[NBLUG/talk] Universities

[William Tracy]

Hello,

I'm sorry that this is a bit off-topic. :-)

I'm a computer science major currently at the JC, planning to transfer
next fall. I'm considering Cal Poly SLO, and UC Davis; both have
accepted my applications.

Davis and Cal Poly both have computer science programs, but Cal Poly
also has a software engineering program, which looks like it is more
geared toward someone wanting to get a job in programming. On the
other hand, it looks like getting a degree there will take at least a
year longer that at Davis.

Eventually, I want to get a job computer programming. I was wondering
if anyone here could offer any thoughts from the perspective of
someone in the software industry. If there's any graduates from these
schools here who can comment, that would be great, too.

The impression I get is that the degree you get only really matters
for the first job or two; after that, it's all about where you worked
before. Does this mean that it really doesn't matter where I go? Could
anyone offer any thoughts on whether a software engineering degree is
really going to be more helpful than a computer science degree?

Thanks a lot!
William Tracy