Skip to content
  • Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • World
  • Users
  • Groups
Skins
  • Light
  • Cerulean
  • Cosmo
  • Flatly
  • Journal
  • Litera
  • Lumen
  • Lux
  • Materia
  • Minty
  • Morph
  • Pulse
  • Sandstone
  • Simplex
  • Sketchy
  • Spacelab
  • United
  • Yeti
  • Zephyr
  • Dark
  • Cyborg
  • Darkly
  • Quartz
  • Slate
  • Solar
  • Superhero
  • Vapor

  • Default (No Skin)
  • No Skin
Collapse
Code Project
  1. Home
  2. The Lounge
  3. It's starting to look like majoring in computer science isn't the road to the promised land of money and job security after all

It's starting to look like majoring in computer science isn't the road to the promised land of money and job security after all

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved The Lounge
careercomsecurity
23 Posts 12 Posters 0 Views 1 Watching
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as topic
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
  • S swampwiz

    Majoring in Computer Science Doesn't Guarantee Job Security After All[^]

    D Offline
    D Offline
    devenv exe
    wrote on last edited by
    #9

    In my area, property brokers are making good money than computer scientists, and seriously :)

    "Coming soon"

    J 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • S swampwiz

      Majoring in Computer Science Doesn't Guarantee Job Security After All[^]

      T Offline
      T Offline
      theoldfool
      wrote on last edited by
      #10

      I have a BS, MBA, PHD. Alas, I have no JOB :(

      >64 Some days the dragon wins. Suck it up.

      L 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • S swampwiz

        Majoring in Computer Science Doesn't Guarantee Job Security After All[^]

        D Offline
        D Offline
        dandy72
        wrote on last edited by
        #11

        Quote:

        majoring in computer science isn't the road to the promised land of money and job security after all

        Was it, ever? 'cuz you have to have the right reasons to be there. I remember during my first semester of college, there were plenty of people who told me - literally - they weren't really interested in it, but liked the prospect of a good paycheck. IOW, they were in it only for the money. I thought at the time, you don't build a career out of that. More than half of the population was gone before the second semester started. Good riddance! At the end of our 3 years, I think 8 of us graduated.

        L 1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • L Lost User

          I haven't seen the inside of an "It department" in years. Security implies "big departments". Like ... (oops).

          "Before entering on an understanding, I have meditated for a long time, and have foreseen what might happen. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly, secretly, what I have to say or to do in a circumstance unexpected by other people; it is reflection, it is meditation." - Napoleon I

          D Offline
          D Offline
          dandy72
          wrote on last edited by
          #12

          Gerry Schmitz wrote:

          Security implies "big departments"

          Right, 'cuz you need the collective knowledge of a lot of people to really be any good at it. But reality is, security is a cost center, not something that generates revenue. So it's always underfunded and kept to a minimal size. Ummm, I'm sure I had a point...? Where was I going with that...

          L 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • D dandy72

            Gerry Schmitz wrote:

            Security implies "big departments"

            Right, 'cuz you need the collective knowledge of a lot of people to really be any good at it. But reality is, security is a cost center, not something that generates revenue. So it's always underfunded and kept to a minimal size. Ummm, I'm sure I had a point...? Where was I going with that...

            L Offline
            L Offline
            Lost User
            wrote on last edited by
            #13

            I meant "job security". Old boys' networks and the like.

            "Before entering on an understanding, I have meditated for a long time, and have foreseen what might happen. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly, secretly, what I have to say or to do in a circumstance unexpected by other people; it is reflection, it is meditation." - Napoleon I

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • T theoldfool

              I have a BS, MBA, PHD. Alas, I have no JOB :(

              >64 Some days the dragon wins. Suck it up.

              L Offline
              L Offline
              Lost User
              wrote on last edited by
              #14

              You're between contracts.

              "Before entering on an understanding, I have meditated for a long time, and have foreseen what might happen. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly, secretly, what I have to say or to do in a circumstance unexpected by other people; it is reflection, it is meditation." - Napoleon I

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • D dandy72

                Quote:

                majoring in computer science isn't the road to the promised land of money and job security after all

                Was it, ever? 'cuz you have to have the right reasons to be there. I remember during my first semester of college, there were plenty of people who told me - literally - they weren't really interested in it, but liked the prospect of a good paycheck. IOW, they were in it only for the money. I thought at the time, you don't build a career out of that. More than half of the population was gone before the second semester started. Good riddance! At the end of our 3 years, I think 8 of us graduated.

                L Offline
                L Offline
                Lost User
                wrote on last edited by
                #15

                (As a consultant) I was coaching an intern on the job: she asked if was going to be a "programmer" "all my life"? She was going to be a "manager".

                "Before entering on an understanding, I have meditated for a long time, and have foreseen what might happen. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly, secretly, what I have to say or to do in a circumstance unexpected by other people; it is reflection, it is meditation." - Napoleon I

                J 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • D devenv exe

                  In my area, property brokers are making good money than computer scientists, and seriously :)

                  "Coming soon"

                  J Offline
                  J Offline
                  jschell
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #16

                  devenv.exe wrote:

                  property brokers are making good money than computer scientists,

                  And when exactly wasn't that true? Excluding specific depressed real estate times of course.

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • L Lost User

                    (As a consultant) I was coaching an intern on the job: she asked if was going to be a "programmer" "all my life"? She was going to be a "manager".

