The ones that are in college:What's your major? Minor?I have a dual bachelor's in electrical and computer engineering. The extra courses needed wasn't too great so I took summer classes to get general requirements out of the way to be able to take all major courses during the fall and spring semesters.
I have a master's degree in computer science.
What career do you want to have when you graduate?For engineering degrees it's more a question of what industry or company you want to work for. I didn't have a set company I was gunning for to start my career at. I also had several internships and co-ops during my schooling. These are critical not only because it gives you networking and work experience, but it also allows you to explore different fields. If you do not score at least one worthwhile internship while in school, or have some other experience to back up your credentials, you will be at a major disadvantage upon graduating.
You have to be social. Make friends from your classes and try to branch out too. A few years down the line it will pay off when you see the company you want to work for is hiring and someone you met at university is working there or knows someone there. Most companies offer jobs to people who were referred by an already existing employee. Basically your resume gets to skip the blackhole that is online job submissions, and if the referee knows you well they can vouch for you even further.
With all that said I've focused my academics and internships on embedded systems. I've worked for a company that designed and manufactured arcade games and an automotive parts supplier.
Did ACT/SAT scores really matter that much?No one expects you to have a perfect score or anything, but obviously doing well on them is a benefit. Most importantly you should make sure your applications are top notch. When the university's acceptance board meets up they
do read what you submit, so don't half ass your essays. Extra curricular stuff, especially if they apply to your selected major, are a great benefit too.
Why did you decide to go into that field?It was the stereotypical case of enjoying math and science courses in grade school originally. In my junior and senior years of high school I started a vocational program in electrical construction and electronics technology. It was by far my favorite experience of high school and had I not decided to go further into electrical engineering and computer science I would have been content working as an electrician, likely still pursuing a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at some point to allow me to move into commercial design and project management.
What made me fall in love with embedded systems and decided to go to graduate school for computer science was a course I took my junior year in microprocessor design and programming. I don't know if any of you were around at the time, but I made a thread about an all nighter I was pulling to finish up a project for the course:
http://forum.blockland.us/index.php?topic=152758.0How are you enjoying it?To be honest, some days I wonder what would have been different if I had gone the electrician route. I think I would have worked my way into a lineman role if just for the potential adventure of it. They mostly work outside on electrical distribution projects and many travel across the country on a regular basis working jobs for utility providers.
As I spend more time in computer science I've become jaded about certain aspects of the field. The rise of the brogrammer is the worst, and living in Seattle I'm in the heat of it with the thousands of Amazon tech employees. Without ranting too much further they're kids who are suddenly making six figures and throw their money around like it's supposed to impress everyone. They are obsessed with their job and find any opportunity to talk about it, and down to you, and are devoid of any other personality. They like to imagine they are the next generation of Unix hackers from the 70s-90s, but the reality of it is they got into tech to make money for themselves and to line the pockets of Jeff Bezos and his investors.
I'm glad I still have a social group that isn't like that.
