2014's Starting Salaries for College Tech Majors

yea, i have a computer science degree and i couldn't find a job in the field when i looked. (a couple years ago) now im disabled so its irrelevant to me . those lists are total BS
 
MrCrispy said:
Truth about getting a job in any comp sci/eng field - they'll look at your school, and if it happens to be a top school with really good grade, that's a bonus.
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I'd argue it's more GPA that opens doors. I don't come from a "top" engineering program but my GPA (tad under 3.8) opened a lot of doors when venturing out into the world. I at least got an interview with every company I targeted both for internships and then later perm employment. Once you get into that interview is where your skills are tested.
 
colinstu said:
Comp Sci and IT degrees/certs are two ENTIRELY different fields/things.

Comp Sci = programming nerds = nothing to fucking do with CCNA/MCSE/IT.

(also, MCITP is gone, it's back to MCSE).
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Quoted for truth. I have a CS degree(actually dual major in both International Business and Computer Science). The accreditation ABET or whatever the acronym is mandates I believe a minimum of 36 credit hours of pure programming. I call BS on the original poster having an accredited CS degree. It sounds like he is more of an IS guy, which is really a glorified business degree at UMSL where I studied and am doing my masters.
 
Jon55 said:
I like this thread :)
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I do too. I also like the looks on the faces of people when I tell them I don't have a degree (albeit I went for 3 years). I'm 32 (almost 33, augh) and here's what I've figured out.

Success in IT management is split up like this:

20% Education - college degree does help, but it's mainly that you have decent grammar and spelling/vocabulary (this is huge when almost all of your correspondence is through email). It also helps that colleges require you to take a bunch of random classes that makes you a more well rounded intellectually. You gain respect this way.

50% Experience - Really, it's a lot about experience. Once you get out of college you will likely start in a help desk just to figure out how the IT world works. You won't get a mid-level job simply because you haven't seen how an IT department is run. You might get into mid-level if you stay at the same place as your internship, though.

30% Who you know - sad, but true. If you know someone inside the department or your uncle/parent owns the company, you have a much better chance at getting a higher level, and thus higher paid job. Be friendly. You'll move up much more quickly.
 
A degree helps you get your foot in the door/an interview in the first place. Once you're in, it matters fuck-all.

I didn't plan for it but have been lucky in my life without a degree; kept working my way up at a large company and have made several jumps so that I now make a pretty damn good salary. But that being said, even with over 13 years experience in my field, without a degree it's still much harder than it should be to get an initial interview with a new company sometimes, unless I have a networking connection there.
 
Software job hiring in Silicon Valley go like this, listed in order of importance

1) Network. It's who you know and who can help you out. Knowing the right people can get you into many places that the HR lady would have just told you to GTFO.
2) School matters to a degree. Startups even more so.
3) GPA. Certain companies if you come from a certain school and have a certain GPA you don't even need to interview, you're in automatically if you choose to go.
 
soulesschild said:
Software job hiring in Silicon Valley go like this, listed in order of importance

1) Network. It's who you know and who can help you out. Knowing the right people can get you into many places that the HR lady would have just told you to GTFO.
2) School matters to a degree. Startups even more so.
3) GPA. Certain companies if you come from a certain school and have a certain GPA you don't even need to interview, you're in automatically if you choose to go.
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I agree with number 1. 3 of my 4 jobs over the last 12 years have been due to someone I knew, and before deciding on my current job, when a few folks found I was leaving my old place, I had 3 former co-workers asking me to join the places they were at.

I haven't interviewed that often.. maybe a total of 7 times in my career, but GPA has never come up and the only reason school comes up is if the interviewer has the same alma mater.. in which case we talk about the school and some of the professors and if we had the same ones.

I have actually interviewed quite a few folks, and from my perspective, I could care less about school. The only thing it tells me is if they were able to finish something they started. More importantly for me is, how adaptable are they.. can they learn? And secondly, can they think out of the box when needed. Also, can they work well with the team? Hard questions to answer in a short interview while also making sure they are technically sound.
 
Man it's rough out there for you guys :p. Even though I am in an entry level position, I did get the job at a large company in my home town which pays well. Most of what got me in the door was the fact that I landed an internship and built relationships with people around the office. What brought me back time and time again (for the next 2 summers after the first) was the fact that they saw I could be taught how to do things and was actively learning myself. When I finally got hired on permanently the summer after I graduated, it wasn't because of my degree in the sense that I knew stuff, it was because I could be taught and I expressed that in the interview through the series of questions they asked. I am wanting to move into a systems engineering position which is the highest tier in the technical side of things. I asked if I could sit down with him an go over what I should know and what qualities they look for. He was not in on my interview and has no clue how I work, but he liked me simply because I asked him to ask me interview like questions, I expressed that I could be taught and I can learn and communicate with others. If you show that you can learn and can communicate well with others, that can be a huge advantage in its self.
 
