The Georgia Institute of Technology

Date: Dec 13 2008
Major: Computer Engineering (This Major's Salary over time)
Georgia Tech does a good job preparing you to be effective from day one at most jobs in your field. The school does a pretty excellent job with the practical side of job preparation. With regards to the theoretical side of learning though, that is totally dependent on the effort put forth by the individual. GT is a school where upon walking the stage at graduation, a student has a very deep theoretical understanding of his/her field as well as a practical understanding. On the other hand, the school is one where a student could also very easily graduate without a strong understanding of the underlying theory. At the end of the day, most jobs don't require a good grasp of theory in order to be effective, which is one reason why many graduates do so well upon leaving school. However, for those with an entrepreneurial side, or for those who are highly ambitious in their careers, the theoretical understanding can pay huge dividends.

I guess the overall point here is that both paths are likely to lead to success. I worked hard on both the theoretical and the practical aspects, but had more success with the theoretical. In the 7 years that I worked in the field closely associated with my major, I only had one project that was as difficult as anything I encountered while at Tech. If you can survive your time at Tech, then the rest of your career may very well seem easy in comparison.