What can you do with a Computer Science degree from University of California, San Diego?

First, some facts. Of the Computer Science graduates from University of California, San Diego we've analyzed , here's how many have used (or NOT used) their degree in their career:

These are estimates based on AI analysis of 10 LinkedIn profiles (see below).

The verdict? Above average. Overall, with an average relevance score of 73%, Computer Science graduates from University of California, San Diego have a higher likelihood (+6%) of finding work in this field compared to the average graduate across all fields:

And for comparison, here's the chart for all profiles we've looked at across all degrees.

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Also, after graduating, only 10% of these graduates have pursued further education other than another Bachelor's degree (such as a Masters degree or other), compared to the average across all profiles of 35%. This suggests a Bachelors degree is enough for most Computer Science graduates, and it's normal to look for work straight after graduation.

See the details:

• What jobs can you get with a Computer Science degree from University of California, San Diego?
• What do Computer Science graduates from University of California, San Diego do 1, 5 or 10 years out?
• How hard is a Computer Science degree from University of California, San Diego? How long does it take?
• How much money can you make with a Computer Science degree from University of California, San Diego?
• What are the best colleges for Computer Science?

View a random Computer Science graduate from University of California, San Diego and our analysis:

Relevance score: 58% We think this person has gone into a career only somewhat relevant to their degree. DEGREE INFO Graduated in 2016 from University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Computer Science. No other secondary education since. JOB HISTORY SINCE GRADUATION Software Engineer WD, a Western Digital Company Jul 2016 - Oct 2016 The Software Engineer position at WD directly utilizes computer science knowledge and programming skills learned during the Bachelor's degree, making it highly relevant. QA Engineer Visa Oct 2016 - Jul 2018 As a QA Engineer at Visa, the role involves some technical skills related to software testing; however, it is not strictly focused on core computer science knowledge but may draw on some programming concepts. Sr Software Test Engineer Visa Jul 2018 - Jan 2019 The Senior Software Test Engineer position at Visa applies some computer science principles, particularly in testing methodologies, but does not fully engage with the core areas of software development learned in a computer science degree. Sr Software Development Engineer in Test Charles Schwab Jan 2019 - Apr 2019 The role of Sr Software Development Engineer in Test at Charles Schwab demands advanced software development and testing skills, which are central to a computer science education, making it highly relevant. AMZ Robotics QA Engineer Amazon Apr 2019 - Apr 2020 The AMZ Robotics QA Engineer position at Amazon requires an understanding of software testing but is less focused on the more rigorous programming aspects of computer science. Quality Assurance Engineer, Alexa Devices Amazon Apr 2020 - May 2021 The Quality Assurance Engineer for Alexa Devices at Amazon applies some computer science principles in testing but is not directly centered on core programming or software development skills. Quality Assurance Engineer, FireTV Amazon May 2021 - Feb 2022 The Quality Assurance Engineer, FireTV role also utilizes elements of software testing and quality assurance practices but does not fully leverage core computer science skills on a daily basis. Senior Software Development Engineer in Test FINRA May 2022 - Dec 2022 The position as Senior Software Development Engineer in Test at FINRA requires extensive use of software engineering principles and methodologies learned in a computer science program, making it highly relevant. ABOUT No information provided.

What jobs can you get with a Computer Science degree from University of California, San Diego?

The top 10 most common jobs done by the graduates we've analyzed (ranked most common to least) are:

• Software Engineer
• Senior Software Engineer
• Software Engineer II
• Software Engineer Intern
• Streamer
• Member of Technical Staff
• Postulant
• Student Friar
• QA Engineer
• Sr Software Test Engineer

When looking at the job history of folks from UC San Diego who have degrees in Computer Science, it seems like there are definitely some interesting patterns. A lot of them have landed roles as Software Engineers or in technical positions, especially in big-name companies like Uber, IBM, and Amazon. These roles often utilize the programming and problem-solving skills that they picked up during their studies, making them pretty relevant to their degrees. Positions like Software Engineer, Senior Software Engineer, and QA Engineer show that many graduates are directly applying what they learned in a practical, day-to-day context that closely aligns with their education.

However, there are also some alumni who took on jobs that aren’t really in the tech arena. For instance, some moved into roles related to project management or even entirely different fields like religious training, where computer science skills aren't needed at all. It goes to show that while many graduates are working in tech-heavy jobs where their computer science background makes sense, there’s also a fair number who have veered away from the traditional CS career path, highlighting the versatility of the skills they gained. In summary, many of these graduates are definitely applying their Computer Science degrees in relevant and impactful ways, but there's also a mix of careers that stray outside the tech realm altogether.

Here is a visual representation of the most common words in job titles for Computer Science graduates (this is across all Computer Science graduates we've analyzed, not just those who went to University of California, San Diego):

What kind of career trajectories do Computer Science graduates from University of California, San Diego have? What do they do 1, 5 or 10 years out?