AliceCooper said:
Man it's rough out there for you guys :p. Even though I am in an entry level position, I did get the job at a large company in my home town which pays well. Most of what got me in the door was the fact that I landed an internship and built relationships with people around the office. What brought me back time and time again (for the next 2 summers after the first) was the fact that they saw I could be taught how to do things and was actively learning myself. When I finally got hired on permanently the summer after I graduated, it wasn't because of my degree in the sense that I knew stuff, it was because I could be taught and I expressed that in the interview through the series of questions they asked.
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You got your job because you knew someone at the company! You are a monster!!!
 
Thuleman said:
You got your job because you knew someone at the company! You are a monster!!!
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You're right, I got my permanent position because I knew people and because I showed them I was teachable. Just like my co-worker who had never worked at our current employer did during his interview :p. It depends on the employer. Some like experience, some like certs, some like a base with little field experience so they can mold them to fit their needs and standards.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
These lists are such bullshit, especially in the It field. $65k for a Comp sci? What a load of crap lol. Want to know what a comp sci degree will get you? a $25k sheet of really rough toilet paper. All comp sci says is you can turn on a computer without hopefully burning the building down. You want to see 65k? You come to the table with certifications that say you actually know how to do something like CCNA, MCITP or other recognized certifications.
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Pretty much. Bachelors is the new associates degree. Nice to have, but not really going to put you above the pack.
 
hmmm I have a BA degree in english (graduated 2011, was unemployed till five weeks ago)... and some course work in computer support... and some personal experience building my own computers..

I currently make 32k a year as customer support at a software aviation company (I'm up for a raise depending on how well i can teach others how to use a program used at airports, 75k is max salary i can earn in my current position.) I got the job mostly cause the owner of the company is a friend of my family..

I'd love to study up and go for some IT certs but don't even know where to begin... and due to crushing student loans with high interest rates, I don't know how to go back to school to study for those certs either. Unless I teach myself on my off time. (which isn't much, I also work part time at a gamestop. who are talking about training me into management.)
 
bkt5789 said:
hmmm I have a BA degree in english ... and due to crushing student loans with high interest rates
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You should get your money back from those who talked you into majoring in English, and those who allowed you to do it.

I mean WTF, who could in good conscience let you get an English degree in 2007 (you presumably started that year) when the economy was already heading into the crapper.
 
Grahamkracka said:
Because CS =/= IT.
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Mostly true, but some CS background can help. While I never finished, I did go through most of a traditional CS program. Having some background with data structures and algorithms has come in handy in my IT role. Strictly necessary and did I need a full on degree for it? No.

I'll agree that my CS education on its own didn't particularly prepare me for an IT career.
 
Thuleman said:
You should get your money back from those who talked you into majoring in English, and those who allowed you to do it.

I mean WTF, who could in good conscience let you get an English degree in 2007 (you presumably started that year) when the economy was already heading into the crapper.
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I know of a younger couple, both majoring in "American Studies". Masters/PhD...good luck recouping those loans.
 
Kelter said:
Lol.. well, don't they just go into Real Estate and make more money than the rest of us?
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Real estate is harder than it looks and takes a lot of persistence. Plus you are pretty fucked when the economy takes a dive. I have many friends that were left pissing in the wind due to what happened in 08.
 
Kelter said:
I agree with number 1. 3 of my 4 jobs over the last 12 years have been due to someone I knew, and before deciding on my current job, when a few folks found I was leaving my old place, I had 3 former co-workers asking me to join the places they were at.

I haven't interviewed that often.. maybe a total of 7 times in my career, but GPA has never come up and the only reason school comes up is if the interviewer has the same alma mater.. in which case we talk about the school and some of the professors and if we had the same ones.

I have actually interviewed quite a few folks, and from my perspective, I could care less about school. The only thing it tells me is if they were able to finish something they started. More importantly for me is, how adaptable are they.. can they learn? And secondly, can they think out of the box when needed. Also, can they work well with the team? Hard questions to answer in a short interview while also making sure they are technically sound.
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Oh yea definitely. I technically haven't ever had any real technical interviews because I've always known someone and when we met for the "interview" we'd just shoot the shit or talk about projects I've done, etc, etc.

2 and 3 are mainly if you have no connections and it's your first job out of college (in the context of OP is what I should have said)
 
Dekoth-E- said:
These lists are such bullshit, especially in the It field. $65k for a Comp sci? What a load of crap lol. Want to know what a comp sci degree will get you? a $25k sheet of really rough toilet paper. All comp sci says is you can turn on a computer without hopefully burning the building down. You want to see 65k? You come to the table with certifications that say you actually know how to do something like CCNA, MCITP or other recognized certifications.
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lol....
 
Dear lord this thread is filled with more crap than most.