                    "Before entering on an understanding, I have meditated for a long time, and have foreseen what might happen. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly, secretly, what I have to say or to do in a circumstance unexpected by other people; it is reflection, it is meditation." - Napoleon I

                    J Offline
                    J Offline
                    jschell
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #17

                    Gerry Schmitz wrote:

                    She was going to be a "manager"

                    So? In the vast majority of companies that do tech the only real career promotion path is via management. A CTO might have started as a programmer but they were likely a manager and VP before they became a CTO. To be fair most industries are that way. I have even worked for companies that restricted the amount of income that the sales people could make to insure that they did not make more than the managers.

                    D 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • J jschell

                      Gerry Schmitz wrote:

                      She was going to be a "manager"

                      So? In the vast majority of companies that do tech the only real career promotion path is via management. A CTO might have started as a programmer but they were likely a manager and VP before they became a CTO. To be fair most industries are that way. I have even worked for companies that restricted the amount of income that the sales people could make to insure that they did not make more than the managers.

                      D Offline
                      D Offline
                      dandy72
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #18

                      jschell wrote:

                      In the vast majority of companies that do tech the only real career promotion path is via management

                      The day I'm forced out of a coding job and "promoted" into management is the day I retire.

                      M 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • D dandy72

                        jschell wrote:

                        In the vast majority of companies that do tech the only real career promotion path is via management

                        The day I'm forced out of a coding job and "promoted" into management is the day I retire.

                        M Offline
                        M Offline
                        Mycroft Holmes
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #19

                        Welcome to my world, I dodged management for the last 10 years of my working life, eventually got bored with dodging and retired. The only problem is I thought I loved coding but it turns out I only loved the money - I have not touched VS in a number of years.

                        Never underestimate the power of human stupidity - RAH I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP

                        D 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • M Mycroft Holmes

                          Welcome to my world, I dodged management for the last 10 years of my working life, eventually got bored with dodging and retired. The only problem is I thought I loved coding but it turns out I only loved the money - I have not touched VS in a number of years.

                          Never underestimate the power of human stupidity - RAH I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP

                          D Offline
                          D Offline
                          dandy72
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #20

                          Mycroft Holmes wrote:

                          I have not touched VS in a number of years.

                          I practically burned out when I was coding day in (for work) and day out (the rest of my free time - evenings and weekends - on my personal pet projects). Nowadays it's very rare I fire up VS to work on my own pet projects - I have to have something very specific in mind to do it, and the end product has to be something relatively small in scale. I keep telling myself once I retire, I'll probably start using VS for my pet projects again - I still have the belief it would be fun; I just don't want to do it again in parallel with work - that's just too much. I honestly don't know what I'd be doing with myself if work was no longer a thing, and couldn't bring myself to code. I truly hope I won't feel the same way you do. No offense.

                          M 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • D dandy72

                            Mycroft Holmes wrote:

                            I have not touched VS in a number of years.

                            I practically burned out when I was coding day in (for work) and day out (the rest of my free time - evenings and weekends - on my personal pet projects). Nowadays it's very rare I fire up VS to work on my own pet projects - I have to have something very specific in mind to do it, and the end product has to be something relatively small in scale. I keep telling myself once I retire, I'll probably start using VS for my pet projects again - I still have the belief it would be fun; I just don't want to do it again in parallel with work - that's just too much. I honestly don't know what I'd be doing with myself if work was no longer a thing, and couldn't bring myself to code. I truly hope I won't feel the same way you do. No offense.

                            M Offline
                            M Offline
                            Mycroft Holmes
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #21

                            I felt the same - a goody I can do any pet projects I want with no pressure from management or users - except there are no pet project I feel motivated to do. You will be astonished how easy it is to fill your time when it is just you and the wife/partner to satisfy.

                            Never underestimate the power of human stupidity - RAH I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP

                            D 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • M Mycroft Holmes

                              I felt the same - a goody I can do any pet projects I want with no pressure from management or users - except there are no pet project I feel motivated to do. You will be astonished how easy it is to fill your time when it is just you and the wife/partner to satisfy.

                              Never underestimate the power of human stupidity - RAH I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP

                              D Offline
                              D Offline
                              dandy72
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #22

                              Mycroft Holmes wrote:

                              except there are no pet project I feel motivated to do

                              That's not a problem, I still have a ton of ideas, and feel motivated enough to do them - just not when I've already worked a full day. And I need my weekends.

                              Mycroft Holmes wrote:

                              You will be astonished how easy it is to fill your time

                              I keep seeing that, people retiring and now saying they're more busy than they've been in years... TBH there are times where I don't quite know what to do with myself on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon...that's when I most often feel like I could put in a few hours on a side-project, but I know I'm gonna want a bigger block of time sooner rather than later. So any project I already had underway stagnates... The only time (in the last couple of years) where I've actually invested significant chunks of time coding for my own projects is during Christmas holidays. I usually take more time off then than during the summer months, so that's primarily when I allocate big chunks of time coding.

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • S swampwiz

                                Majoring in Computer Science Doesn't Guarantee Job Security After All[^]

                                P Offline
                                P Offline
                                Paul Kemner
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #23

                                It's sad when parents and school counselors push kids into computer work when the kids have no interest or aptitude for it. And people shouldn't talk about salaries for non-supervisory people- hourly is what matters.

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                Reply
                                • Reply as topic
                                Log in to reply
                                • Oldest to Newest
                                • Newest to Oldest
                                • Most Votes


                                • Login

                                • Don't have an account? Register

                                • Login or register to search.
                                • First post
                                  Last post
                                0
                                • Categories
                                • Recent
                                • Tags
                                • Popular
                                • World
                                • Users
                                • Groups