A General Question..

[Kavitha Adimurthy]

Hi All -
In the present market conditions, is it necessary for a Masters Graduate in CS to get SCJP???
Thx in advance,
K

[Marilyn de Queiroz]

I'm moving this to Jobs Discussion forum

[vidhya subramaniam]

Hi Kavita,
No it is not necessary for a masters degree. if you want to give your SCJP they dont ask you any degree for it.

Vidhya.

[Kavitha Adimurthy]

Hi Vidhya -
I am sorry that you misunderstood my question... I already have a master's degree in CS. I am a software developer specializing in Java, and I was wondering whether I should get SCJP certified... I mean, with recession and all looming, are the employers looking for SCJP certification even though an applicant has an MS in CS degree???
Thx
K

Originally posted by vidhya subramaniam:
Hi Kavita,
No it is not necessary for a masters degree. if you want to give your SCJP they dont ask you any degree for it.

Vidhya.

[This message has been edited by Kavitha Adimurthy (edited October 10, 2001).]

[John Coxey]

Kavitha Adimurthy:
I too have an MS-Computer Science degree from a US College.
I was able to land several Java jobs without either the SCJP or SCJD exams under my belt.
However, I think I would have had more opportunities come my way if I did have the two exams under my belt.
------
My feelings about the exams. They really help a junior level person establish themselves. Both from a learning standpoint as well as a job-seaker standpoint.
Sure, you can get the SCJP in a month or so. But, I spent about 6 months hashing it out. Basically, I tried to learn all I could about the language - espeically the core technologies. My goal was to learn Java - and to be a better programmer. And yes, I feel the SJCP made me a better programmer.
-----
I am currently working on my UML exam - pursuing it in much the same way as I did the SCJP. My plans are to continue my studies and grab the J2EE connectivity exam that IBM puts out.
Since I am on the road 29 days out of every 30, studying for the exams gives me something to do - and keeps me from getting too bored with hotel life.
-------
Are there jobs out there? I think so, especially if your MS-CompSci degree is from the USA. If you are not an H1B - then your chances will improve dramatically. I am seeing a lot of companies slowing down their H1B hiring process due to slowdown and greater availability of US programmers.
Given your name - if you are a US Citizen - then by all means, indicate it on your resume, and/or state that you do not need H1B sponsorship.
------
Hope this helps.
John Coxey
([e-mail])

[krishna anand]

Dear John
I would like to use this opportunity to congratulate you for patiently responding to all forms of queries .Your responses are very comprehensive and quick .You stand as a model for persons like me on learning how to be a useful person on message boards like this .
I wish you all the best and once again congratulate you on being a very useful member in this forum .
------------------
Krishna

[Raghav Mathur]

john :
IF you could tell me if Ms is possible without having a bachelors in the related field . Tell me if it is legally and practically possible or not .... thanks in advance .
raghav mathur

Originally posted by John Coxey:
Kavitha Adimurthy:
I too have an MS-Computer Science degree from a US College.
I was able to land several Java jobs without either the SCJP or SCJD exams under my belt.
However, I think I would have had more opportunities come my way if I did have the two exams under my belt.
------
My feelings about the exams. They really help a junior level person establish themselves. Both from a learning standpoint as well as a job-seaker standpoint.
Sure, you can get the SCJP in a month or so. But, I spent about 6 months hashing it out. Basically, I tried to learn all I could about the language - espeically the core technologies. My goal was to learn Java - and to be a better programmer. And yes, I feel the SJCP made me a better programmer.
-----
I am currently working on my UML exam - pursuing it in much the same way as I did the SCJP. My plans are to continue my studies and grab the J2EE connectivity exam that IBM puts out.
Since I am on the road 29 days out of every 30, studying for the exams gives me something to do - and keeps me from getting too bored with hotel life.
-------
Are there jobs out there? I think so, especially if your MS-CompSci degree is from the USA. If you are not an H1B - then your chances will improve dramatically. I am seeing a lot of companies slowing down their H1B hiring process due to slowdown and greater availability of US programmers.
Given your name - if you are a US Citizen - then by all means, indicate it on your resume, and/or state that you do not need H1B sponsorship.
------
Hope this helps.
John Coxey
([e-mail])

[Kavitha Adimurthy]

Thx John for sharing your thoughts; that really helped me a lot... thx for your patience too.. that sure answers my question and clears my doubts.
~K

[John Coxey]

Raghav:
- Yes, it is very legal to get a Master's degree in computer science without having a Bachelor's degree in computer science.

