Comments on: Nerds

By: Gloria W

Gloria W — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:16:38 +0000

Hey, come on over to devChix.org. Women there do software development, hardware hacking, fun stuff!

By: jack

jack — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 04:24:31 +0000

PS. If you live outside of the United States in countries where there are double degrees, consider doing BOTH an art and computer degree.

By: jack

jack — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 04:19:43 +0000

I think for people wanting to work in industry, it’s better to get an SE (software engineering) degree instead. This is because in SE they teach you more about the process of software development (more practical stuff) rather than over focus on the more low level things. Or even better, a CSSE.

If you want to be in R&D, then CS is better.

By: Chris Yeh

Chris Yeh — Mon, 05 May 2008 21:30:06 +0000

I find it hard to believe that you’ll ever regret majoring in CS. The Kauffman Fellowship research shows that the majority of tech companies are started by folks with technical degrees, and that CS majors start companies earlier in their career than any other major.

Plus, you can always go back to school to get your MBA (or just rely on advice from AskTheHarvardMBA.com).

By: Sam

Sam — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:05:18 +0000

Go with a business degree anyday. CS is the thing to do if you truely understand programming. You’ll make good money in Silicon Valley but elsewhere, it is hard to get into upper 6 or lower 7 figures. On the other hand, you go to business school, your horizon widens, many doors open and you could climb the ladder faster. Eventually, you’ll be good at where your heart is.

By: Nellie

Nellie — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:11:00 +0000

You make a good point, but it would be *so* much stronger if you didn’t refer to women as “girls.” It undermines a lot of moves undertaken by women to receive equal pay and equal opportunities in school or out. I know we’re all in college, not far out of childhood, really — but keeping in mind the language itself is important, too.

By: Cassie

Cassie — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:52:56 +0000

Thanks for the shout out, Jessica. My advice – find what you love doing by taking an assortment of challenging classes right away, major in it, and minor in something that will help you maybe with meeting key players or understanding the parts you don’t like as much.

Your point about your social circle in college is a good one – the contacts you make in college are really important. I found most of what I learned and contacts I made in school was through my college job in the Computer Informations Systems department, and through my internship. If you’re extroverted though, which you seem to be, contacts should come pretty naturally. Having the smarts and ethic to back it up is what really matters. One of my favorite sayings, “Charm and charisma opens doors, but competence and character keeps them open.”

By: Mike Nemoy

Mike Nemoy — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 21:45:32 +0000

This post got to me because I am very much in the same situation, minus the whole being a girl part. I’m currently a sophomore living in NYC and just declared my major. Tech was always my passion but like you I soon started hanging out with different people and decided to get a degree in Business Management. After freshman year I started to question my decision and just recently decided to go with what I like most: CS. Who knows where it will get me or who I will meet, but in the end I know I’ll be happier with a major I’m truly passionate about.

Good luck with your choice and everything you do.

By: Jonathan Boutelle

Jonathan Boutelle — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:17:35 +0000

My take: major in CS. It doesn’t matter one bit if you’re terrible at it … it’s not like you’re going to learn anything about business in an undergrad program, and it’s not like anyone will *ever* care what grades you got in college. So the question boils down to which major is going to teach you the most stuff you need to know?

CS is a degree that teaches you the stuff you need to know to work in tech … even f that happens to be doing the business side rather than the coding side.