AFTER SIUE

[Algo]

I was just wondering, who are some of the employers of recent SIUE computer science grads? Also, would the emphasis in the CS department here at SIUE better prepare me for an application programming career, systems programming career, a software engineer, a programmer, or a computer scientist? Also, What are some of the job titles accepted by recent compute science undergrad students??

I really appreciate any replies!

[Kit]

I work for Enterprise Rent-a-car as an Associate Software Engineer. I know a lot of people did the internship at Enterprise and I also know many people who have full time positions who were SIUE students.

Typically, I think CS grads with a BS degree generally go into Software Engineering positions.

Hopefully that helps!  :D

[Bryan]

I started my career after SIUE with a company called Perficient.  (www.perficient.com). I worked with them for 2 years as a usability consultant doing mostly business analysis and design.  Think of it as the CS325 of the corporate world, only I also got to draw pretty pictures.

I recently left Perficient and joined Jewelry Television.  I'm working here as a User Interface Engineer II.  It's pretty much the same gig only I'm doing it on an internal level designing RIAs for customer service/marketing/affiliates/etc.

I would recommend going to the career development center. They have a long list of companies that do internships/Co-ops with SIUE and have a strong history of hiring the students that they use. 

[Tony]

A BS in Computer Science is a great degree.  However, where you go with it is up to you.  I know many people right now that do not have a job and I know many people right now with great jobs.  Most of these people have the same GPAs but some were more aggressive in looking for jobs than others.

I know people who have been contacted by Google, Microsoft, Limewire, VMWare, Morgan Stanly, and much more.  I am currently working with Lockheed Martin along with about 4 or 5 other SIUE students.  Yesterday I received an email from Boeing asking me to fill out an online application because I am being considered for a position with them.  So, a BS in CS can get you great job offers.

The CS degree is a well rounded degree.  It explores many different aspects of Computer Science such as, Software Engineering, HCI, Networking, Database Management, and many other fields that will help you became just a well rounded programmer.  It also helps you find fields of study such as Advanced Algorithms, which might lead you into research and further education.  It is a real good starting point in my opinion, and Companies seem to like us so....

[raptor]

I know one guy at AB, one at Boeing, two that will be at Scott AFB

[Jerry]

Some of my students are working for Monsanto, Perficient, Boeing, Jaros Technologies, Zazzle.com, Google.

I also have students who decided to go to graduate school (masters and Ph.D's) at Wash U., Arizona State U., USC.

[William Grim]

I work as an IT Associate for Morgan Stanley.  That's a pretty generic title there, but what I do is support the front-line business (i.e. traders).  I have to speak to the traders to get requirements and to the quants (which I plan to be in 1.5 or so years) to get new mathematical models integrated into our system.

As far as software engineering is concerned, we don't bother with a formal process.  We literally have to push things out quite quickly in short bursts; so, unless it's something that the business is willing to accept us developing for 6+ months, we ignore most formal designs.  There are advantages and disadvantages to this approach, of course, and sometimes I find it quite annoying when I'm having to reverse engineer one of our products.  However, that's about the only way we can support the business fast enough and give MS a high ROI.

Being at SIUE, you'll get yourself prepared for several types of roles.  It really depends what electives you choose to take.  I specifically geared myself more towards algorithms, systems, and math.  You will just need to find your niche wherever it makes you happiest.

[Tony]

That is one of the things I love about the CS degree.  It trains you to start a good career in programming and software development, but it also allows you to explore many different aspects of Computer Science in general.  Then, if you decide to, you can further your studies in any of those fields or just stay with Computer Science in general.  It really opens you to a host of opportunities.