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Squilly

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Nov 17, 2012
2,260
4
PA
So I'm debating between these two majors. I was told by my advisor that IST would be easier since its not an engineering major while CompSci is. There's more math in CompSci (and more $) but I'm having real difficulties in deciding. I don't know if I could just sit down and code all day. Maybe another engineering major...? I don't know...
 
IST... isn't that mainly a Penn State degree? I have one of those. Biggest waste ever. Most of the time you explain to people what the degree is for when you yourself have no idea. You end up taking much of the same courses, just differences in programming and coding.
 
So I'm debating between these two majors. I was told by my advisor that IST would be easier since its not an engineering major while CompSci is. There's more math in CompSci (and more $) but I'm having real difficulties in deciding. I don't know if I could just sit down and code all day. Maybe another engineering major...? I don't know...

This must be a really difficult decision. Normally, you are so decisive, always able to come to those tough decisions right away.

Good luck with this one.

BTW: in psych biz, IST stands for Insulin Shock Therapy. Just a funny coincidence, don't you think??
 
I have an IST degree, am currently doing the same work as a Comp Sci grad (software development) and for the same amount of money.

If you don't want to code all day, then don't go into Comp Sci. There's nothing that makes a my life at work more miserable than a co-worker who absolutely hates coding or is terrible at it.
 
IST... isn't that mainly a Penn State degree? I have one of those. Biggest waste ever. Most of the time you explain to people what the degree is for when you yourself have no idea. You end up taking much of the same courses, just differences in programming and coding.

Well... I do go to PSU :p

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hi walsohin

things worth having aren't easy to get

take it as you will

i am not waloshin.

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I have an IST degree, am currently doing the same work as a Comp Sci grad (software development) and for the same amount of money.

If you don't want to code all day, then don't go into Comp Sci. There's nothing that makes a my life at work more miserable than a co-worker who absolutely hates coding or is terrible at it.

It's frustrating. I don't have any background in coding other than a little HTML. College does some for you, but a lot is for you to learn yourself, or so I hear. Engineering = IST?
 
Must be a tiny one. :D Shenango? Wilks-Barre? Hazelton? New Kensington? Erie? (Wait, Erie's big) Beaver? Mount Temple? (Do they even have an ITS program?)

PM time...
For the record, I haven't heard of many of those campuses :p

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Well, it's that dukebound85...

Hard to imagine anyone making that mistake.

No similarity at all.

I'll have to have a word with dukebound85 about that. He was probably just not paying attention. Poor guy...

Shrink him up a bit :)
 
I'm double majoring and one of my majors is Computer Science. Very hard work and a lot of frustration, but in the end it will be worth it! I've never heard of IST.
 
So I'm debating between these two majors. I was told by my advisor that IST would be easier since its not an engineering major while CompSci is. There's more math in CompSci (and more $) but I'm having real difficulties in deciding. I don't know if I could just sit down and code all day. Maybe another engineering major...? I don't know...

I'm occassionally involved in bringing in tech related new hires, what your degree is a factor but not a major factor once it gets to the interview. BUT way before it gets to me, that big stack of resume's are "prescreened" by HR and HR knows almost nothing about technical details. As a result, if the right candidate came through to me - it wouldn't matter much if it was a computer science or an IST degree. The importiant part is "came through to me", HR pass computer science major to me if they look promising but the would discard IST degrees. The lession being - "computer science" degree is much much much more marketable but if you end up with an IST degree anyway put "computer science" on your resume or application and explain at the interview your actual major was IST.
 
I have an IST degree, am currently doing the same work as a Comp Sci grad (software development) and for the same amount of money.

If you don't want to code all day, then don't go into Comp Sci. There's nothing that makes a my life at work more miserable than a co-worker who absolutely hates coding or is terrible at it.


I agree wholeheartedly with this.

