Best Degree to Pair w/ a B.Sc. in Computer Science? 1054
VeryCleverHandle asks: "I have held a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science for about two years now, and I want to further my education, and increase my marketability. I am wondering what kind of degree makes a good pair for my existing one. At first, I thought of a Master's, but in my searches for a job, I've rarely (read: never) seen a Masters degree required. I am also researching what kind of degrees others, who have obtained their Bachelor's, received to help complement their education. So I ask you, Slashdot: Which degree(s) do YOU think will go well with a Computer Science Bachelors?"
Three Letters: (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Three Letters: (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Three Letters: (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Three Letters: (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Three Letters: (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Three Letters: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Three Letters: (Score:3, Insightful)
As opposed to those with a CS degree?
You've wasted enough of your life in school. Go DO stuff. How many years did you spend not making shit income in school and how much money did you spend to be there? Imagine what you could have done with that time if you'd gotten a computer, some books, and gone about making shit happen?
Education is what employers settle for when they can't get their hands on someone with experien
Re:Three Letters: (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually, while experience is very valuable, I'd rather not hire a programmer that has no college education. Although it is possible to learn everything CS degrees teach without attending actual school, very few people do that. It's just more efficient to learn that as part of a degree -- although you have to learn quite a bit more than what you will eventually need, you never know which parts are things you do NOT need. Without knowing at least something about compiler theory, relational model, discrete maths, data structure basics, algorithms etc., you aren't much of a software developer; no matter how much experience you have doing more trivial programming.
At least in CS it's simple: like they say, simple problems were all solved in 60s (if not 50s). If you do not learn what the great minds learnt/invented/solved (but rather go and solve them by trial and error... or worse, never learn them!), you are just colossaly wasting your time. Either you are ignorant of useful techniques, or you have used awfully lots of time reinventing the wheel.
However, after learning enough (B.Sc, or maybe M.Sc... depends on kinds of things you are working on), I certainly agree one has to go out and use the knowledge. Going for higher degrees without intervening real-world experience is as silly as ignoring 'formal' CS theory altogether.
Re:Three Letters: (Score:5, Insightful)
Maybe you can do what someone with a CS degree is supposed to be able to do, but education isn't just about learning marketable skills. I'm just about done with a Masters in Computer Science, and I can certainly tell you that getting the degree was well worth my time. I really feel like I have a much broader understanding of Computer Science now, and that is worth something to me. Maybe it won't make me more marketable (I think it will), but money isn't everything. I love the subject, and I love learning about it.
I recommend a masters degree to anyone who just wants to know more.
Re:Three Letters: (Score:4, Insightful)
That is hardly not having an education. If I could recommend any other degree (other than CS) to an aspiring programmer, it would be Physics. It may even be preferable to a CS degree. There is no question that getting a Physics degree shows that you can think (and it helps develop those skills).
The point is, surely, that a piece of paper is no substitute for skill, talent and passion for the subject matter.
Agreed, but my point was that I often hear people who don't have an education attack education as worthless. I really don't see how they could know that.
Re:Three Letters: (Score:5, Insightful)
If you want to work in the same position all your life, then great. Stay out of school, and just get experience.
If, however, you don't want to stay in the same position all your life, go to school. It is a must.
If you have 20 yrs experience in a job (or 5, or 10), all that says about you is that you can do that job. Period. It says nothing about your potential, it says nothing about your willingness (and ability) to extend yourself, it says nothing about what you CAN do or MIGHT do given the chance, it only describes what you've DONE.
I'm speaking firsthand...I used to think like you...who needed college? I've been coding since I was 12 (over 25 yrs). I was writing business apps in COBOL before I could drive a car. And yep, I got some good jobs as a developer and sys-admin. But those were the ONLY jobs I got, and I only got those jobs in small companies (less than 100 people). Why? Because I didn't have a degree.
The year after I went back and completed my degree, I was hired into a Fortune 10 company at a 60% increase in salary, one annual review from management. This is after continually being rejected by that company and similar companies.
What changed? Did I learn a new language? Nope. Get certified in some new technology? Nope. Get another year, or 5, or 10 years of experience? Nope. The ONLY thing that changed was getting my degree.
Does not having a degree mean you can't do a particular job? Probably not. But I can tell you firsthand that without the degree, your options for growth, variety, and additional responsibility are severely limited. The game might suck, but in most cases, you still have to play it, and that means "punching your ticket" at the undergrad level, and eventually the grad level.
