New Grad/Early Career Advice

Hello, I'm not sure if I should post this here or on /tech/, but since it's not an explicitly technical question I'll post it here. Do you have any career advice for someone who wants to get into tech? First I wanted to ask about those softDev orgs where they provide you with training and then contract you out to clients and take a percentage of your pay. Are they legit? Does anyone here have any experience with them? Cogent infotech seemed kind of fishy, some of the other orgs like SynergisticIT looked a little more polished but as far as I can tell it's the same basic business model. I would also have to relocate for these gigs, which is not ideal right now. So I was thinking maybe doing a masters program or picking up some certs might be a better way to break into tech. I recently finished my BS in math, and I got into a couple of grad programs. One is a MS data science program, the other is a MS computer science online program. I feel like I'm better prepared for the data science program, but I'm more interested in computer science (ML, sec, crypto, dev, all seem like cool areas) and CS seems to have more prospects. I'm not sure which way I should go, I've also been thinking about getting some COMPTIA certificates so I can work in tech while I go to school. I've also heard that Electrical Engineering is worthwhile, maybe I could pivot into an EE masters program since I'm also interested in that (I wire up my own guitars, and I'm interested in amps and pedal and wave wizardry, etc). When I was in undergrad I focused on taking the most challenging classes I could without destroying myself, with a focus on higher math. I also did some general physics (I didn't take statistical mechanics, but I met the prereqs). I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do so I focused on math to train my brain and gain some appreciation for physics. In hindsight I wish I had done more CS, STATs, and engineering, but I'm also glad I was able to gain an appreciation for physics and higher math while I was there. Unfortunately this doesn't translate well to entry level jobs because "the bachelors degree is the new highschool diploma, and the masters degree is the new bachelors degree". It also seems like tech and finance are where the moneys at, and having applied for numerous jobs and internships in those fields, I've gotten numerous rejections, with the exception of the previously mentioned recruit/train/contract softDev agencies. So I want to make myself a more competitive candidate. Some more questions about CS: if I want to give myself a background in undergrad CS material, do you have any advice for doing that? I did take intro_to_CS_I, so I was thinking I could cover the material for into_to _CS_II (mostly stacks and pointers, right?), Data Structures and Algorithms, Operating Systems, and Computer Networks. I'm thinking about acquiring the textbooks for these courses and working through them, possibly while taking some of the easier courses of the masters program. The other option would be to take these at my local university, but that would be much more expensive. I also want to work through Ritchie's The C Programming Language and SICP but I can that during my free time. I also want to build my own machine and install gentoo/arch and set up a home lab. Is there any other undergrad CS material that you think is important to cover? Also, with respect to EE, what should I expect from that discipline? With respect to Data Science, I am interested in machine learning, but it seems the masters program I got into has a more applied focus, and does not dive very deeply into the field. However, the data science path seems easier than CS, and could dovetail nicely with the actuarial path should I choose to go that way. Also, what about certs? Is it worth it to get the COMPTIA trifecta if I am also working on a CS masters? Finally, do you have any advice on staying focused, maintaining productivity, and avoiding burnout? I feel like I almost died during undergrad, for various reasons, and COVID didn't help. But I feel that having a plan and a clear path with good career prospects can help me to stayed motivated. I know this post is kind of all over the place, and so am I. If you've read this far, thank you. May you find happiness and success in life. If you want this thread can also be a new grad/early career general. >TL;DR: softDevAgencies vs. certs vs. MSCS vs. MSDS vs. MEE

I have a masters in computer science (also did my undergrad in it plus a math minor) and was easily able to land a job that I interviewed for during my last semester. I don't think certs are important (I didn't get any) unless you're aiming for a specific role. If your goal is a job, it's a safe bet. A math undergrad plus a cs masters is also a really solid combo for job prospects. >if I want to give myself a background in undergrad CS material, do you have any advice for doing that? We had several people in my masters program who did their undergrad in other fields (education, math, physics, engineering). The way it worked for them was that they had to take some of the undergrad courses to meet the requirements for the grad courses. I'd expect your masters program to require the same, so you don't need to go learn it all on your own since you'd probably end up needing to take the classes anyway. But your list looks good. I'd add in taking a brief look at design patterns and some basic computer architecture material. As for cs vs ds vs ee, I have no input. Maybe your math background would be better for data science. My masters program allotted us some electives that let us take grad level courses in math, data science, and electronic engineering and count towards our cs degree. I'd imagine you could do the same (or reversed if you choose to go for ds/ee). If you have a university in mind, reach out to them and see. >Finally, do you have any advice on staying focused, maintaining productivity, and avoiding burnout? I feel like I almost died during undergrad, for various reasons, and COVID didn't help. Grad school was a lot easier in this regard for me. Primarily because all of your classes are related to your major so it was much easier to maintain focus, there's a higher percentage of passionate and intelligent peers, the professors were better, and you do less hours of class time.

