college at the moment, although I'm older than the average student there. Most of these people are not learning how to program either. One kid told me he is doing the minimum course work and is aiming for a "C" in the class. I'm not only doing all the reading and research, I'm doing outside reading for the class so I learn more - for myself.

> The tech bubble will pop no?

The tech bubble popped in 2000. When the banks collapsed in 2008 a small "social" tech bubble popped again. You're not going to have a pop like 2000 for a while.

>Good degrees for the future in your opinion /biz/?

Look at what people are making 20 years out with various majors. Then see what you're passionate about. If you're really passionate about geology, and hate computers, it makes no sense to be a CS major even if it pays a little more. A passionate bio major, or EE major or chem major or statistics major will make more then a bored CS major. Of course, some careers like acting or singing or professional sports are something millions of people want to do, but which very few people make a good, steady living at, even if they are passionate about it. You have to keep in mind the career path but also what interests you.

> what people learn in school

I have interviewed dozens, if not hundreds of candidates, most of whom were already working as programmers, sysadmins etc. Most people did not know their shit. They learned the minimum to allow them to maintain their second-tier job at a second-tier company.

>>630217
>what should I major in that will make money without shit tons of debt?

Some majors make more than others, look into what people with various Bachelors make as a starting salary, 10 years out, 20 years out etc.

With that in mind, see what interests you. If you really love mathematical modeling, it makes no sense to be an English major. If you love to program, it makes no sense to be a physics major. And so on. Good EE majors, biology majors, CS majors, Petroleum engineering majors etc. can get jobs. Artists doing UX for phone apps and websites, corporate logos, 3d video game models can make money. So doing what excites you comes into play. But only somewhat. 99% of people I know say they're not good at math. No - it's just work. Reading Catcher in the Rye and writing three pages on what it's about is easy, getting through Calculus 101 is a little more difficult. If you major in English or Art you'll probably wind up working harder than someone with a CS degree if you want to make good money. Because a good CS major can make a good salary working 9 to 5, while an English major will have to hustle a lot more to make the same salary.

Also, consider the cost, plus the debt and the interest to. Get Pell grants. Go to a public school as opposed to private - you can always get a Masters at an expensive private school. Also, if you don't have the money to pay up front, instead of taking 4-5 classes a semester, you can take 1-3 classes a semester. It will take longer to graduate, but the debt will be less. You may time to work a part/full-time job as well.

Some kids go to a private school, get knee-deep in debt, major in music or something, go 1-2 years then drop out. Now you're on the hook for tens of thousands in loan payments, have no degree etc.

>>619531
This chart should tell you.

The real answer though is there are a number of choices and you should do what you're interested in. If you have an interest in Biology and computers bore you, pursue biochem research or becoming a doctor. If you're interested in statistics and math models, become a quant for a hedge fund or data scientist. You're better off being a superstar in the #4 best-paid major, then being a so-so student and worker in the #1 best-paid industry.

Of course some people have pipe dreams. I knew some computer science students who were lazy but "wanted to make video games" so we get to the computer graphics class and have to do linear algebra, matrix multiplication, equations to determine phong shading etc. I guess they thought all you did was press a button and it would draw a dragon or something.

Also millions of kids want to be a sports star or a singer or an actor or a dancer. I mean - playing basketball is what guys in offices go do after finishing work for the day. The odds that you will be paid to do that in your career are very slim.

>>607551
>The number of people who take loans to get an useless degree is mind-boggling. There's nothing wrong with educating yourself, but do it as a hobby not investment!

It's true some people who can't afford it and who don't know what they're doing take out big loans to go to private schools and major in psychology or whatever. So - don't do that.

I took no loans and went to a good public school and took a major I am interested in and pays well (computer science). I took as many classes each semester as I could afford and had time for while working. I used my knowledge from class in jobs while still going to school as well as to earn very good money on side projects of my own.

My GPA was good and I keep in contact with some professors in case I ever want a recommendation for a Masters at a top school if I can get in. If I get a Masters at MIT, I can tell people I studied CS at MIT, my public school Bachelors disappears from the conversation. Meanwhile I make a six figure salary programming.

I hustled and really did the work though and was entrepreneurial. A lot of people slack, or do it all the wrong way and fuck up.