School isn't for everyone, and I totally agree that you should have a plan for getting a return on your investment. I know people getting their MBA who have no plan for how having their MBA degree will make a difference in their careers, or what kind of job they will need afterwards to make getting the degree worth it from an expense perspective. I think that's lame. However, I think getting the degree is an excellent idea, provided you have a plan for working it to your advantage.
To the original question: don't get a MBA...in another year, MBAs will be a dime a dozen, like MCSEs. If it were me, I'd specialize: MS in Library Science, or MS in Information Systems, or MS in Technology Management, or MS in Information Assurance, etc.
Re:Three Letters: (Score:5, Insightful)
I guess the point here is that the formal and informal learning all have value. It seems like those who haven't had a formal education have an inferiority complex, and those who have had a formal education have a superiority complex. A degree in whatever, while merely a piece of paper represents that the person has done something, and learned how to learn. I know that the lessons that I have learned in college are far beyond the classes I have taken. And if I would not trade what I have learned for anything. Sure it would be nice to make a ton of money right now, and to enjoy the perks, the evolution of my character, personality, and knowledge is worth too much to me. When I graduate, it is going to be worth far more than a piece of paper: it will represent a period of my life where I have grown up a whole lot.
Got a pipe wrench? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Three Letters: (Score:5, Funny)
Indeed (Score:5, Informative)
Ooh that why ! (Score:3, Insightful)
Gee...wonder why? (Score:5, Insightful)
So what you're saying is, you can code OK but you have poor communication skills and can't fit in with the corporate structure.
Don't want to be mean, but it isn't your CS degree that's the problem - the people getting the jobs have those too, remember - it's your lack of social skills.
Imagine someone with good people skills who can code too? I bet that person gets the job.
I'd rather see hiring based on pure skills, but that's not how U.S IT companies do it.
Until you find this magical job that allows you to be the sole developer on your own project, people skills are relevant skills for a programmer. It seems to be something you lack, so don't be surprised by your inability to find a job you feel is commensurate with your coding abilities.
This isn't college anymore. You don't get to work by yourself. A good coder who can't interact with people is less valuable than a decent coder who can.
If you care to notice, you could learn a valuable life lesson here.
Re:Indeed (Score:4, Interesting)
A project team with a dozen acceptable coders who can communicate well will outperform a project with a dozen brilliant coders who can't communicate and can't work in teams.
Re:Three Letters: (Score:3, Informative)
An MBA with no management work experience is worthless... monitarily speaking.
Many universities won't even accept you into their program you unless you're in a management role.
Re:Three Letters: (Score:5, Insightful)
You'll also have to cope with the huge influx with people graduating with MBAs over the next few years. I have to wonder if the market is going to be flooded with too many MBAs soon.
Don't get me wrong. Education is a good thing, but it really seems like everyone and his sister are enrolling in an MBA program.
Re:Three Letters: (Score:4, Insightful)
This is not to say that having an MBA with no experience means that you're useless. It just means that you're going to have a harder time competing.
Re:Three Letters: (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Three Letters: (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Three Letters: (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Three Letters: (Score:5, Interesting)
You sir, have never experienced the joy of using not one, but two international tax treaties, to make income from a foreign assignment by a non-U.S. citizen that would otherwise not be taxable in the U.S. intentionally so taxable (and, *poof*, completely offset by foreign tax credits, ta da!), so the eligible moving expenses associated with the assignment, but paid in the following year, when a U.S. tax resident, are deductable against U.S. income in that following year.
Accounting has the potential for some interesting hacks. When was the last time you got to (figuratively), go "Nyeah, nyeah, nyeah, nyeah, nyeah!" to the IRS, and the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency)?
Re:Three Letters: (Score:5, Insightful)
I worked for two years while doing my masters at night. Where do I stand now? Overqualified a computer posistion and under qualified as a manager of any sort. No companies have been interested. Wait a couple years on the MBA if you are fresh outa college.
Re:Three Letters: (Score:3, Informative)
This story has come at a good time for me, as I was pondering the exact same issue, I am considering studying an MBA with the Open University [open.ac.uk], and the course starts in May so I need to move fast...
They have two MBAs that I'd consider as options though - and I'm somewhat undecided about which to go for:
I am a process engineer and process manager, involved in process control and improvement, pa
Re:Three Letters: (Score:4, Insightful)
M
Re:Three Letters: (Score:4, Funny)
Eat lot's of Krispy Kreme donuts then....
Re:Three Letters: (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Three Letters: (Score:5, Funny)
Is there more than one thought in all of that? I just couldn't get through it.