Data science is easy money compared to programming, if you have a math background. The only problem is that you will end up using R a lot which is probably the worst programming language in existence.

>>69203 Whats the issue with it? Ive used it for some statistical analysis and found it easy past the initial pain getting commands right. My impression of data science with R was everything has premade solutions and reading the tea leaves from that output is all thats left to do for you.

>>69204 It is not uncommon for a premade package to give you incorrect output, because a lot of them are untested and completely unmaintained. Plus it takes all the worst cues from MATLAB.

>>69198 > I'm not sure which way I should go I can't tell you which way to go without knowing what your Uni is and since doxxing yourself here is a dumb idea I would reach out to your schools subreddit or MS grads on linkedIn, yes I know to get info. Masters in degrees like CS and DS can vary WILDLY because the amount of people wanting to switch to those careers makes uni's throw together a shoddy masters degree in it to make a quick buck. Some MS degrees pull this off successfully while or are established programs while others are just undergad courses with a 400+ slapped on them. > I've also been thinking about getting some COMPTIA certificates Again I need to know more. By "tech" do you mean IT? If so the CompTIA A+ exam is a good start. For other tech fields there are less CompTIA exams and more "make this cool project" was to get your foot in the door. >I've also heard that Electrical Engineering is worthwhile, maybe I could pivot into an EE masters program since I'm also interested in that (I wire up my own guitars, and I'm interested in amps and pedal and wave wizardry, etc). You like doing that as a hobby, but can you justify the cost benefit analysis of your future paychecks? >Unfortunately this doesn't translate well to entry level jobs because "the bachelors degree is the new highschool diploma, and the masters degree is the new bachelors degree". I disagree there should be some form of work for a math grad. Actuarial, accounting, finance, and CS are all early entry jobs that should hire. If you're truly desperate the government should always be hiring >It also seems like tech and finance are where the moneys at, and having applied for numerous jobs and internships in those fields, I've gotten numerous rejections, Again be specific. what tech and finance are you thinking of? Are you thinking of FAANG and IB? If so those are hyper competitive or are you thinking of the easier to get in versions of those fields. Also no insult to you, but as someone who's job used to be a job coach have you had a professional look at your resume? The is a likely chance your resume is mediocre and straight up terrible. And I can't help you without doxxing yourself, so I would network on LinkedIn or if you have any CS major friends ask them to help you format your resume. Major errors I see for new grads is focusing on non-transferable skills when it comes to part time jobs (Don't say "stacked shelves", say "Managed complex organizational tasks while in a fast paced environment"), lack of keywords (your resume is seen by a key word reader before a human), and a lack of experience related to their career. If you don't have an internship, list a club. If you don't have a club, list a personal project. If you don't have a project make one. Like you could make a webscraper that collected parking deck capacity data and create a linear algorithm that could guess how full a parking deck would be at X time and date. I only answered the questions I knew the answers too, so sorry for skipping some

>>69198 >If you want this thread can also be a new grad/early career general. How do y'all network with professionals in your field? I live in a tech hub, but it isn't as big and established as silicon valley, so we don't have any organized big groups. All my CS groups were mostly college based. Do you recommend befriending coworkers, though I've heard warnings against that, or hanging out in places were CS people would be? I also want to get into management. Are there any tips or advice you can give me to get onto that track?

>>69198 >Do you have any career advice for someone who wants to get into tech? Yes. there is already a thread for it: >>>/λ/30745 >MS computer science online program I would avoid all online programs. Those require much more discipline form you and you have less opportunities to meet recruiters from software companies. Also, be sure to check the curriculum because some schools disguise webdev as "computer science" (don't get me wrong, webdev has a lot of job opportunities but it's not exactly honest to not call it computer science). >those softDev orgs where they provide you with training and then contract you out to clients and take a percentage of your pay. The problem with those kind of corpos (regardless of their field) is that you have generally worse rights vs. being employed directly by some company and you never know when you will have work (lack of stability is a bad thing imo). >So I was thinking maybe doing a masters program or picking up some certs might be a better way to break into tech. Most corporations that are hiring prefer a degree over certs. Ideally, you could get a summer job while you are studying and you could then get a full-time job at the same place after your graduate. Generally speaking, you should only get certs if working in the field requires you to have them. There are some exceptions, like security/ethical hacking/Pentesting (although I'm not very familiar with the certs in that field) or network engineer/sysadmin work (CCNA is widely recognized). >if I want to give myself a background in undergrad CS material, do you have any advice for doing that? Here are some recommendations: https://teachyourselfcs.com >The C Programming Language >K&R I would read C: The Modern Approach, 2nd edition instead. It's much better book and more up-to-date. K&R has good example programs and exercises, though. >Finally, do you have any advice on staying focused, maintaining productivity, and avoiding burnout? Start working/doing exercises as early as you can (this way you will have more time to finish your home work and you experience less stress). Have enough breaks and work often but keep your studying sessions short (use some variation of Pomodoro Technique).