>>589473
> doing well at school and university gives you a massive boost
of course

>taking risk by working on your own stuff
I started writing Android apps on the side three years ago. I will make over $3000 this month in revenues, with minor expenses and minor time spent on maintenance. Not much of a risk for me. If I get to $9000 a month I can do this full time.

> being a STEM monkey isn't any sort of path to riches

Some of these guys don't care about riches. They know their shit backwards and forwards and will be able to command six figure salaries even in down times. They have significant savings. I understand this - I got a $100k to $110k raise one year. It didn't affect my lifestyle that much, or at all really. If I have a nice apartment, eat at restaurants and drink at bars whenever I want, take cabs all the time, buy whatever electronic gizmo I want, go on vacations once or twice a year - what more do I need?

> Attention people who went to uni and then white collar work: Do you have any career advice that isn't cliched or well known?

I went back to uni because I realized I needed not only the degree but the dedicated time studying the basics to move to the next level. And if you're going to spend months studying theory of computation, why not spend three hours a week attending a class studying that topic? You get your degree on the way, meet students and professors interested in the same thing etc.

The thing is, these people are arguing with a brick wall. The people who post job ads saying "STEM Bachelors required" are not listening to them. They should just go to school, and if that's not possible, get a job and go to school at night.

There's no argument against it. "Large debt". What debt? For many semesters I took one course at a public school a semester while working. Less than $1000 a semester. No debt, I just paid myself. Some people get Pell grants. Who says you have to go into debt?

>>586989
>How good of a Major is Computer Science?
If you like making money and enjoy it, it is good.

>Has the STEM Bubble popped?
No. The bubble pops for people who do not have a BSCS. I made over $90k in IT before even starting my BSCS.

Also some people go to a community college and slack off even there, do nothing outside of class etc. Those people can fail in CS.

Companies have needed good CS people for a long time. Since the 1970s if not before. This will continue for a while. There is a bubble for second raters, but not for people who do the work.

>Discuss.

>>497294
I did Computer Science and it worked out very well for me.

Also - I am from a blue collar family. I went to an expensive US News and World Report top 25 university for a year but it was too expensive. So then I went to a good local public college part-time while I worked.

* Some people say "do your passion" and go into however much debt to do so.
* Some people say only do a specific STEM subject like CS (programmer), or a math/finance major to be a Wall Street quant, or Biology to do biotechnology etc.
* Some say college is a waste of money.

It's a mixed bag. My family doesn't have a lot of money or educational background, and their "support", financial and otherwise, is on-again-off-again, but my BSCS worked out very well for me.

"Don't go to college" - then what do you do for a job when you get laid off during a recession? College graduates will be out of a job, so why will people hire you? Do you really want to be unemployed with a family during a long, major recession to test your theory that having a degree doesn't matter? I think it does, it's why I worked so hard for it. Not just for fear of the worst case scenario but because it helps me get ahead as well.

You have to be smart. Studying 19th century romantic literature and Renaissance art is something pretty girls with upper middle class fathers do. Their working professional father is paying for them to learn to be an "artist". So you need to realize this while doing majors.

You don't have to go to the most expensive school, take a full course load, load up on debt etc. If you want, you can go to a good public school, get good grades, keep in contact with professors, then work, save money, and get a masters at a prestigious university in your mid/late 20's. So you can do that if you want the brand name.

Also, you need to have some passion for a subject to succeed in it. Doing something SOLELY for the money never works.

Computer Science was very lucrative back in the early-mid 1990s and it still is. It will be in the future as well. It's what I did.

I have a BSCS. It is good for a lot of things, but I was always interested in computers and computer science, so that helped.

If you look at people making money, finance majors can make money, biology majors can make money. If you are interested in biology, it doesn't make sense to go into CS just because it pays a little more. Half the kids in CS class did the minimum work they had to for class and that was it. It's not what will lead to success in IT - I would often spend hours reading about a topic in CS just because I was interested or thought I'd need to know it.

Also, obviously many more people want to be a professional athlete or model or actor or movie director then will ever make good money off that professionally. So that has to come into play somewhat. But if you're interested in biology or quant finance or computer science, you shouldn't switch from one to the other just because it may pay a little more - if you have a passion for biology, you'll probably make more doing that than you would something else, just because you'll love what you're doing.

>>415001
You should look at the attached chart. The books to read flow from that.

Once you have some real savings there are other things you can do, but the attached chart shows the best ways to increase your earning power. Teach a man to fish...