It hurts when I do this (Score:4, Funny)
So, uh, how'd that work out for you?
I can think of a few... (Score:4, Informative)
A Mathematics degree "plays" nicely with a CS degree, too.
Re:I can think of a few... (Score:3, Interesting)
I second that.
Not to mention, when you get a business degree, you will be able to more easily understand why management does as they do, and get along better with your managers. Then you're likely to get promoted in-house, in which case your "underlings" will know you as a programmer and you'll likely get respect. You'll also be able to understand them, and make informed decisions. A bridge between management and IT. Just don't try to micromanage.
Of course, that's in-house. G
Re:I can think of a few... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I can think of a few... (Score:3, Insightful)
Hindi (Score:5, Funny)
No Kannada (was Hindi) (Score:5, Informative)
Re:No Kannada (was Hindi) (Score:4, Informative)
I wonder how successful Indian outsourcing would have been had the English had not set up a colony and left their language there.
Interpretive Dance (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Interpretive Dance (Score:5, Funny)
The choreography consists of taking the original requirements, ripping them to shreds, and running around screaming as you throw them into the air like confetti.
Biochemistry (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Biochemistry (Score:4, Insightful)
Chemistry, economics, business, biology, genetics, physics, computer science, neuroscience are all fields that could use folks with some training in computer science to help with modeling and other problems related to their work.
SGI is one possibility, but most folks doing this sort of work are looking at more inexpensive hardware and building clusters of commodity hardware to do their work. Also Apple's Xserves are proving to be quite cost effective and screaming performers for genetics work.
Re:Biochemistry (Score:3, Insightful)
Major in any biology, but minor in CS (Score:4, Insightful)
If you're not motivated to do the biology coursework behind bioinformatics, you will not get anywhere in your career. Labs want people who can code a bit, not people who understand the fundamentals of designing operating systems. Mathematics, statistics, and scripting will get you farther than CS and a bit of bio will ever get you. Choose wisely.
Best thing to pair with a degree in Comp. Sci? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Best thing to pair with a degree in Comp. Sci? (Score:3, Informative)
After experience, membership of a professional society (eg: IEEE, or whatever) is better than most certifications, costs less, and is more exclusive.
Certifications are third on the list. They're OK but most peop
I'll second that (Score:5, Insightful)
Depends.. (Score:3, Informative)
I find even discussions with a friend in a branch of advertising is hardly served by some of the applications available to him and after an hour talking about what he does and, seeing what he really needs to get through a day, could probably whip together something simple that would do it, rather than the garbage in MS Office he has to wrestle with.
Consider the pros of taking a respectable understanding of technology into a career in law or politics, even.
Mathematics (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Mathematics (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Mathematics (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Mathematics (Score:3, Interesting)
You can demonstrate communication and people skills when you show up for the interview. A piece of paper saying you have them hardly helps. On the other hand proving that you are adept at abstract and logical thought and a sound grounding in advanced mathematics: Not quite so easy to demonstrate at an interview; you might want a pi
Easy (Score:5, Insightful)
Finishing school... (Score:5, Funny)
Depends... (Score:4, Insightful)
Thank Goodness (Score:5, Funny)
Go for the business degree, kid. Whatever you do in this world, there will always be a business manager over you (or working for you)
And yes, I do like ice cream.
What about law? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:What about law? (Score:4, Informative)
A Language (Score:5, Interesting)
Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)
Re:A Language (Score:5, Funny)
What's your ultimate goal? (Score:5, Insightful)
If you want to be a tech for the long haul, perhaps a degree in mathematics.
Whatever you do, remember also that communication skills are important. You're not typically taught them in college (at least not very well); but your advancement will to some degree depend on them.
Art...? (Score:3, Interesting)
Law (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Law (Score:3, Informative)
You need to have passed the patent bar in order to hold yourself out as a "patent attorney." You don't need to have passed the patent bar to litigate patent infringement case, or to even write and prosecute patents (as long as you are work under the direction of someone who HAS passed the patent bar), but you can't use the title "patent attorney" unless you have both been admitted to a state bar in any
MARKETING!!! (Score:5, Insightful)
seriously. work in the industry for 5 years, then go back to school, experience is more valuable than any piece of paper.
Psychology. (Score:3, Insightful)
Psychology. Don't laugh, my Psychology minor has been extremely useful, particularly the classes that dealt with cognitive Psychology, which is directly applicable to human-computer interfaces. I intend to turn that into a full Bachelor's someday.
seriously (Score:5, Insightful)
2) Don't Get a degree to increase your "marketability", unless it increases your "marketability" in a field that you would want a job in. In which case, see (1).
