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+--- Thread: Best Computer Science degree? (/Thread-Best-Computer-Science-degree)
RE: Best Computer Science degree? - Merlin - 02-27-2020
(02-26-2020, 11:57 PM)davewill Wrote: As someone who had a long software career without a degree, and now has one, I'd say the difference is more in WHERE you will find work. An engineer without a degree will find difficulty getting hired by companies like Intel or Google or Qualcomm. They may also have trouble with certain segments like government contracting. I found myself working for small companies (<200 employees) before I got my degree.
I agree with most of this. Particularly as it applies to government and some larger companies. However, this isn't necessarily accurate for companies like Google, Facebook, and other mega startups. While this certainly used to be the status quo, it has been changing over the last few years. These companies now hire based on capabilities and not on academic background. Your success in getting to an offer depends more on your ability to pass the coding tests and behavioral interviews than pretty much anything else. So as long as you can get past the initial screening, it all comes down to how well you can demonstrate your intellect, problem-solving ability, and when, where, and how to apply your understanding of data structures and algorithms.
This change is actually pretty interesting since you'll find (at least in the San Francisco/Silicon Valley area) that many of the startups have become super focused on only hiring from the best schools while the big companies have moved away from that approach. This is nearly a 180-degree swap from the situation 5 years ago.
(02-26-2020, 11:57 PM)davewill Wrote: As far as the difference between someplace like Virginia Tech and TESU, it's safe to say that VT has much better name recognition, and would play much better, especially to large companies in the region. Going to a school like VT will also afford the student the chance to intern while still in school. After you have a few years of experience the difference may not be important, but it will make a difference in the beginning.
This is spot on. In addition to the benefits davewill mentioned, you will also have a better chance to make strong connections to your faculty and other students that could pay off in the future. Those contacts could be handy for future job searches and things like academic recommendations if you decide to attend graduate school in the future. Schools like TESU (or WGU, or any of the big 3) are focused mainly on working adults who are going back to school to complete a degree. As a side effect of this focus, there is very little interaction with others, so you're much less likely to make any significant contacts.