Getting a job with a CS Minor

[liquifiednate]

Hey All,

I haven't really posted on this website in a while but I figured this would be a good section of the forums to post my question.

I was curious if anyone on here has a job in software engineering or programming without a degree in the field.

I am currently in school working on a double major with computer animation and computer science but I noticed that I am going to be here an extra two to three years working on just computer science alone.

So I figured I would just graduate next semester with a major in animation and minor in CS.

If I do this do you think recruiters would still consider me with only a minor in CS? I have already taken quite a few classes in CS that won't count towards my minor such as theory, compiler design, and discrete mathematics. And I do have a few iOS apps that I worked on in the past as well as side projects in python and C++ that I enjoyed working on outside of class.

Any feedback on this would be greatly appreciated. I am currently on the fence about switching to a minor.

[Cubbi]

I was curious if anyone on here has a job in software engineering or programming without a degree in the field.

My degree is in chemistry, but I work as a programmer. I know quite a few people from physics and math. Computer animation certainly appears to be more relevant. I don't know about recruiters, but when you get to talk to programmers , they will be very interested in those IOS apps and side projects. Think now what you'd answer to questions like what were the hurdles you had to overcome, what were the trade-offs you had to make, what part you're most proud of, what was the hardest bug you had to fix, etc.

[liquifiednate]

I’m glad to hear that there are other programmers who are not a computer science major. I will definitely think of all my answers to those questions and continue building my portfolio as much as possible.
Thank you for the advice Cubbi :)

[Ganado]

Yes, you can get a job with just a minor, if you know what you're doing. I got an EE degree with CS minor but also work as a programmer right now. Hope you get a job that's fun that can combine both art/animation and computer science. This has been said in other threads, but what really helps is having a few projects on GitHub or another public repository that can show off what you've worked on. Even if it's just a minor, you can demonstrate that you have a passion for CS by having this.

The caveat here is thinking about what makes you unique compared to the competition. Obviously, someone that has the 2x majors, with everything else being equal, will have the advantage. But is the difference worth two or three more years of not being in the job market (at least not full-time)? I don't feel comfortable answering that, it depends on how old you are, how soon you want to start your career, or start a family, or whatever you want to do. But just something to think about.

[helios]

I'm for the most part self-taught. I don't have any degrees, and to be perfectly honest I barely finished high-school. I did take a few classes of the CS course at the university, but mostly math; basically calculus, linear algebra, and number theory.
On my day job I do mostly low level stuff. Reverse engineering, Windows driver development, that sort of thing.

Yeah, you don't need a degree to get a job, you just need to be good (or cheap) at what you do. A bit of luck and some connections helps, too.

[1vf9z8AR]

i think to be really succesful one needs to study according to what job he/she wants.Why would a company prefer you instead of a CS major for high level jobs?Ofcourse you can become a freelancer but i know nothing about that one.

[wizebin]

I didn't spend a single day in college and have had a couple excellent jobs in the industry.

You should value your contacts more than your degree. Go to meetups, talk about development, make cool stuff to show off, and nurture your relationships, you'll have no problem getting work.

Unless you're bad. So don't be bad.