Re:seriously (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:seriously (Score:5, Insightful)
If you're thinking about going back to school, just look into a lot of different subjects, and when you find something that you're really interested in, and the idea of taking classes on that subject is sort of exciting, take some classes in that.
If your real concern is that you're looking for is a token degree to give your resume a superficial bump, than it sounds like the job you're well-suited for is that of a PHB, in which case go ahead and get your MBA. You'll learn all the market-speak necessary to synergize best-business-practices in order to get the greatest possible ROI.
Otherwise, take some interesting classes and see where it leads you.
For me one choice (Score:5, Insightful)
YMMV. Pick a degree that compliments what you are interested in. Not what the consensus on
After all, you're gonna be the one stuck with the job that it leads you to. The degree could be a marketing MBA, or in Biochemistry or Astronomy, etc, etc.
But you've gotta be happy with it.
What do you like to do? (Score:5, Informative)
I myself have CS and physics bachelors, but my primary aim is at physics. I found the compsci degree helpful when I was doing work in particle physics, as I was writing tons of analytical code. Also, if you planned on doing development for government labs, an ability to create accurate models is a good thing, and physics will help with that.
Management, obviously MBA. I'd also consider a humanities (particularly English) degree; we always complain about the plight of the illiterate programmer/engineer/scientist. Well-spoken and clear-writing employees look good and go a long way. 3-4 years is a major commitment to polish up your writing, though! That having been said, I find I need the humanities to stay sane, so it's probably time well spent...
J.D. Patent Lawyer (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:J.D. Patent Lawyer (Score:4, Insightful)
Besides, most CS grads would make horrible lawyers in general for one significant reason: they have horrible communication skills. Lawyers have to be intelligent and very analytical (a trait many with CS degrees have), but also be able to effectively communicate ideas with others (a trait very few CS holders have in my experience).
Keep in mind this is coming from someone who has a CS degree from undergrad, and a few of my friends (and one of my siblings) have attended the top law schools in the US. Let me tell you this, you'd be hard-pressed to find a group of more rabid alphas that people in competitive law schools. And somehow "CS geek" and "rabid alpha male/female" rarely refer to the same person.
Consider the ethics first (Score:4, Insightful)
If you have any doubts about how well the patent system works, this job is not for you. It's very much like a typically defense lawyer. Your job is to get the person the lightest sentence possible regardless of crime with faith in the fact that the system in general will work regardless of your abilities.
I'm not making a judgement about how well the system works or doesn't work. Just pointing out that you should consider this before you pursue this path.
And for what it's worth, dealing with IP lawyers has been the most pleasant lawyer-related experience I've had. Extremely bright people.
Go get some experience. (Score:3, Insightful)
I know when I interview possible engineer candidates, I'm looking more for experience than education.
What are you wanting to do? Your write up was very vague.
What are you interested in? (Score:3, Insightful)
On the other hand, if there are areas of learning which you really would like to know more about (be it History, Physics, English Lit, etc) then get a degree in that. It will be far more interesting for you and will make you a much more interesting candidate.
But that's just my $.02...
No need for another degree... (Score:5, Informative)
Unless of course you are looking to learn something totally unrelated to Computer Science in order to provide an additional route for employment. If that's the case, only you can make that choice, and asking people here is silly. If you're not interested in the subject, you're highly unlikey to be motivated enough to do the best you can at it.
Depends (Score:3, Insightful)
Personally, if you have unlimited time and funds, I recommend a law degree. Fight the good fight against the SCO. What's more, there will be a deluge of criminal computer cases over the next decade. You would be in a perfect situation to take advantage of this.
JD (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm going to go to law school starting in August. You can work in the field of high-tech law, intellectual property, and patents... I personally am more interested in the software business than I am in writing code, so take that with a grain of salt.
And, you can also diversify into numerous other legal specializations if you get bored or need a change of pace.
The average starting salary varies wildly depending on the type of entity you work for and your geographic location. But, it is my suspicion that you could pretty readily get a decent management job at a software company with 1) technical experience; 2) a BS in CS; and 3) a JD.
There's always the option of going into private practice, or you could work for the FBI/CIA/NSA if you have a penchant for government work (and a clean background).
There's lots more to say on the subject of techno-lawyers, so I'm interested to see what else people have to say Re: law school.
Re:JD (Score:5, Insightful)
(1) Patent lawyers are occasionally referred to as the "Dermatologists of the legal profession" -- they work semi-normal hours and get paid well.
