Hey guys,

I need some advice. I am about to transfer from junior college to CSU and I was going to go for a computer science B.A. or M.A. but I am a little bit concern about job situation. You know, so many people lost jobs in Sillicon Valley and then there is this offshoring or something. So I was thinking that maybe it is not the right time to be a computer scientist. Maybe I should take another major.

So what do you guys (from CA) think? I am in LA. Is there any future for me as a computer scientist?

I will appreciate any advice. Thanks.

Well, for starters, I don't know if there is any future for this thread under the "programming" section of this site to begin with ;-)

On your question, I don't want to sound unnecesarilly idealistic, but first of all, computers (depending on the branch of course) in general is an area that you have to REALLY like nowadays...in the past, anybody who could find the "enter" key on the keyboard was a strong candidate for an IT job...as you already know those days are long gone... The industry is looking for people that have a HIGH skill level, an aptitude to learn FAST, and very flexible individuals. If you are asking what the market will be when you graduate, which will be in 3 - 5 years.....well, if I, or anybody here for that matter, would know that, we'd be in a big office receiving calls from market watchers non stop, so no-can-do on that one.

I guess, the best thing you can do is simply go out there an get a part-time job in the IT sector and get a feel for yourself.

Just a thought...

Good luck!

i just did my masters in cs.
first up, what is your alternative? which subject would u take if not for cs?
if you really are interested in cs, then you shouldnt be looking at the money aspect just yet.
lot of jobs in relatively smaller companies dwaling with IT require a BS minimum, along with some experience.

agreed, lot of jobs are leaving the usa, and almost every company has a "India/China" careers page, and a lot of work is also being done there. so what? doesnt mean people here arent getting jobs. there are hundreds of jobs being posted everyday in the usa for IT professionals.

also, doing a BS/MS doesnt make u a computer scientist per se. that ull be called if u work on ur doctoral degree.

and if u get into a good university, their careerservices should be good enough to get you a job before/when u graduate. so make the good choices when applying. look at it as an investment, and even if it costs a little bit more, then it might be worth it later on.

getting internship or research projects isnt really a big difficulty either. u can either work in groups in your college, some other college, or in some company, and from the contacts you make there, you should be able to land a job too.

people lost their jobs after the dotcom bust because the hiring policies and work done by those companies were whacked. they used to hire people for doing fuckedup jobs and pay them $100G plus for it. its no surprise they got laid off, and a lot of jobs are going east simply cos its cheaper. people seem to be a bit wiser now after that stupidity. at that time, a fresh grad would be given $90G+, signing bonuses, stock options, and whatnot. obviously, it was too good to be true.

so, if you like the field, do it. like any other field, you'll have to make your own future.

Moving to General.

I'm amazed at how many people in the slash-dot thread blame free trade. I can't stand to listen to Lou Dobbs babble on the topic anymore. When is someone finally going to place the blame where it belongs. The reason people in China and India can survive on such meager salaries is because their governments aren't taxing them to death. Fat cat politicians get automatic pay increases every year while us lowly plebians are expected to work for less. It's wasteful government bureaucracies that have made it so expensive to live here. The only way to successfully compete in the global market is to cut the size of the U.S. government.