I'm 17 and im torn between computer science and finance.
I've been researching both fields for quite a while now, and the biggest fear I have is automation and the effects of tech roles on the industry. Im not in the industry so I dont know how much of my fears are overblown from the fear mongering that spreads around on the internet and I really want to see the opinions of people with actual experience. I know its been asked countless times, but I never really find a legitimate answer. Is finance a thing of the past and would it be safer to just go into computer science, or is computer science doomed either way? By finance I mean investment banking and consulting.
Based on the most insightful WSO threads, here's the breakdown of your dilemma:
1. Finance vs. Computer Science: The Automation Debate
Finance (Investment Banking & Consulting):
Computer Science:
2. Key Considerations for Your Decision
3. Is Finance a Thing of the Past?
4. Is Computer Science Doomed?
5. Final Advice
In short, neither field is "doomed," but both require you to stay ahead of the curve. Choose the one that aligns with your interests and strengths, and don’t be afraid to pivot later if needed.
Sources: Is Traditional Finance Dead?, Tech As An Alternative to Finance, Google partners with Goldman Sachs in automating Investment Banking, Will robots replace your consulting or financial career?, Future of Banking
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go into comp sci and don’t look back homie. If you do banking/pe, you probably won’t have any personal life for at least 4 years
Is the reason for computer science just the for the work life balance? Im not in the US, but im going to a target school where im from, and i dont think the hours are as bad as in the US.
Upside in tech is a lot more than finance, but finance is a better risk-adjusted career. You just have to work hard and know everything to be good a good junior in finance, while tech takes significant brain power and if you are good at your job you will be paid like crazy
You realise that studying comp sci will not preclude you from working in finance right
Unless you’re passionate about cs, I’d stay away. I had a dual major while I was in college, but ultimately dropped it because I wasn’t passionate. The people getting great jobs in cs legitimately enjoy the work, and your classmates will run circles around you if you don’t fully invest in the classes/projects
This. I was a CS major and didn't particularly enjoy it. I ended up at a more business-adjacent role anyways and am using 0 of what I learned in college.
Just do what you enjoy, as long as it's reasonably practical.
Thank you guys so much for answering! I think I'll probably go with finance the way things are looking.
Just study CS. Plenty of CS grads go into finance, and rn all the bankers and markets people I know prefer CS and STEM grads to finance grads. Only advantage finance grads have is usually a higher GPA.
So, I'll just study CS to pivot in the end? Doesn't that seem just useless, I know it makes you think more like an engineer but is it really that important?
Feel like it’s not useless because the goal of a college education should be to learn how to think etc, not solely vocational. You get a lot more of that with a CS degree than a business degree, but you should also weigh in studying what you enjoy. At the end of the day take courses in both and see which you enjoy more / derive more intellectual curiosity from.
Also, don’t need to worry so much about all this right now, ur 17. But if u wanted optionality do CS if u enjoy it bc no majors block u from doing banking / consulting roles like half the bankers Ik did humanities and just farmed higher gpas for recruiting
Do computer science. Finance degree is meaningless. You would just learn finance on the job anyway. You will not have another chance to study a proper comp sci curriculum and you don’t know if you’ll need it.
Stay away from CS - coming from a cs + math double major. Even if people say to only do CS "if you're extremely passionate about it", I promise you it's not worth it. The CS job market is actually a shit show - maybe if you were going into college 5/6 years ago, it'd be a different story. But nowadays, CS is so concentrated its impossible to get a job in that field.
That said, it depends what school you go to. If your school is known for engineering, I'd heavily consider it. At the end of the day, three things matter when looking for a job. 1. passion 2. network 3. school/GPA. If your school has a good consulting/finance pipeline, do finance and/or an applicable STEM like econ or math. Other than that, as contrary to public belief as it is, employers care much more about GPA and much less about your major. Without a doubt, a 3.9 finance major looks much better on paper than a 3.4 CS major (bc of AI screenings now).
Also, your life is just gonna be so much more enjoyable if you're finance. CS majors r couped up in a library most weekdays and can barely let loose. Finance majors can join the clubs they want, do club sports, etc.
TLDR: stay away from CS. job market for engineers is cooked. Do finance, do clubs you like, and don't look back.
Thank you so much! Your answer was really detailed and you basically addressed my biggest gripe with CS, which is the sheer number of graduates compared to job openings. It just seems ridiculous tbh and I cant understand why everyone's STILL going into CS.
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Ed Penn or smth and do CS + Finance
If you enjoy finance you can atleast recruit for it and if you dislike it at least you have the cs skillset
Yeah bro just ED m&t which is more competitive than the Korean and Chinese universities
Read all the grievance posts on this forum and “quitting with nothing else lines up” posts on this forum. Once you do so and you still want to go into finance, then do finance. Otherwise do CS and don’t look back.
Read this, OP: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/investment-banking/i-feel-like-an…
I went into cs and the finance aspect of IB was well supplemented with the BIWS guides, mocking with peers, finance club, etc. Go into compsci. Still competitive in recruiting and gives other options that might be great down the road considering you are 17 (plus most ppl find that a finance degree needs to be supplemented anyways to prep for interviews, etc). Only issue could be GPA but there is some leniency towards higher difficulty majors like CS. good luck with everything!
bro is torn b/w unemployment and slavery
Have several close friends doing CS and they are mostly unemployed/have offers for jobs that aren't even 6 figures. The CS market is extremely saturated right now. The people telling you to "do CS and not look back" think you can just easily land any FAANG job. The fact is that your competition is cracked. The people you're competing with are the ones studying/coding 8hrs a day and doing half a dozen personal projects/ per semester in VERILOG. I'm not saying it's impossible but you really need to have a genuine passion for this stuff otherwise you just won't be bothered to build an impressive-enough resume to compete with the MIT CS kids who will take your job from you.
There is an argument for "engineering majors can work in business but business majors can't work in engineering" which is 100% valid. In that case I would suggest switching to a more 'real' engineering major like CompE, EE, ME, ChemE, etc. Avoid civil
Crazy bucketing "unemployed" and "have offers for jobs that aren't even 6 figures" in the same sentence when they're miles apart. As if 6 figure jobs are the only entry level positions worth considering. Most IB isn't 6 figures if it was scaled to 40 hours a week compensation, let alone HCOL.
I'm assuming if we're using IB and CS in the same sentence then the only CS jobs worth considering/talking about are those that pay on-par with IB (i.e. many FAANG roles). So yes, those are the only entry-level positions worth considering in this context. If OP goes into CS and has this expectation that he's going to land a cushy CS role that pays $250k/yr without a single hour of "overtime" worked, just bc he majored in STEM (like many people on here seem to think), he's going to be disappointed because it's not all sunshine and rainbows on the other side.
And yes, I do consider $100k unemployed.
Arguing HCOL is a moot point because that applies to every job in the city you're applying to.
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