as someone who has majored in both (two separate stints at school)....
moondog Send a noteboard - 12/01/2011 04:03:41 PM
if you want to work in physics you will be required to go to grad school. without at least a masters' degree, your prospects will be severely limited. also, physics necessitates working in academia for most of your professional career. there are plenty of private sector jobs for a physics major but the vast majority of work you will have available comes from the government or agencies which do work for the government.
on the CS side, it depends on what you want to do with your degree. if you want to be a programmer, or go into some kind of development, then CS is perfect and you will get a lot out of your classes. if your CS aspirations do not involve programming or research, you will find that many of your classes have no relevance to the real world. this is ok as far as it goes, because having the degree will let you get your foot in the door at many places. but you'll have to make up the experience yourself somehow until you can find a place willing to hire you.
hope this all helps, good luck whatever you decide.
edit: i want to add that i majored in physics and minored in CS and math my first time around. the lack of physics jobs in the private sector, plus my now ex-wife's unwillingness to relocate sent me back to school to finish the CS major. basic fact: if you want to work in the private sector, and a double major is out of the question, then go CS. i can't tell you how many jobs told me "we don't need any physicists" or "you don't have enough experience for our entry level position" when i just had the physics with CS/math minor.
on the CS side, it depends on what you want to do with your degree. if you want to be a programmer, or go into some kind of development, then CS is perfect and you will get a lot out of your classes. if your CS aspirations do not involve programming or research, you will find that many of your classes have no relevance to the real world. this is ok as far as it goes, because having the degree will let you get your foot in the door at many places. but you'll have to make up the experience yourself somehow until you can find a place willing to hire you.
hope this all helps, good luck whatever you decide.
edit: i want to add that i majored in physics and minored in CS and math my first time around. the lack of physics jobs in the private sector, plus my now ex-wife's unwillingness to relocate sent me back to school to finish the CS major. basic fact: if you want to work in the private sector, and a double major is out of the question, then go CS. i can't tell you how many jobs told me "we don't need any physicists" or "you don't have enough experience for our entry level position" when i just had the physics with CS/math minor.
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This message last edited by moondog on 12/01/2011 at 04:07:24 PM
/NSSP: Alright, internet, I have a major decision to make.
12/01/2011 05:25:23 AM
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I don't understand why you would major in physics when you know you want to work in CS.
12/01/2011 01:56:48 PM
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Don't bother with physics, it's a waste of time for what you want to do.
12/01/2011 02:09:30 PM
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I work for a high tech company and we hire a lot of software engineers
12/01/2011 02:23:31 PM
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Physics degrees are aimed at graduate work, and minors are rare in my experience
12/01/2011 03:08:49 PM
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as someone who has majored in both (two separate stints at school)....
12/01/2011 04:03:41 PM
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Re: as someone who has majored in both (two separate stints at school)....
12/01/2011 04:17:16 PM
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How many physics majors do we have here not working in the field of physics? At least four.
13/01/2011 01:47:27 AM
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