Various Questions Related To Computer Science

Q: I recently graduated from the University of MD at College Park. Supposedly, its CS program is ranked 12th in the nation. Strangely, I had no clue I was attending a top ranking CS school! But that doesn't help my current situation. Do prospective employers know that UMCP has a very strong program in CS? Do they even care? I've taken all the challenging courses in school, the courses that students try to stay away form if they can help it. Just my last semester, I had to develop my own multi-tasking OS with a filesystem, virutal memory, IPC, etc with little or no supervision in C and assembly. The TAs were of little help because they either coudln't or didn't finish the projects as it got tougher and tougher. This course is considered to be one of the hardest courses in my school's CS curriculum. I have also been working actively since I started school with C/C++, Java, J2EE, Oracle (SQL, PL/SQL, Forms, ProC), ASP, JSP, Visual Basic, etc, involved with the project from its inception to the end of product development cycle. I was under the impression (maybe false?) that I have the practical experience to go along with the educational/theoretical background... But! I can't find a job! I've been trying and trying, sending resumes after resumes. I see so many openings on washingtonpost.com, monster.com, hotjobs.com, etc., but I'm not getting any interviews. In light of my current situation, several questions arose, including the need to reassess my future. I asked these questiosn before on a different newsgroup, but I didn't get many responses. I'd really appreciate if someone can help me make an informed decision. 0. might be a dumb question, but... should I include on the resume that UMCP is a top CS school? I doubt many know about it. Or is this just really corny? 1. Someon told me that in most universities, you can go for a PHD directly without the need for going for a Masters separately. Is this true? I always thought you had to get a Masters degree first... 2. In terms of getting recommendations from professors, what's involved? I never got to know any professors on a personal level, so the politics behind this is a mystery to me. Do I just go up to a professor I've had before and just ask them for a recommendation? 3. I've had to work since my freshman year to put myself through school, and thus my GPA suffered a bit. My GPA is 3.1 and I've had to take a semester off with a leave of absence due to financial problems, and another semester off because of a motorcycle accident. The second time I took the semester off, I could not do a leave of absence because you can only do a certain number of leave of absence in a certain time period. So I have many 'W's for that semester, is this a big problem along with a 3.1 GPA? I haven't taken the GRE yet. And... if anyone is kind enough to recommend a good tip for studying for the GRE...prep books, courses, etc... 4. Is CS dead? I'm hearing so many dismal stories about the current job market, with prospects that it's not going to get better any time soon. There is also the H1 Visa issue, companies outsourcing to developing countries like India and China, corporate corruption, possible war with Iraq.... with all these factors working against me, am I better off studying something else in graduate school? Are there any fields my CS background would make it easier/beneficial in obtaining a Masters degree? How about teaching at the university level as a PHD? Is the teaching in University level also saturated in CS area? 5. I see so many job openings from companies like Lockheed Martin, Nothrop Grumman, SAIC.. but majority of these openings require active security clearance. These jobs are posted over and over again... I guess because it's not being filled. How do you obtain a security clearance? Doesnt a company have to sponsor you to get one??? WHy don't they just hire people without one and sponsor them? I know it takes time, but if they need the positions filled... there are so many people who need0 a job right now. What's the deal?? This is one annoying thorn whenever i search for jobs on monster. I see postings from Lockheed.. goes on and on... and u cant even apply to their jobs directly. If you apply, it takes you to their web site where they tell you not to bother applying for different jobs because your resume will be in their database and that they'll contact u if they find a match. somehow, i dont forsee this happening. i must have met them at least 4 times at the career fair, submitted my resume through a friend who works there, web site,... but haven't heard a thing from them. 6. I know no one can tell the future, but i'm clawing at any sign of hope. When do you think the market will start picking up for people with CS degrees? If ever? In the next 1-3 years?

A: I have heard that Maryland has an excellent CS program. However, you've graduated probably a few years too late - not that this means anything, really. I received my BS in Computer Science in 1999 while the tech economy was still booming and every time I interviewed I got a huge offer and I didn't even graduate from a ranked school. In this regard, I am lucky to get that foot in the door. Regardless, based on my experience since then, however, the problem is that employers are buckling down considering the economic down turn therefore, not taking chances on folks who don't have solid experience. However, you just need to be a patient and persevere and find the right match for yourself. I'm sure someone, somewhere will pick you up. Hang in there. 0. Depends. I'm willing to bet however, that employers value experience plus college more than just about the college itself. Regardless, anything that can help you and that you can add to your resume won't hurt. 1.Yes, this is true! However, I just got my Masters in CS and thought that it helped me a lot with research thus giving me the foundation for a PhD but some folks are *very* intelligent and can jump right into a PhD program :-). However, in my case I'm going to stay a software engineer rather than a research scientist, for a while at least. I enjoy trying to come up with real life solutions just slightly more than running tests on software issues and equations. 2. Yes. 3. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that you have to take the GRE's for a graduate CS degree, at least I didn't at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. It might even be a GPA issue, where as if it's too low then you'll have to take it. 4. No. CS is most certainly not dead. It's just a case where all of the hype is now shaved off and 'real' programmers/engineers (as opposed to the bandwagon HTML fire fighters) are now who are still sticking around during the economic down turn. The desire for automation is only going to grow!

Various Questions Related To Computer Science

Discuss It!

Most Popular Articles

Marketplace

Related Articles

Related Categories

Recently Added

You Recently Visited

Other Great Sites