I am a junior in high school, and i really want to go into computers, and i've been looking at all different majors, and i am curious as to what the two majors i have listed really are. Any personal anecdotes would be much appreciated, thank you.

CS is more about the theory behind computer technology, including programming. It gives you a basis to expand into different areas of computers, such as software engineering, kernel development, or device drivers. There's a heavy emphasis on math and giving the student a wide range of topics.

CP is usually a subset of nearly all IT-based degrees. Programming can be a valuable skill to have but there is more to computer technology than just programming. Programming can be standard business applications, web scripts, game design, or even science simulations.

People are starting to question the benefit of having a traditional CS degree, especially for people who just want to program. Very little programming, especially business apps, require much math beyond algebra, and once you learn one language and the basics of how to program, it doesn't take too much effort to learn a new language. Heck, it doesn't take to much to become an average programmer.

Slashdot has quite a few CS-debates in the "Ask Slashdot" section. I recommend looking at some to see what others in the field think. My recommendation is that, if you want to program for a living, perhaps a Software Engineering degree would be more valuable.

Very informative post! thank you!

What are careers one could pursue with a comp sci degree? In which field of work lies more money, comp sci degree or software eng. degree?

Generally speaking, most IT/computer degrees are considered related to a CS degree, so you can use an SE degree for a job that requires a CS degree. AAMOF, most job postings say "CS degree or equivalent".

That being said, I personally feel that an SE degree would be more rewarding down the road because it should concentrate more on the whole program/application development lifecycle rather than just learning how to program. Slashdot comments have mentioned that many CS graduates aren't trained to think about entire projects. Having an SE degree should (theoritically) allow you to move up quicker or at least become a better manager, if that's your goal.

If you really want the big bucks, then get a technical (CS or other) Bachelor's degree and get a management-related MS degree, like MBA or MSIM. Many companies nowadays like to have managers that have a technical background because they are better able to relate to their workers and "get" the technical matters related to a project.

And don't forgot that experience counts a lot more than theoritical knowledge, i.e. having a bunch of certifications without the equivalent years of hands-on training won't help too much. The glut of MSCE "paper certificates" in the last few years has driven down the demand for people w/ certificates; when you can go to a brain-dump web site for a few days then take a test, it doesn't mean you actually know what you're doing when the **** hits the fan. However, if you have the experience then you might as well get the certificate. That way you'll have it if a company requires it and it could be the deciding factor when it comes to hiring time.

To have an idea of what sort of jobs are available for a particular degree, just browse www.monster.com or www.dice.com. I'm sure you'll find there are fields you've never even thought of.

One thing to remember is that nearly every company has need for software development, so don't just think about traditional IT companies. Places like hospitals, car makers, banks, etc. have a big need for computer people. And you can also look at going into consulting or contracting.

At my University (along with quite a few others i have heard of) you are simply offered a Computer Science degree. Within that group you can specialize in operating systems, file manipulations, blah blah. But, we all have have the same "core" classes which consist of some very simple programming- Past that you're free to go with computer architecture, programming, AI, whatever floats your float. But we all end up with the same degree- which I think is a little weird...

Regardless, as crystalattice stated above, a lot of other universities have different methods and you end up with a completely different degree depending on your field.

The most important thing to consider is what crystalattice said at the end of the last post- experience over everything

Management of information systems is the way to go!
Become a Project manager and meet with CEOs and managers from different companies to find out what they need to be programed and then rely it back to the programming teams. I started out in computer science and decided i wanted to deal with people more than just computers. So i decided to major in this and get the best of both worlds!

-jtrink