I actually would have to go back to school to get an IST degree, especially now that my alma mater offers it (Univ. of Nebraska at {Omaha,Lincoln,Kearney}). back in my college days (1993-1998), they only offered Comp. Sci degrees, unless you went the Business route, which they only offered MIS courses. So I was stuck with two options: coding, or MIS, and neither were what I wanted, as I wanted to be a Unix sysadmin. Linux and FreeBSD were still infants and considered taboo, Novell Netware ruled, and Windows NT wasn't majorly used. So unless you had at least $10K sitting around, you weren't going to buy a Sun station, DEC Alpha, or anything to run Unix on.

If you like IT, and don't want to code, go the IST route. If you want to crunch numbers and code your life out, go Comp. Sci. In fact, here's the course curriculum for the IST program at Nebraska:

https://ebruno.unomaha.edu/php/courses/crsnum.php?COLL=IS&DEPT=CIST

By contrast, here is the one for Computer Science:

https://ebruno.unomaha.edu/php/courses/crsnum.php?COLL=IS&DEPT=CSCI

Huge difference between the two. Hopefully this provides some insight.

BL.
 
James Madison University maybe? (Dukes)

They started IST (Integrated Sciences and Technologies) while I was there getting my master's in CS. The CS students regularly laughed when we saw what the IST students were studying. Rather than a traditional major course of study it was designed by companies. Basically, IST is CS lite.
 
Depends on what you want to do after you get out. For me personally, through experience, neither will promise you a job unless you have prior work experience/portfolio in a related field. So study what you enjoy, as you can only be successful if you enjoy what you do.

I know plenty of people graduating with a CS and/or engineering degree and are miserable stuck doing programming and coding at their jobs.
 
James Madison University maybe? (Dukes)

They started IST (Integrated Sciences and Technologies) while I was there getting my master's in CS. The CS students regularly laughed when we saw what the IST students were studying. Rather than a traditional major course of study it was designed by companies. Basically, IST is CS lite.

Probably because companies need people who understand business needs. They can lock the CS grads in the basement where they have no human interaction. :D

"Tom Smykowski: Well look, I already told you! I deal with the goddamn customers so the engineers don't have to! I have people skills! I am good at dealing with people! Can't you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people?"
 
Probably because companies need people who understand business needs. They can lock the CS grads in the basement where they have no human interaction. :D

Since typically students do not have real world experience when getting their first job they have to rely on their degree. An IST degree may be what company X wants but it does not help you with company Y. Basically, you had better hope company X hires you or you have narrowed your options in the job market. A more generalised degree, like CS, allows you to pitch yourself to different companies individual needs.

Not to mention that if you are planning to be an entrepreneur having something a given company wants but are not useful to your project means nada.
 
Since typically students do not have real world experience when getting their first job they have to rely on their degree. An IST degree may be what company X wants but it does not help you with company Y. Basically, you had better hope company X hires you or you have narrowed your options in the job market. A more generalised degree, like CS, allows you to pitch yourself to different companies individual needs.

Not to mention that if you are planning to be an entrepreneur having something a given company wants but are not useful to your project means nada.

Might be a little OT, but there are huge companies out there, like Google, that would kill to have fresh-graduates working for them in fields like Computer Engineering. I'd like to do some form of it, still debating whether that form is code...
 
Might be a little OT, but there are huge companies out there, like Google, that would kill to have fresh-graduates working for them in fields like Computer Engineering. I'd like to do some form of it, still debating whether that form is code...

They have lots of projects going on so it is more than maintaining a single web page. Hardware too, since they make self-contained google search appliances for companies and google glass. :)
 
Might be a little OT, but there are huge companies out there, like Google, that would kill to have fresh-graduates working for them in fields like Computer Engineering. I'd like to do some form of it, still debating whether that form is code...

Well, it's more like fresh-graduates are killing to work for them. Google (and similar companies) have no problem finding talent.

I suggest going to their website and looking to see what skills they are looking for in co-ops (internships for you non-engineer types), and focus on those, and definitely a degree in computer science if you're looking to work there.
 
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