(2) Patent is also hard to branch back out of if you don't like it -- you tend to pigeonhole yourself.
(3) Don't make your decision based on salary -- better to be poor and happy than rich and miserable. Also, while lawyers coming out of the top 12 or so law schools will typically start at $125-135/yr, those salary figures drop dramatically in the next tier. You don't want to rack on a bunch of debt only to find out that you're working more hours but making about what you were before.
I don't think that a JD would give you any help in management -- the only management skill you learn in law school is time management.
On the other hand, lawyers are the grease of the economy -- nothing much happens without them. When things go well, you need lawyers. And, when things go poorly, you need lawyers. Not too many legal jobs being outsourced to Bangalore.
Re:JD (Score:3, Informative)
I was going to mod you up until I got to the last line of your comment. Legal work is actually starting to get outsourced in this country (the US, since this is a US site, blah, blah...):
http://money.cnn.com/2004/10/14/news/economy/lawye r_outsourcing/?cnn=yes [cnn.com]
Not a Master's (Score:3, Interesting)
In all my experience I have yet to meet anybody who feels their Master's degrees helped them in their job.
This includes MBAs, which I find quite surprising. But I have never met an MBA who thinks her or his MBA helped them get and do the job. I do know one person who thinks her MBA helped her find a husband
I have a Master's degree myself. I had a blast getting it. I'd do it again. But for job advancement it is worth less than nothing.
Kung-Fu (Score:3, Funny)
What do you want to be when you grow up? (Score:5, Insightful)
Economics (Score:3, Informative)
I would say the biggest caveat is that economics programs really depend on the professors. Spending 1 or 2 years in an econ program with cruddy profs will be rather painful.
The biggest gain with an econ background (or even MBA or the other general business degress people are throwing around here) is that you can make decisions in your programmer box that will positively affect the business as a whole. Too many programmers are idealogues with no sense of why implementing feature X is a bad idea when it will cost Y but only increase sales by Y - $20,000. The ability to make suggestions about how development can better help the business as a whole will make you more valuable, and probably make for a better working environment.
Be prepared for a deluge of opinion... (Score:3, Insightful)
When I read this, my first response would be to pit the question on the submitter. Why ask
I don't know if
Sure, you can get as much advice as you can take on what might "look good" on a resume, but I also knew a few classmates who tried for a minor that they thought would give them a one-up. In the end, they didn't like what they were studying, were too mentally exhausted to try harder, and just detested the class material so much that they then detested the work that came with it. And no employer's going to want to hire someone who isn't motivated to do their job, that's for sure.
Figure out what you would really like to do first. If you don't know, try out market yourself with what you have. If you then find something that you'd really like to go for but don't have what the education / experience, THEN you'll find the motivation to take more classes, and you'll know what you need to take.
Human factors, UI design and evaluation (Score:4, Insightful)
Oh, and it's also a good starting point for striking out on your own as an innovator.
No magic silver bullet degree (Score:3, Informative)
There is no magic degree bullet. I went to school with a lot of pre-meds (my undergrad degree is in biology). A number of the premeds wanted to go into medicine because they thought that the degree would be the magic carpet to a high income and job security.
As it turned out, things were not so simple. HMOs put pressure on doctor's fees and medicine is a field where there is more burnout than people want to admit. For people who are not good at relationships with other people (most of the premeds I knew) seeing people for the same kind of thing year after year becomes a huge bore. By the time they hit their forties some doctors would like to do something else, but it is too late to easily change professions and they are used to making a lot of money.
Since there is no degree that I know of that will guarantee a good income, job security AND interesting work, you might was well go for a degree in something that interests you and might improve your job prospects.
If I were to get another degree I'd get a degree in quantitative finance. That is, the application of mathematical techniques to financial modeling and trading of stocks, bonds, foreign exchange and so on. Having a solid software background and the ability to handle the math is a big asset. Of course for some of us the downside is that you may have to live in or around New York city (but this is a feature for other people).
English! (Score:5, Insightful)
If English doesn't appeal to you, any degree in the humanities will look great, since most require language and research skills, and present you as a well-rounded renaissance person, not a single-minded code zombie. (Read: as someone who makes decisions, not as someone who is subject to them.) History is also particularly good.
Remember: CS majors stereotypically are introverted nerds who can't communicate with anyone who doesn't speak LISP. CS majors with MBAs are stereotypically suit-wearing nerd-wannabes who can't communicate with anyone who doesn't speak Marketroid. Anything you can do to prove that you're not either of those will help a lot.
