MMH

Well u know he wants me to rather take a subject that will nearly garantee me a job, like accounting or law.. but i think those subjects are too dry for me.

but if there is a possiblity of me entering a worl known company e.g: google, yahoo, microsoft.. then i would definately want to take Computer science.

stevengs

A noun and a preposition a sentence do not make! Please try to convey complete thoughts.

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-Steven
"Is this a piece of your brain?" - Basil Fawlty

Berto

Hello, i am doing a 4 year sandwitdch (i cant spell) which has a years work placement in the middle.

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"Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. THAT'S relativity."

- Albert Einstein

Infinite Recursion

Oops. I meant to say:

Computer Science / Software Engineering is one of the fastest growing fields in the USA. About the complete sentence thing... when do programmers ever write complete sentences, if they spend a majority of their time writing code? I deserve to make a least one mistake in the past year+

MMH, I would think it would be just as easy, if not easier, to land a job as a programmer than it would to land one as a lawyer or accountant. Besides, you could always start your own consulting business if the job search did not go well.

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"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root."

DaWei

I rarely disagree with IR, and I don't actually disagree with this. You can always start your own consulting business. Finding enough business to make it go is quite another thing. It takes a decent network of contracts to get more than one or two things. You must provide higher than average value early on. Learning how to do that involves learning much more than the technical aspects of whatever field you pursue. If you are successful in that endeavor, you will find that almost every client will offer you a permanent position. Whether or not you take any of those depends upon your ultimate goals and how it all fits in with your plan. You do have a plan, right?

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Abstraction doesn't make it impossible to write bad code; it makes it possible to write superior code.
Contributor's Corner: Grumpy on C++ Exceptions DaWei on Pointers

big_k105

Getting a job at MS, Google both are hard places to get into. but I have heard of MS hiring even people with 2 years degrees if they are good enough. Personally I have never even gotten a letter from them saying i didnt meet there qualifications so who knows (we have a MS Campus in town here in fargo, ND). Google seems to like people with Masters degrees and even PHd's but if you work hard in school and get the good grades you shouldnt have much trouble in getting a job.

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Please do not PM or email me programming questions. Post them in the forums instead.

Infinite Recursion

I completely agree with DaWei... You definitely could start your on consulting business, given available resources, etc. However, as he mentions, the business will be what you make it and relies heavily on the client base. I know people that have been very prosperous and others that gave up and are now working in a completely unrelated field.

The fact of the matter is, if you did decide to do freelance / contract programming... you will still face competition, probably even in a more extreme sense. Everyone is trying to earn a dollar. If you go this route, be prepared to go with the ups and downs and never take something for granite. I would also suggest having knowledge of marketing, advertising, and/or business management.

You will need to look around and find a problem that is not being addressed. Create a viable solution for that problem and provide the solution at low cost to your clients. Usually, if the software is beneficial and the client likes your customer service, they will want to continue business with you. Then as your skill set expands and/or your team grows, you can gradually increase costs while still maintaining the quality of your products.

You have to think about it... Google, Microsoft... all of the "big" companies... they never started out big. They were just a concept in the minds of very few, that happened to have a good plan.

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"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root."

EverLearning

I sort of disagree: for those of us who do not have enterpreneur(sp?) vision and can't quite wrap our mind around marketing, economics, and current trends in blah-blah...engineering (computer/electric) is the way. After you graduate as CS your knowledge is 4 years old already. I know engineering technologies change too, but not as drastically. In addition, our carier center people say that market for CS is still depressed. And again, it's whatever makes you tick, money isn't everything, but....is a lot

Of course with ECE you are going through 4(at least!) years of pure unadulterated hell (interesting nevertheless) and coffee bill of same magnitude as your rent, so it's either they break you or you break through.

Anyway, disagree if you wish (always interesting to see your opinions), that's just what I know

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DaWei

It's true that you don't begin your career (usually) with a BSEE, an MBA, and a Ph.D in international management from Thunderbird. That's one of my points about immediately trying to jump in and make a successful business of your own.

Entrepreneurial vision isn't all that tough, it's just hard to spell. Mostly it means appreciating return on investment, a view of the bottom line in the real world. A lot of that comes from sensible thought.

I made a lot of money in my career, but the big reward was the hugely diverse number of things I did and was successful at. That only comes with time, of course, and a seeking out of the appropriate milieu.

Competence and forethought will trump almost any amount of superior knowledge applied stupidly. Here's a tip for you, works every time: when you go into a job, whether contract or otherwise, notice that everyone is leaving responsibilities lying around on the floor untended. Pick them up. Somewhere above you, not yet Peter Principled out, is a guy with a wallet, that appreciates it. (Not the wallet, the guy, but the wallet shows it best.)

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Abstraction doesn't make it impossible to write bad code; it makes it possible to write superior code.
Contributor's Corner: Grumpy on C++ Exceptions DaWei on Pointers

MMH

hmm.. interesting point of views..
however i would have to say that opening a company independently and expecting to get te success off companies like google, microsoft is a one in a million thing.

so i dont think you can AIM to do something like that.. u have to start off with a job!