Jobs for the Major
How this major affects a job search
Thirty years ago, if you asked parents what they wanted their kids to become, you'd get one of two answers: doctor or lawyer. Times have changed. Now, if there's one thing parents love, it's a job in "computers." Not that they really know the difference. You could show them Tron and tell them that's what you do, and they'd buy it.
The fact is, get this degree and you will be working in computers. Or maybe you'll be a barista or something. We're not here to judge. If you use your degree in your career of choice, it'll have something to do with computers. It stacks up reasonably well. You are more of a generalist, so you will have a wider base of knowledge, but sometimes employers are looking for specialists. It's a trade-off.
Common Career Fields
Computer Engineer. If there's one job you are totally and uniquely qualified for, it's this one. Pretty much anyone that uses a computer will have use for a computer engineer. We say "anyone" because even "any corporation" isn't general enough. There are lots of jobs in the public sector for computer engineers. You're probably going to end up specialized in hardware or software depending on where you get hired, but for now, enjoy your versatility.
Computer Architect. This sounds like someone who builds houses out of computers, or houses for computers. Fortunately, we're not there yet. Computer architects build systems tailored to the needs of a specific place, usually a company. Maybe they need gaming software. Maybe they need systems less prone to overheating. Maybe they need a giant robot to fight all the radioactive lizards that come out of the ocean. (You probably won't do that last one.)
Chip Architect. Oh, the majestic arcs of the tortilla chip. Oh, the light dusting, like a desert made of sunset upon the humble Dorito. Oh, the ridges of the Ruffle, how well do you catch onion dip? Oh, the...that's a microchip. You can't put nacho cheese on that. Chip architects deal in micro rather than potato chips. They're on the hardware end of the scale, trying to build a better microchip, which is sort of the basic unit of a computer.
Network Engineer. Ever been in the middle of a deathmatch, and you just offed your annoying friend, and you're right about to do something awful to his prone body and the connection dies? Of course you have. That's the problem with living in the modern age: Jeremy's corpse going non-desecrated. Offices use networks as well, though less for deathmatches and more for internal communication. Either way, they need those things up, efficient, and working.
Software Engineer. This career takes mostly from one side of your major. The software side, but we're hoping you figured that out on your own. You will be developing new software here—or, at the very least, updating some of the old stuff. This is when your encyclopedic knowledge of programming languages comes in handy.
Computer Programmer. The go-to job for anyone with a computer-related degree, the programmer is never an option to ignore. Everyone needs programmers in this day and age, from the most boring government office all the way to movie studios. You won't be able to innovate as much, but sometimes it's all about the steady paycheck.
Education. Train the next generation of computer engineers. While many other jobs linger in the past for education, computer engineering professors have to live in the future. Not literally. They're not eating their meals in pill form and fighting invading insect aliens. No, they need to keep track of how the technology is evolving, because it's going to—and fast. In many cases, it's evolving because of the very students they're training. You'll be learning and adapting the whole way.
Current unemployment of the major
7.0% (Source)Percentage of majors who get a higher degree after college
33%Stats obtained from this source.