Graduation

Misty

Misty

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So I took my last final today, and I had my "official" graduation on Saturday. I now have a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.

I plan to go into my school's Master's program, but after that I'm not sure. My professor has offered to help me get into a Ph.D. program but I'm more concerned with getting an industry job - I don't see myself in academia really, and that's what Ph.D.'s are for ;[

So, has anyone here graduated before that maybe has advice? And if you haven't graduated yet, what do you plan to graduate in?
 
I wouldn't know anything about what a Computer Science degree can get you, but if you put any stock in the Bureau of Labor Statistics, then you should think about how far you want to advance in the field. If you're looking for advancement, then you'll probably need more than a Master's. O_O

By the way, I should have my Bachelor of Science in Accounting in a week. I'm not going to my graduation, though. I didn't like my high school graduation; I'm not putting myself through that again.

After that, I'm going to do another year for my Master's. I can't get a CPA license without it, for the most part.
 
I'm told a Bachelor's in Computer Science often earns around $50,000 in entry-level work. A Master's can get you around $70,000.
 
I'll be graduating a year after this one. I'll almost definitely be doing a Ph.D in computer science afterwards.
 
Congratulations man!

I was just saying the other day how weird it was that nobody else except Jump and ET seems to have graduated after all these years..

My baby brother is graduating in the next month or so too, so some of you guys must be getting close.

Have a nice day.
 
Misty said:
I'm told a Bachelor's in Computer Science often earns around $50,000 in entry-level work. A Master's can get you around $70,000.
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I graduated as a BSc in Computer Science and Mathematics as well. I then went on for a Masters in Mathematics.

All I can say is to continue for your Masters degree. Then, after you get your MSc, find a job, but keep your PhD plans in your mind.

I don't know what your plans with your life are exactly. If, for example, you don't plan to marry or something, it would be easier to continue studying. My particular plans for the future are to pursue a PhD once I marry and settle down a bit. If I were not to marry, I'd have started my PhD earlier...

My reasoning about this is that, if you've got the brains, you should go for the PhD and not stop at Masters level. A PhD might not be worth much in terms of extra income, but having a PhD puts you in a better position in whichever job you get than if you have a Masters, and, when all is said and done, knowledge is something that nobody can take off you. But that's just my opinion.

And congratulations!
 
First of all, congratulations!


Regarding your question, I have to disagree with X-Act in this. I graduated as a Bachelor Science in Physics (I think that's the equivalent), and I'm perfectly happy without going after a PhD, even if I could have gone for one.

You just should do what interests you more to do. Going after a PhD if you don't have genuine interests in getting it will only make you unhappy. Going for a PhD requires, in my opinion, true love for investigation, willingness to teach (most likely you'll end up giving lectures), and interest in the academic life in general. If that's what you like, sure, go ahead, it's a really good option for the right people. Just don't be forced to do it because it will give you a higher degree.

I myself am just preparing for a civil service examination to become a Radiophysicist in an hospital. That will give me a job that will utilize the knowledge I got in my degree (I'd hate to work in something unrelated to physics), while at the same time letting me work in something related to medicine, which I also like.
 
I'll be graduating this year, with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Accounting. Hopefully.

Next year I'm going to do the MA in Accounting in the same college, for two reasons. First, I will get more exemptions from the professional chartered exams. Second, I want to get into lecturing sometime down the road, once I have ten years or so experience working in practice.

I wouldn't even consider doing a PhD myself anytime soon. If or when I do end up in lecturing, I'll look into it and more than likely pursue some field I'm interested in at that stage, but right now, or in the next couple of years, a PhD wouldn't serve any great purpose for me, in terms of salary or knowledge that I will actually need. That's me looking at things from an accounting perspective, I don't know how valuable a science PhD would be.
 
It really all depends on if you want to spend two more years of your life in school. Honestly, I haven't looked back since. I never thought about getting my Masters, although my major is completely different from yours. In my opinion, the work force is the place to be; if you look in the right places, you could EASILY be making $70k in 2 years anyway.
 
Misty said:
Personally I happen to like school - I enjoy acquiring knowledge.
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Funny thing is, that's the reason I don't like school.

I graduate with a bachelors in software engineering in 2010 and I have no plans to go for a masters.
 
Misty said:
Personally I happen to like school - I enjoy acquiring knowledge.
Click to expand...

Then I think you most likely already have your mind made up, you just don't know it yet. :toast:

In my own opinion, though, college only teaches you 10-25% of the things you'll need to use at your job. I'm not downplaying its importance, but I think the same goes for a Masters program. Anything you learn in those two years you could probably have learned on the job, EARNING money instead of spending it.
 