Looking at the career trajectories of graduates from UC San Diego's Computer Science program, it seems like a lot of them are landing solid, relevant jobs right out of school. Many of the early careers revolve around software engineering, with graduates quickly moving into roles at big tech companies, financial institutions, and innovative startups. For instance, graduates often start as software engineers, technical analysts, or in QA roles, which are awesome entry points that set them up for some great experience. After about five years in the workforce, you’ll find that many have moved up the ladder into more senior or specialized positions like Senior Software Engineer or Principal Manager, showing a clear trend towards growth and advancement in their fields.

Fast forward ten years, and you'll see a mix of professionals who’ve further honed their skills and taken on roles with even more responsibilities, such as Staff Engineers or Program Managers. However, not every path looks the same. There's one grad who transitioned from tech to a completely different path in religious service, which indicates that while many stick to tech, some explore very different passions post-graduation. Overall, the majority seem to be thriving in jobs that connect deeply with their Computer Science background, which is pretty encouraging if you’re considering this major! It's clear that a degree from UC San Diego can lead to successful, fulfilling careers in tech.

How hard is a Computer Science degree from University of California, San Diego?

So, here’s the deal: a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at UC San Diego is definitely on the challenging side, but it's manageable if you're motivated and willing to put in the effort. The coursework is rigorous, with a mix of heavy math, coding, and problem-solving, and you'll probably find yourself spending late nights working on projects and studying for exams. It's not a walk in the park, but if you have a genuine interest in tech and enjoy tackling complex problems, it can actually be pretty rewarding. Just be prepared to work hard, and you’ll find your stride!

How long does it take?

Most commonly, in the LinkedIn profiles we've looked at, it takes people 4 years to finish a Bachelor degree in Computer Science.

Do Computer Science graduates from University of California, San Diego tend to make good money?

Looking at these UC San Diego grads and their job histories, it seems like they’ve generally landed pretty solid gigs, especially considering they’re in tech. Starting with those who are a bit further along, many have climbed the ladder to senior roles at big names like Amazon, IBM, and Uber, which usually means decent salaries, often six figures or more, especially with their experience. Some, like the one at Goldman Sachs, started strong with a reputable internship and continued to rise through similar roles. On the flip side, there’s a grad who's focusing on a religious path instead of a tech career, which might not fill the wallet as much but could be fulfilling in other ways. Overall, for most of them, it looks like they've made a comfortable living, which is really what you want after investing in a computer science degree!

What buzzwords do Computer Science graduates use to describe themselves?

Here is a visual representation of the most common words seen in the "about" section of LinkedIn profiles who have a Bachelor degree in Computer Science (this is across all Computer Science graduates we've analyzed, not just those who went to University of California, San Diego). This may or may not be useful:

What are the best colleges for Computer Science?

Here are all colleges offering a Bachelor degree in Computer Science (ordered by the average relevance score of their Computer Science graduates, best to worst) where we have analyzed at least 10 of their graduates:

College	Score	Count
Stevens Institute of Technology	99	11
Eastern Michigan University	98	10
Colorado School of Mines	98	27
Michigan Technological University	98	12
Northern Arizona University	97	11
Northeastern University	97	21
UC Santa Barbara	96	10
University of Notre Dame	96	13
Carnegie Mellon University	96	14
University of Southern California	95	13
University of California San Diego	95	30
Eastern Washington University	95	13
Worcester Polytechnic Institute	95	24
Caltech	95	10
Northwestern University	94	14
Seattle University	94	12
Shanghai Jiao Tong University	94	10
Penn State University	93	30
University of Washington	93	61
Purdue University	93	50
University of California, Davis	93	21
University of California, Berkeley	93	41
The University of Georgia	93	10
University of Maryland	93	42
Cornell University	93	21
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	92	25
City University of New York-College of Staten Island	92	10
Grinnell College	92	10
Arizona State University	91	42
University of Wisconsin-Madison	91	44
San Jose State University	91	23
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	91	28
The University of Texas at Arlington	91	17
Virginia Tech	91	19
University of Utah	91	22
Drexel University	91	28
Wayne State University	91	11
Missouri University of Science and Technology	91	26
Brigham Young University	90	32
Colorado State University	90	32
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	90	23
Oklahoma State University	90	10
Stony Brook University	90	25
University of Massachusetts Lowell	90	20
Vanderbilt University	90	14
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	90	17
University of Michigan College of Engineering	90	16
Gandhi Institute of Technology & Management (GITAM) University, Visakhapatnam	90	26
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad	90	11
University of Michigan	89	39
University of Pittsburgh	89	22
University of Virginia	89	38
University of Iowa	89	15
Georgia Institute of Technology	89	84
University at Buffalo	89	20
Utah Valley University	89	17
Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University	89	12
Manipal Institute of Technology	89	11
GITAM Deemed University	89	12
University of South Florida	88	24
James Madison University	88	16
The University of Texas at San Antonio	88	18
University of Delaware	88	12
Miami University	88	15
UC Irvine	88	52
University at Albany, SUNY	88	15
Brown University	88	11
The University of Texas at Austin	87	34
Michigan State University	87	22
Kent State University	87	11
Illinois State University	87	14
Clemson University	87	11
The University of Alabama	87	10
Washington State University	87	14
University of Maryland College Park	87	18
University of Illinois at Chicago	87	25
Rochester Institute of Technology	87	19
The University of Texas at El Paso	87	30
Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani	87	17
University of California, Los Angeles	86	26
University of Missouri-Columbia	86	14
University of Connecticut	86	11
University of Massachusetts Amherst	86	27
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi	86	12
University of Rochester	86	11
BV Raju Institute of Technology (BVRIT)	86	13
University of Florida	85	30
North Carolina State University	85	33
Grand Valley State University	85	11
Portland State University	85	22
University of Minnesota	85	38
Utah State University	85	16
University of Massachusetts, Amherst	85	10
New York Institute of Technology	85	10
University of Central Florida	84	43
The Ohio State University	84	18
Brigham Young University - Idaho	84	16
New York University	84	19
California State University, Northridge	84	12
Appalachian State University	84	18
Boston University	84	14
University of Oklahoma	84	11
The University of Texas at Dallas	84	75
Old Dominion University	84	10
Missouri State University	84	10
Rowan University	84	26
West Chester University of Pennsylvania	84	11
University of Maryland Baltimore County	84	20
Montana State University-Bozeman	84	12
Savitribai Phule Pune University	84	12
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham	84	11
Sathyabama University	84	11
Texas A&M University	83	35
Indiana University Bloomington	83	19
Auburn University	83	12
Oregon State University	83	41
University of Arkansas	83	15
Kansas State University	83	17
California State University San Marcos	83	16
University of Wyoming	83	10
Illinois Institute of Technology	83	17
KL University	83	39
PES University	83	25
CVR College of Engineering, Hyderabad	83	10
Gitam University, Hyderabad	83	14
University of Colorado Boulder	82	33
Tennessee Technological University	82	12
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	82	17
Wentworth Institute of Technology	82	10
University of Illinois Springfield	82	10
Louisiana State University	81	12
San Diego State University	81	17
George Mason University	81	32
University of Nebraska-Lincoln	81	11
University of Nevada-Las Vegas	81	23
Mississippi State University	81	13
Bowling Green State University	81	15
Weber State University	81	15
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University	81	82
University of Georgia - Franklin College of Arts and Sciences	81	18
Vellore Institute of Technology	81	35
Florida International University	80	32
Temple University	80	15
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	80	28
University of California, Santa Cruz	80	48
University of Mumbai	80	17
Visvesvaraya Technological University	80	32
University of Arizona	79	18
Texas State University	79	25
Northern Illinois University	79	10
California State University, Fresno	79	10
North Dakota State University	79	10
University of Hawaii at Manoa	79	14
California State University, Monterey Bay	79	15
Lovely Professional University	79	18
University of California, Riverside	78	21
University of Kentucky	78	13
Boise State University	78	14
SRM University	78	34
JNTUH College of Engineering Hyderabad	78	64
Georgia State University	77	30
Ball State University	77	10
Western Washington University	77	22
Rutgers University	77	20
University of Vermont	77	14
Washington University in St. Louis	77	14
New Jersey Institute of Technology	77	23
Princeton University	77	10
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kakinada	77	23
Florida State University	76	18
Rutgers UniversityNew Brunswick	76	18
Anna University	76	18
University of North Texas	75	22
Rajiv Gandhi Prodyogiki Vishwavidyalaya	75	13
Texas Tech University	74	23
Kennesaw State University	74	20
California State University, Long Beach	74	14
Stanford University	74	13
Osmania University	74	28
University of Houston	73	31
California State University-Sacramento	73	37
University of California, San Diego	73	10
Sreenidhi Institute of Science and Technology	73	11
San Francisco State University	72	22
University of North Carolina at Charlotte	72	50
Oakland University	72	12
Columbia University in the City of New York	72	11
University of Washington Tacoma	72	14
East Carolina University	71	10
California State University, Fullerton	71	20
Queens College	71	19
University of California, Irvine	71	11
University of Maryland Global Campus	71	13
Andhra University	71	10
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	70	31
Towson University	70	14
Sathyabama Institute of Science & Technology, Chennai	70	12
Western Governors University	68	28
Tufts University	68	11
Southern New Hampshire University	66	21
University of Nebraska at Omaha	66	10
University of Houston-Downtown	66	11
Florida Atlantic University	65	22
Troy University	65	10
University of Central Arkansas	63	10
University of Maryland University College	62	14
DeVry University	61	16
California State University-San Bernardino	60	11
University of Phoenix	57	14
Hunter College	47	11