Where exactly was this shift of CS to IT? 99% of people with engineering degrees are not working in IT job titles. They are working in Engineer job titles. CS maps to software engineer, mechanical to mechanical, systems to sytems, and EE...to any of the above. Any engineering job title especially entry level will require at a minimum a BS in the respective field. The Degree matters and the GPA matters more so than the school. Not every position will have Harvard or Colorado School of Mines applicants but they will all have BS and GPA
 
VladDracule said:
Dear lord this thread is filled with more crap than most.

Where exactly was this shift of CS to IT? 99% of people with engineering degrees are not working in IT job titles. They are working in Engineer job titles. CS maps to software engineer, mechanical to mechanical, systems to sytems, and EE...to any of the above. Any engineering job title especially entry level will require at a minimum a BS in the respective field. The Degree matters and the GPA matters more so than the school. Not every position will have Harvard or Colorado School of Mines applicants but they will all have BS and GPA
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I'm guessing you're a graduate of Colorado School of Mines? XD
 
Dekoth-E- said:
These lists are such bullshit, especially in the It field. $65k for a Comp sci? What a load of crap lol. Want to know what a comp sci degree will get you? a $25k sheet of really rough toilet paper. All comp sci says is you can turn on a computer without hopefully burning the building down. You want to see 65k? You come to the table with certifications that say you actually know how to do something like CCNA, MCITP or other recognized certifications.
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Dekoth-E- said:
No, comp sci is just a generalist entry level degree. I have a comp sci degree and didn't take a single programming class. It also is the biggest waste of time I have in my entire life. I literally do not even put it on my resume anymore.
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The median starting salary for bachelor's CS graduates at CMU was $100,000 last year. It's not bullshit, though it obviously depends on the school.
 
VladDracule said:
Dear lord this thread is filled with more crap than most.

Where exactly was this shift of CS to IT? 99% of people with engineering degrees are not working in IT job titles. They are working in Engineer job titles. CS maps to software engineer
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Not sure whether this is true.

It's probably true that the overwhelming majority of those who are in software engineering have CS degrees. But it's also true that 99% of job announcements for IT jobs (operational IT, such as network engineering/operations, data center operations, IT management, etc.) ask for a degree in CS "or a related field". Just check listings on Dice or Indeed.

This is certainly the fault of HR/recruiters who are clueless as to what a CS degree actually is and who assume that it's the correct bachelors to require for the job, but it's also caused by the general notion that those who have degrees are automatically better at operating Cisco firewalls than those who do not have degrees.

I had to fight with HR when I didn't put any formal education requirements on a job we posted, not even a High School diploma. They called and said that I have to require formal education for the job to post. I told them to show me the policy or regulation that requires me to insist on formal education. HR couldn't come up with that and the job posted with "verifiable experience necessary to successfully accomplish assigned duties". We filled the job with a great person and great performer who just happened to have higher education, but we also interviewed some folks who didn't have a college degree. The degree wasn't the determining factor of whom we hired, it was the verifiable performance in past jobs held.
 
Grahamkracka said:
To be fair CSM is a very good engineering school, but yea...I don't think it's got the same prestige as Harvard :D
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Oh I'm not trying to denigrate the school by any means. I was just curious to why that school was randomly mentioned lol

CSM is generally not as big of a name school to stanford, harvard, ucberkeley, mit, or chicago etc, but anybody that knows anything about STEM will have heard of CSM lol
 
TFchris said:
Oh I'm not trying to denigrate the school by any means. I was just curious to why that school was randomly mentioned lol

CSM is generally not as big of a name school to stanford, harvard, ucberkeley, mit, or chicago etc, but anybody that knows anything about STEM will have heard of CSM lol
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I guess I don't know anything about STEM then.
 
gglenn said:
How can this be? We are constantly told by industry and political leaders that there is a severe shortage of qualified applicants entering STEM disciplines, and we need to dramitically increase the number of H-1B visas issued to satisfy demand. And yet, starting salaries in these fields aren't even keeping pace with the general rate of inflation. Something fishy about that.
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http://www.theatlantic.com/educatio...-the-science-and-engineering-shortage/284359/

All have concluded that U.S. higher education produces far more science and engineering graduates annually than there are S&E job openings—the only disagreement is whether it is 100 percent or 200 percent more. Were there to be a genuine shortage at present, there would be evidence of employers raising wage offers to attract the scientists and engineers they want. But the evidence points in the other direction: Most studies report that real wages in many—but not all—science and engineering occupations have been flat or slow-growing, and unemployment as high or higher than in many comparably-skilled occupations.
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but unemployment among scientists and engineers is higher than in other professions such as physicians, dentists, lawyers, and registered nurses, and surprisingly high unemployment rates prevail for recent graduates even in fields with alleged serious “shortages” such as engineering (7.0 percent), computer science (7.8 percent) and information systems (11.7 percent).
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So maybe the answer is that keeping a high supply, including a large number of H1B visas, is to keep wages depressed.
 
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