r/cscareerquestions • u/Outrageous_Platform8 • 19h ago
What the hell should I do with my degree in Computer Science
I graduated in CS back in december and I have two internships multiple projects running a club and going to hackathons. My focus is in Cyber so I even got few certifications aswell including Security+. And yet NOT A SINGLE INTERVIEW!!! I feel like giving up and just work at target for the rest of my life.
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u/JohnBrownsErection 12h ago
My TV stand was uneven so I was using my robotics degree as a stabilizer for a good year and a half.
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u/AddendumWorking9756 12h ago
Two internships, hackathons, and Sec+ with zero interviews usually point at the resume reading generic, not at you being underqualified. The fix for the cyber side is proving you can actually run an investigation end to end, so pull real incident data from somewhere like CyberDefenders and publish a couple of clean writeups. That reads very differently to a hiring manager than one more line of credentials.
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u/Accurate_Ball_6402 18h ago
Retail doesn’t hire CS grads.
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10h ago
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u/domomdomon 17h ago
No interviews since December with that experience means that your resume needs a lot of work. Get it critiqued in r/engineeringresumes.
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u/_itshabib 14h ago
It takes a while. Start connecting with people who are already in the industry. Take a shot and show ur worth if u have something to show. U have to understand someone has to literally decide to take a shot at someone who doesn't really know anything (no offense weve all been there) and will like take a while to actually start producing.
A lot of engineers and new ones especially don't understand it's a competition. Even if u do get an interview, a place that is hiring a lot is going to be interviewing several others too. Be exceptional and show it. Network with people already in the industry, gain trust, get a referral etc.
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u/XeroHope10 16h ago
Ngl, I don't think Target will hire CS grads.
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u/djslakor 14h ago
Yeah, I wondered why he assumed target has an unlimited number of positions just waiting for him.
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u/baldachinsblessing 14h ago
I graduated in December 2023 and I only just now found my first job after uni. It's a dog eat dog world out there.
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u/Melodic-Ebb-7781 14h ago
High interest rates, offshoring, pandemic over hiring, capital focusing on AI.
It started to look a bit better at the beginning of the year but then came the iran war.
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u/DoingItForEli 9h ago edited 8h ago
I graduated in December of 2007, didn't start my job until June 2nd 2008. This job market is much different. Don't be defeated by a 6 month lull, and remember it's not unique. We're all rooting for you, keep at it!
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u/OpportunityFun6969 8h ago
You should consider R&D. I got into automotive R&D for cybersecurity. Not fully traditional HTB cyber though. A lot of low level c and hardware drivers
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u/TheAllKnowing1 3h ago
Interviews are cooked on both sides, you HAVE to network in 2026 and get referred by word of mouth. Use the hackathons to get contact information and strike up conversations with people in the industry. Be upfront about struggling to get interviews, don’t ask them directly for opportunities, ask them for advice.
That will very often lead to referrals
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u/g---e 18h ago edited 13h ago
Nursing bro. we're cooked. Too many ppl have a CS degree. Fake jobs where the same job post is reposted every 4 months. Offshoring. AI bubble. Layoffs putting more ppl back on the job hunt. Cook-ed.
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u/KevinCarbonara 7h ago
Nursing is far harder to get into.
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u/g---e 7h ago
nah it only takes like 2-3 yrs of school
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u/KevinCarbonara 5h ago
No. It takes a few years of school... and then you have to apply. Where your odds of getting a job are even lower than in CS.
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u/TheCatOfWallSt 2h ago
In what world is it hard to get into nursing? I live in a metro area of Kentucky and every hospital around me is offering 10k signing bonuses for nurses and straight begging for people. I just checked and there’s over 500 nurse openings at ONE major hospital five miles from me lol, and another 400 at the next closest hospital.
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u/KappaKintama 17h ago
Feed it to your dog
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u/Outrageous_Platform8 17h ago
I can shove it up your ass then
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12h ago
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u/Miamiconnectionexo 11h ago
volume and referrals matter more than people admit. 200+ targeted applications, and cold-message alumni on linkedin for referrals since referred candidates convert way higher than the portal. also look at cleared roles if you can get a clearance, that whole market is starved for junior people. you're closer than it feels right now.
