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Is the field of computer science very dependable for an individual when it comes to salary and overall living sustainability?

#financial-planning #computer-science #science #technology

I live in rural Indiana, so the cost of living is not nearly as high as areas like California or New York, etc.

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Shane’s Answer

Location does make a difference. With the pandemic, the opportunity to choose where you work has exploded so it means you now likely have an opportunity to choose your employer and stay in Indiana.

Salaries are either market-rate or Cost of Living Adjusted (COLA) though so your Indiana salary will be lower as Michael pointed out than if you were in San Francisco or New York (or London or Zurich...). Most companies look at market data to understand "local" market rates but as the world shifts and many are now taking East or West coast roles in the Mid-West, the rates are changing so COLA adjusted is becoming more common.

Computer Science is continuously evolving so regardless of where you are, a plan to keep learning will be important. Languages, tools, models evolve - sometimes at a manageable pace, sometimes with a rapid explosion of a paradigm shift.
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Brian’s Answer

Certainly a computer science degree is an excellent choice to lead to good salaries and plenty of job opportunities. However, be certain that you like the roles you could take. The roles you could go in to with a computer science degree are varied, meaning there are various specialties and options...everything from being a programmer, to being an analyst, to specializing in areas such as AI or security (often these might need more training), or even things like technical support or technical sales. Also, it should be noted that in today's world, if you know what you are doing, you might find a degree unnecessary to just go into these fields. That being said, a degree always does provide additional advantages that often make navigating work like, at least, easier.
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Dan’s Answer

Yes, a CS degree should be very dependable with regards to getting a job and earning a decent salary - it is a great career with much variety and it's growing and changing every day. As a general description, you can choose either Computer Science (CS) or Computer Engineering (CE) where CS is most suitable for business applications (banking, cybersecurity, order entry, etc.) and CE is for engineering or scientific applications (manufacturing, product development, process control, etc.).
You can Google search for either starting salaries or average salaries but understand that average salaries are just that - averages. So your local area may pay more or less. You can also Google search for job openings in your area as a way to evaluate the actual job potential. If you are wiling to relocate to another city/state, you will have more opportunity for greater salary and growth (at the potential expense of a higher cost-of-living).
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Davina’s Answer

Computer Science is in my view a very good field to select for a career. However, you also need to have an aptitude for the career area you select. I studied Electronic Engineering but have been in the software business for most of my career. For example you can start in the software engineering area and then migrate into an area such as product management, where you’re the bridge between the technology and the business. Attending an open day at a local University can help you understand the course of study to select to be successful in this area.

Davina recommends the following next steps:

Contact a local University about their computer science under graduate degrees
Try to learn a programming language, such as Python.
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