I agree with DM 100%. I've already started my career in Comp Sci while completeing my degere. I am in line to be making 85-90K after 2 years at my job. If you perform well at your job and kick ass, then the sky is the limit. Education is nice for getting your foot in the door and it gets you past HR. Once you have experience, it doesn't really matter. After you have a nice resume and a line of completed projects, all you have to do is lie in your interviews and say you know everything and you will be rolling in cash. Once I'm done with my degree I plan on getting my masters in Project Management...because I want to be a Project Manager and/or start my own IT consulting company one day. I had no organization in my post, but those are my opinions/views/experience.
 
well im from india and my cous has just fished his It course and now he, working for wipro for 100k he has a masters and he thinks Phd is a waste of time and money. But hey people learn themselves :D! gl and have a great life.
 
Well, I'm nearing completion of my third degree now, in Education, which should (finally) line me up for some real work. I did a BA and MA in English, with a two year break in between. My advice is to take a break from school and get some work/life experience beyond the classroom door.

I'm willing to bet you went from HS straight to Uni, as I did. I decided to wait on my MA for two years before hitting the drawing board again, and I can confidently say I learned just as much in that period as I did in school. It may not be the most glamorous of options, but life isn't all about money and work. I love acquiring knowledge myself, and it was a breath of fresh air to discover that school isn't the be all and end all for achieving that. Ironically, of course, I'm becoming a teacher, but all good teachers are really just people willing to learn something new.

Frankly, my Masters taught me that academia wasn't for me. I let myself explore my options and have found I have the most to offer through teaching, at least for now. Once you break free of a reliance on the education system, you'll have a better bearing on what it is you want to do. And you can always go back to school later, pursuing something for interest's sake. I know I've already got my eye on an ESL diploma, and maybe after that, I'll explore psychology or gender studies. I think Ph.Ds are great and all, but broadening your horizons seems to me the better option. Jack of all trades rather than the expert, you know?
 
First off, congrats =)

Just finishing off my second year of my degree and my school developed a joint major with another field I was interested in, so now I'm working towards a joint major in Interactive Arts & Technology and Communication. I don't expect to graduate until 2011 due to co-op and because honestly I don't think anyone graduates in 4 years anymore...

I have no intention of getting a Master's. I don't really feel it's right for me as all the jobs I'm interested in I could get with a Bachelor's. I am not really that academically inclined.
 
Hipmonlee said:
Congratulations man!

I was just saying the other day how weird it was that nobody else except Jump and ET seems to have graduated after all these years..

My baby brother is graduating in the next month or so too, so some of you guys must be getting close.

Have a nice day.
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Brain? I'll be a Junior too. Carl should be close to graduation...
 
Hey, it's not my fault I graduated before I even joined Smogon. Well, yeah, I guess it is.
 
I've got a BA and am finishing my BEd right now. Looking at doing my masters after I work for a year and pay down some debt/ live a little.

Honestly, the best thing you can do is just sit down and really think about what's right for you. I love school (though I assure you, I didn't always!), and even though I don't want to be a high school teacher, I would love to become a prof and teach at the university level someday. That, along with getting married (which I am at the end of the summer) and having a family are what I'm looking forward to. But that's certainly not for everyone; you just need to find you're own path.

I guess what I'm trying to suggest is that you should find something that makes you happy and pursue it. Kind of very general, if not wishy-washy, advice, but it's the best advice I've got.

Congrats on the BSc!
 
Misty said:
I'm told a Bachelor's in Computer Science often earns around $50,000 in entry-level work. A Master's can get you around $70,000.
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Ummm... in what state? Those are pretty lofty expectations, to be honest with you. I know lots people with your same degree that don't make 30k a year and that's actually using their their degree. I can't speak for the areas of the country with the highest living costs like NYC or San Fran, but for the majority of the country, especially in this economy, you should be happy to make better than about 28,000 in an entry-level position. With a Master's degree and several years of experience, you still probably can't expect more than 45,000 a year unless you are in some very specific and highly technical fields. Whoever told you those numbers is pretty optimistic.
 
Odinwolf is so far off the map. He must live in India or something. With a BS and absolutely no experience you can start off at 45k no problem. And once you get experience and/or a Master's degree you will have a six-figure income EASILY.

Edit: He lives in NC...he must not be anywhere close to the Research Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill), because IT salaries there are sweet.

Edit2: And NC is a fairly recession-proof state as well...the economy has hardly had any affect on places like Raleigh.
 
Actually, I work just outside of Raleigh at a company that employs many programmers with CS degrees. Salaries vary quite a bit based on experience and specialties, but we don't hire kids straight out of school and pay them $50k. Maybe big companies in the area like SAS or IBM throw money around like that, but most of the companies in this area don't pay that kind of money as a starting salary. It is true though, that programmers can make good money after several years on the job.
 
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