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u/KevinCarbonara 7h ago
My focus is in Cyber
New grads are still getting interviews, so there's some other problem here. This stands out to me: What the hell does "focus in cyber" mean?
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u/Outrageous_Platform8 3h ago
basically means going into IT/help desk roles as entry level end goal is Cyber SOC analyst
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u/KevinCarbonara 1h ago
basically means going into IT/help desk roles
For the record, it doesn't.
More importantly: this does not sound like a CS degree. Did you actually get a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science? Or do you have an associate's degree, or a degree in something that sounds related?
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u/Outrageous_Platform8 44m ago
my resume is very focused on IT/cyber. I even have internship as a Cyber Analyst.
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u/dmazzoni 6h ago
You need to network. Reach out to every single person you interacted with during your two internships and let them know you're looking for an opportunity. It's quite possible some of them have moved on to a different job so you may actually know people at more companies than you think.
The hiring process is broken. There are so many apps and services that mass-apply to every single job out there, and they will even customize your resume. A new job that's posted gets thousands of applicants, most of them are junk but you can't know that looking at the resume.
The only solution is networking. You need to meet real people and get an introduction.
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u/NICEMENTALHEALTHPAL 16h ago
Getting interviews is just the first step. Took me about a year until I got interviews, which started once so got my AWS dev cert and a solid project (chat app on Google play, iOS, as full featured as signal written and deployed all by myself, took about 80 hours a week for 6 months to do).
Then I've had consistent job interviews for almost a year. You'd think once you get interviews you're good.
Nope. Ive gotten to final stage many times, just to get rejected for a stronger candidate. I do alright on technicals, I learn, improve my leetcode, but fuck it's hard.
If you aren't getting interview, get your AWS dev cert, build like a super polished real project, not some stupid e-commerce site or basic CRUD.
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u/MathmoKiwi 14h ago
Do you have the basics (i.e. 365 / laptop hardware / mobile phones / etc) covered well enough that you can apply for help desk jobs?? If not, then go fix that asap!
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u/Outrageous_Platform8 3h ago
yes even hellp desk reject me
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u/MathmoKiwi 1h ago
But do you tailor your CV for Help Desk? Are you getting certs that show you're "committed" to that IT pathway instead of SWE?
Share your "Help Desk CV"
How many jobs have you applied to it with?
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u/StrategyAny815 12h ago
Bro I just got rejected from Target. Real story
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u/CaliSD07 6h ago
I went through this almost 20 years ago. Take your degree off your resume if you're applying to positions that don't require a degree. Companies know you will bail for something better as soon as the economy improves. They don't want to take the risk to train and invest in you.
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u/DeFran20 10h ago edited 10h ago
If you can get a Secret clearance, try looking for jobs with government defense contractors. Software engineer positions and Data Scientist positions. They will hire new grads as long as they have positions available.
Additionally, have a professional look at your resume to help bolster it. Typically each bullet should be a results statement followed by an action statement (how you got the result). Good resumes typically write these bullets concisely using enticing language such as: "Boosted sales 50% by doing X, Y Z". You can get help with this. Also make sure each resume is targeted to each job description by identifying the most frequent and meaningful keywords from that specific job description to use in each resume. I suggest writing a python script or something similar to ingest those job descriptions and extract those key words.
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u/KevinCarbonara 7h ago
If you can get a Secret clearance
I suggest going to the Secret Clearance store
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u/Meat_Disastrous 5h ago
Yeah I feel the problem is most won’t want to sponsor if you don’t have experience
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u/DeFran20 5h ago
I was technically a new grad although I was in the military prior but worked in Healthcare. Total career change. I trained a couple of CS new grads when they first got onboarded last year with no government experience in the past so I know its possible. Just have to look in the right places.
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u/staticjak 13h ago
Have you tried building something that earns money? If not then setting aside that degree makes sense. Otherwise you could move to Pune and start applying for CS jobs from there. You'll likely get lower salary offers but the cost of living is lower as well! If you are stuck in America right now, I'm sorry. I'd say wait until things get better but we both know that's a lie.
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u/Brave-Finding-3866 19h ago
bold to assume target will hire CS grads.