Saturday, April 15, 2006
Which computer major should I choose?
Dear Guidance Guy,
I recently applied to college and got accepted into two computer related programs. One program is more technical, and the other is more creative and sounds like something I took in high school. My problem is I don't know which to choose. The technical program has a lot of math involved - which I'm not too strong in. The more creative program has very little math but isn't the strongest requirement for getting a decent job, and as I said before, it sounds like it might be a repeat of some of the things I learned in high school for a similar course.
Also, the creative program may be an advancement in companies, but it may not be the best thing to graduate high school with. I don't know which decision would be best for me. Hopefully you can help. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Anna
*****
Dear Anna,
It sounds like one of your majors is computer engineering or programming, and the other is graphic design or something similar. You are right in that they are two different career paths.
There are a couple of things to consider. The most important is which one you enjoy more. There will be lots of demand in both fields over the next ten years or more. And both fields will change drastically with new technology coming up. (That is true for just about every career.) One thing I'm sure of is that whatever you learned in high school, the stuff you get in college is much more advanced.
And that leads into the second point...how competitive your degree will make you. Part of that is the reputation your college has within that major. A good resource is Ruggs Recommendations on The Colleges, which reports the strongest schools for each major and the strongest majors within each school. A big part of it is how strong your college grades are and how stong your job search skills are by the time you graduate. An internship will help. Make sure this is available at both schools.
Final suggestion, Anna...see if you can spend a day doing a job shadow with people in both fields...the technical and creative. Ask them all about what they do, how they like it and how they think the careers will progress.
Whatever you do, find something you can get excited about when you get up in the morning!
Best of Luck,
The Guidance Guy
I recently applied to college and got accepted into two computer related programs. One program is more technical, and the other is more creative and sounds like something I took in high school. My problem is I don't know which to choose. The technical program has a lot of math involved - which I'm not too strong in. The more creative program has very little math but isn't the strongest requirement for getting a decent job, and as I said before, it sounds like it might be a repeat of some of the things I learned in high school for a similar course.
Also, the creative program may be an advancement in companies, but it may not be the best thing to graduate high school with. I don't know which decision would be best for me. Hopefully you can help. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Anna
*****
Dear Anna,
It sounds like one of your majors is computer engineering or programming, and the other is graphic design or something similar. You are right in that they are two different career paths.
There are a couple of things to consider. The most important is which one you enjoy more. There will be lots of demand in both fields over the next ten years or more. And both fields will change drastically with new technology coming up. (That is true for just about every career.) One thing I'm sure of is that whatever you learned in high school, the stuff you get in college is much more advanced.
And that leads into the second point...how competitive your degree will make you. Part of that is the reputation your college has within that major. A good resource is Ruggs Recommendations on The Colleges, which reports the strongest schools for each major and the strongest majors within each school. A big part of it is how strong your college grades are and how stong your job search skills are by the time you graduate. An internship will help. Make sure this is available at both schools.
Final suggestion, Anna...see if you can spend a day doing a job shadow with people in both fields...the technical and creative. Ask them all about what they do, how they like it and how they think the careers will progress.
Whatever you do, find something you can get excited about when you get up in the morning!
Best of Luck,
The Guidance Guy
