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Is Aerospace Engineer a good career path?

What career path should a CS major who have had multiple UX internships choose? UX, Software Engineer, or PM?

  • I am a graduating senior CS major. For the past three summers, I have interned as an UX designer in different companies, including big corporations and a small start-up. But when it comes to the time to apply for full-time positions, I am split between which path I should take. And once I started with one path, is it possible to switch paths? For example, from programmer to designer, or from designer to programmer? And as an international student, my situation becomes even more complicated: I will need to work in a company that can sponsor H1B work visa. 1. Design: I really like design and enjoyed all 3 of my internships. But it seems like there are not many junior level designer positions, especially for bigger companies. Most of the job descriptions I have looked at ask for either a degree in HCI or related design programs, or 3+ years of work experience. 2. Software Engineer: I like my major and I enjoy coding for my school projects and classes. I find problem solving really interesting and programming (especially the part when it compiles and runs with no error) satisfying. But I have not done any CS internship or project outside of school so I don't really know if I will like being a professional programmer or not. 3. PM: I have always wanted to combine my skills and passion for design and CS in some way. And in my understanding, PMs in some companies get to oversee and coordinate the different parts of a project (including design and development). But there aren't a lot of companies who look for entry-level PMs and I don't know if my background is a good fit or not. 4. Is there anything else out there? Thanks for any advice!

  • Answer:

    You can look at it two ways. The first is like an economist. Take the job with the highest expected future demand because you'll always have opportunities and get paid more for your valuable time. That would clearly be engineering. The other way to look at it is as a poet. What does your heart tell you? Flip a coin and see which one your heart quietly roots for before you reveal which side it's on. If you're excited, you know the right answer. If you're not excited and hoped for a different outcome you know the right answer. But just as in the movie The Good Year with Russell Crowe, the question is what's it going to be? The money? Or your life?

Sean Everett at Quora Visit the source

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These subjects are not mutually exclusive; in fact, Senior position need all three. The issue is not what you should major but how to get your first job. When you intern for a company, you have an advantage for a job with that company. Just keep on applying. If you have already done so, set up a http://LinkedIn.org account and follow companies that you would like to work for. Right now there is a shortage of technically qualified employees. Since you have done three internships, you should be looking not at entry level with no experience but a position  with some experience. You should have contacts with people at least three companies. Use LinkedIn networking to connect with people that will recommend you, and you can make more connection from their connections.

J. Lee Anthony

PM. If you are competent at both the others, you will become expert at marrying them together which will make you a great PM. If you join either specialty you'll be frustrated by the expectation that you're no good at the other. It's natural for this to happen as it's the usual case, so you'll have to accept it.   You'll be frustrated by the inefficiency of having to explain /document an approach just so it can be communicated to the opposite practitioners so they can make a decision you'd have been able to make yourself (often via a PM, who could have no CS degree or UX internships so they get it wrong).  Even if you ARE utilised for your full breadth of talent, you'll risk embedding a unique way of working within your org. that won't work for other specialists, mothballing or preventing development of the processes needed handle proper role definition when you leave.

Dave Casey

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