- Note, I am talking about USA colleges for the Master's degree. And yes, you can have your undergraduate Bachelor's degree in a different field in a different country and still qualify.
- Here is the catch. A Master's degree in the USA is around 10 to 12 classes. At 3 credits a piece - this translates into 30 to 36 credits. This is important - because the cost structure is billed in "credits" not "classes." Some of the undergraduate mathematics and foreign language classes are 4 or 5 credits each.
The cost where I went to school was US$850 per credit or around US$2500 to US$2600 per class or about US$30,000 for the entire MS degree.
-------
Here is the catch. The further away from the Computer Science field (and technology in general) that your Bachelor's degree is in, the more classes you will have to take.
And of course, the more classes you take - the more the university gets to make.
And we all know, universities in the USA are businesses, and of course all businesses want to make money. See how the game is played.
-----------
Regarding specific classes, courses, admission requirements:
- Each college/university has different requirements. You will have to write to them and get the specifics. With e-mail today, it does not hurt to write to them.
- Regarding which college you go to. Unless you are going to one of the top 10 computer science schools - it does not matter. As long as the name is well known. Note that community colleges in the USA do NOT offer Bachelor's, Masters, or PhD's. Most are only 2 year prep schools for 4 yr colleges. Yes, there are a few that offer limited Bachelor's degrees - but not many.
- Regarding the top 10 or 20 computer science schools. These schools are gearing their students for PhD's and research type positions. Where I went to school (not in the top 20 but up there) - we focuses a lot on abstract concepts - especially AI and Computer Graphics. Not a whole lot of real-world applications, which hurt me in the job market.
This is why I did an intership/co-op with Osh-Kosh Children's clothing. And this was my springboard into the Java world.
- Hope this helps.
John Coxey
([e-mail])

[Raghav Mathur]

Thanks a lot for the info .
one more thing , about financial help .... tell me more about it.
If i convert 30,000 into rupee , it will come to a very large figure . Tell me about financial help , scolorship thrugh GRE.
Whether it is possible for a person to work out of campus to repay the loans for study ?
tell me more ....thanks

Originally posted by John Coxey:
Raghav:
- Yes, it is very legal to get a Master's degree in computer science without having a Bachelor's degree in computer science.

- Note, I am talking about USA colleges for the Master's degree. And yes, you can have your undergraduate Bachelor's degree in a different field in a different country and still qualify.
- Here is the catch. A Master's degree in the USA is around 10 to 12 classes. At 3 credits a piece - this translates into 30 to 36 credits. This is important - because the cost structure is billed in "credits" not "classes." Some of the undergraduate mathematics and foreign language classes are 4 or 5 credits each.
The cost where I went to school was US$850 per credit or around US$2500 to US$2600 per class or about US$30,000 for the entire MS degree.
-------
Here is the catch. The further away from the Computer Science field (and technology in general) that your Bachelor's degree is in, the more classes you will have to take.
And of course, the more classes you take - the more the university gets to make.
And we all know, universities in the USA are businesses, and of course all businesses want to make money. See how the game is played.
-----------
Regarding specific classes, courses, admission requirements:
- Each college/university has different requirements. You will have to write to them and get the specifics. With e-mail today, it does not hurt to write to them.
- Regarding which college you go to. Unless you are going to one of the top 10 computer science schools - it does not matter. As long as the name is well known. Note that community colleges in the USA do NOT offer Bachelor's, Masters, or PhD's. Most are only 2 year prep schools for 4 yr colleges. Yes, there are a few that offer limited Bachelor's degrees - but not many.
- Regarding the top 10 or 20 computer science schools. These schools are gearing their students for PhD's and research type positions. Where I went to school (not in the top 20 but up there) - we focuses a lot on abstract concepts - especially AI and Computer Graphics. Not a whole lot of real-world applications, which hurt me in the job market.
This is why I did an intership/co-op with Osh-Kosh Children's clothing. And this was my springboard into the Java world.
- Hope this helps.
John Coxey
([e-mail])

[Thomas Whalen]

i know this sounds demanding, but i would be very highly interested in knowing what you think the Top 10 or Top 20 Computer Science colleges are. i would seriously consider moving my fiance, doggies, etc. to the right place.
Thanks,
Thomas

[Subrahmaniyam Kokkonda]

Originally posted by Kavitha Adimurthy:
Hi Vidhya -
I am sorry that you misunderstood my question... I already have a master's degree in CS. I am a software developer specializing in Java, and I was wondering whether I should get SCJP certified... I mean, with recession and all looming, are the employers looking for SCJP certification even though an applicant has an MS in CS degree???
Thx
K

[This message has been edited by Kavitha Adimurthy (edited October 10, 2001).]

[Subrahmaniyam Kokkonda]

Originally posted by Kavitha Adimurthy:
Hi Vidhya -
I am sorry that you misunderstood my question... I already have a master's degree in CS. I am a software developer specializing in Java, and I was wondering whether I should get SCJP certified... I mean, with recession and all looming, are the employers looking for SCJP certification even though an applicant has an MS in CS degree???
Thx
K
[QB]hi kavitha
R u bi any chance the same kavitha from wgl kits. if yes mail me on [e-mail].
byee
subrahmaniyam

[This message has been edited by Kavitha Adimurthy (edited October 10, 2001).]

[Subrahmaniyam Kokkonda]

hi kavitha,
r u bi any chance the same kavitha from kits wgl...??? if yes cud u plz email me on [e-mail].
thanks
subrahmaniyam