The passion (Score:5, Insightful)
You will also never be rich -- unless you are extremely lucky.
But that is a judgement call on your part. It is, however, worth remembering that "quality of life" and "standard of living" are not equivalent.
Tough one (Score:3, Funny)
Mechanical Engineering (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm studying for a dual bachelor's in MechE / CS at RPI [slashdot.org]. Combining these majors was one of the best things I did at RPI. I love working with computers and I love learning about the mechanical world; I didn't choose my majors solely because that's what I wanted to do for a job.
I didn't think a dual degree would be very marketable, but now that I'm looking for a job, I'm finding that not only are the employers from both fields contacting me, but when I talk to them, they love the fact that I'm able to talk as comfortably about program stacks as grar trains.
Just one poor student's opinion.
Biology (Score:5, Interesting)
You may find the following article in PLoS Biology interesting:
Mathematics Is Biology's Next Microscope, Only Better; Biology Is Mathematics' Next Physics, Only Better [plosbiology.org]
Biology (Score:3, Insightful)
If you're interested in computational biology or bioinformatics, you'll have it made in either academia or industry. With the genomic revolution looming, people who can apply their knowledge of CS and algorithms to biological/biomedical problems are in HUGE demand.
Feel free to replace biology with biochemistry, molecular biology, or biomedical engineering degrees, as your particular tastes warrant.
a Foriegn language - preferably chineese or Hindi (Score:4, Funny)
If you have to ask, you're not ready (Score:5, Insightful)
One friend's dad offered to pay for her grad school completely after she'd worked 5 years. Wise man: she's never looked back.
Another friend, the smartest science/tech student in years at my high school, stopped with a BS, moved to Silicon Valley, and says she'd literally *fall behind* in her field if she left work for 1-3 years. I kind of doubt this, since she could nail additional courses in her area as they paralleled her work until the degree sorta just plopped in her lap one day. She publishes enough. She studies and learns new stuff enough. But the degree also stopped mattering to anyone she knows *years* ago.
Another friend nailed a triple major, which took him longer than the rest of us. It didn't gain him any of the cash or glamour he bragged he'd get. That's some serious money wasted.
My own take is that graduate work should wait until you start finding something really compelling to become gods-own-expert in. Let me say it again: if you don't even care if you're gonna become a manager, head-geek, marketdroid, tech-writer, tech-law guru or whatever (what *Degree* depends on your answer to that question), you're seriously not prime for grad school. Take a class or two. Or just dive into some side project to gain some focus: pick a subset from that list of career paths and find a way to get experience in it.
I did some grad courses, and exited because it was clear that I wasn't sure what I wanted to do yet, and figured if I was going to become a PhD, it had better be in something I gave a rat's-ass about.
Ten years later, I'm fairly certain what that might be. If I weren't having so much fun with work, wife, kids, life in general, I'd probably go back. Once the kids aren't a delightful distraction, I'll start picking an ideal college/mentor or three to contact and apply to.
Caveat: grad degrees are candy: I approve, but I don't preach 'em. OTOH, Bachelor's degrees are not optional IMHO: they're a 2-way vaccine: at some point not having one can kill your career advancement; and they're used by employers as a yardstick. Doesn't apply to you, doesn't matter here, but it's a big deal to me: I've seen a few friends really hurt by not having BS behind their name (usually happens pretty late in life). Mileage may vary and that's my humble opinion and the value-of-a-degree subject has been hammered to death on
hate to be serious but... (Score:3, Interesting)
Poli Sci... not just for policy wonks (Score:5, Insightful)
Political Science classes tend to be pretty flexible in terms of managing writing and reading assignments, so they mesh good with the more deadline-intensive CS projects. Since Poli Sci tends to emphasize writing, its also a good major to build your language skills with. (Not to mention, a political theory class with a unit on Machiavelli has priceless potential when its lessons are applied in the workplace!)
In terms of employment, there are a ton of opportunities in academia, business, and government. There's a surprisingly large demand for techies in political research, as things like polls often require lots of customized code to carry out statistical analyses. Then there's the government potential... a Poli Sci degree is a ticket into many government agencies, and combined with Comp Sci, you bring useful and much needed tech skills... (you'd be especially well suited if you wanted to go down that whole secret agent CIA/NSA/FBI sort of route).
Similarly, Sociology or Psychology also work well with CS from what I've heard, for many of the same reasons. So definitely don't overlook the social sciences as an option.