Need a reality check: CS-related

Originally Posted by sadguy

Why did you choose to live in Australia? Do you feel like engineering has better prospects there?

And on a side note,isn't UNSW GO8 as well? I've read about RMIT being very specialised in tech/engineering, basically the 'SUTD' of Aussie.

there are more opportunities in Australia.. I jump from Genie to Jira and then to telcos and banks. In Aus, they don believe in FT because most will convert to PR :P

yes, UNSW is GO8 but generally, only the sandstone uni are considered the real GO8 at least to me..

maybe u can treat all the uni that have "T" as the equivalent of NTU?

University of Adelaide (1874) - No Tech.

University of Western Australia (1911) - or Curtin (used to called Curtin University of Technology) btw Murdoch (heard their cybersecurity not bad)

University of Melbourne (1853) - RMIT University

University of Queenslanda (1909) - Queensland University of Technology (QUT)

University of Sydney (1850) - University of Technology, Sydney (UTS)

Originally Posted by Unregistered

If you're passionate about something you should go for it. Especially since your passionate pays well. Do it or you'll regret it.

If you excel you can pay back your debt in no time.

this is the best advice
we need good local CS talent

Originally Posted by Unregistered

First off, the education is just a means for you to get your foot through the resuming screening

Of course make sure your GPA or school doesn't suck too bad so it looks like a red flag. Obviously SIM ain't gonna cut it if you are looking to go into Apple, Google etc.

Probably u can be considered as QA but fat hope for SWE.

In fact some local tech firms like Shopee have accelerated interview processes for ppl that are local grads that are first class from CS. Just a 1 round process. These engineers after grad easily make more than 100k a year.

So if anyone tells u that education doesn't matter, they are lying

Then the 2nd step is to practice coding questions. I recommend "Cracking the coding interview" book

master your basic time complexity analysis, and Algo and data structures (trees graphs queues arrays linkedlists)

Make sure u know DFS, BFS, Kadanes algorithm, sliding window, various sorting algos like merge sort (just all these basics to name a few)

Also step up your DP (dynamic programming) skills, you can start with simple Fibonacci/grid travellers problem to understand DP concepts

If you master these well you can make big bucks.

source: 2 YOE engineer working as L4 in Google SG. I make around 8k a month (160k per year with stocks and bonus)

Hmmm L4 in SG is paid much lower than L4 in US.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hmmm L4 in SG is paid much lower than L4 in US.

Yes of couse. Doesnt mean the same level in the same company pays across countries

have to take into account cost of living, taxes etc. US taxes are much higher than us

this year L3 Google SG batch is 125k (6.7k with bonus + stocks). L3 in US starting alr much higher than that

Originally Posted by Unregistered

If you mean developers in trading firms, they make a lot more than Facebook, Google at the start. But maybe even harder to get in.

However they dont hire a lot, maybe 1-2 people a year only for fresh grads

You can easily make 10k+ a month (with bonueses) joining these firms as fresh grad

Some of these firms include: Grasshoper, Jane Street, DRW, Jump Trading

Grasshopper doesn't pay well. The rest of them yes.

Originally Posted by sadguy

Dear Members,

I'm in desperate need of a reality check and some life advice. Currently, I'm intending to pursue a Computer Science degree in UNSW, which will cost a fortune. My Father's monthly income is in the low ten-thousands and my mum has no income, but I'll be requiring a study loan of 100k+ to be studying overseas to cover my 140k school fees, and more for misc.

A little background of myself:
- 21
- Unable to enter local CS degrees with my average A level results due to co-curricular priorities back then, big mistake on my part
- Experience in C, Python for about a year+ (self-taught while in NS)

I'm someone whose extremely passionate about CS and is constantly learning and programming on a daily basis. I'm currently waiting to matriculate locally in InfoSys. Bottomline is, I'm not getting any support from my parents as they feel that any local degree is fine and it's unecessary to pursue my dream of Computer Science. They feel that its too big a bet and that 'CS Prospects are not guranteed', and that if I want to go overseas I'll have to bear the full cost of it.

As a young adult myself, I can't disagree with that as I have no actual experience in the working world, and probably don't understand the value of money as much as the working adults on this forum.

To the people working in CS-fields: Is the ROI on my CS degree worth taking this loan to pursue my studies? I see varying salaries from 3-7k starting. I would need years to pay off this debt and its interest.

Any other life advice/salary-related advice that may help overcome my situation would be appreciated.

Hi sadguy

I'm in the local tech industry and I'm currently a staff SWE at a FAANG. I'm making 600k+ a year after after including bonus+ vested RSU. (RSU granted is 18-24 months of my basic annually and stock has risen almost 1000% since I joined).

My suggestion to you is:
1) Save the money, study locally. (I didn't study locally).
2) Focus on studying Computer Science & graduate. Having a degree in CS is important to get an interview.
3) Be passionate about the tech industry.
4) Have some projects on GitHub/GitLab.
5) Study leetcode.
6) If you don't get into a top-tier SWE company on graduation, get 2 years of SWE experience first at any normal company.

Work experience/uni only gets you into the 1st interview. After that, it is your leetcode ability.

[surfius]

Many people in tech find the ROI to be positive in the long run. Maybe look into scholarships or part-time work to ease the financial burden. And talking to professionals in the field might give you better insight into the job market and potential earnings.

[surfius]

I had a similar situation when I was trying to fund my education. I took out a loan for a big project and was worried about the debt. To manage, I found some ways to win real money online instantly Cash App. It wasn’t a huge amount, but it helped with small expenses and eased some of the pressure.

As for your CS degree, it's a big investment, but if you’re really passionate about it, it might be worth pursuing. Many people in tech find the ROI to be positive in the long run. Maybe look into scholarships or part-time work to ease the financial burden. And talking to professionals in the field might give you better insight into the job market and potential earnings.