I am an Electronics and Communication Engineering graduate and have now joined into the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Engineering branch of a university to pursue my Masters. I need to pick a course this quarter and I'm stuck with a problem.

I have the following options:
Operating Systems
Computer Architecture
Introduction to Databases

I am more interested towards Computer Networking. I can choose only one from the above courses. I heard the operating systems course involves a lot of C under Unix programming and as I'm from an Electronics background, I'm a little confused whether to take up this course or not. And as I'm not interested in Computer Architecture, I'm not sure if I want to take it. The Introduction to Databases is something I think I'm interested in but don't know if it'll be of any use to me. What do you think I should be choosing?

PS: I had Operating Systems in my undergraduation but I was always dissatisfied the way it was taught in the class. Except for reading a textbook we haven't done anything special and thats what is scaring me. And I never coded in the Unix environment, so that is the thing that worries me the most. Please advice.

I advise Databases. I could use databases for a number of things where I work if I understood how they worked. I too am in the networking field.

operating systems and computer architecture might be very interesting, but not usefull to your field. I agree with Duki, i'd take databases, as that will probably help you more.

Thanks a lot... I chose Intro to Databases... I think going by my interests is much better... I don't want to end up taking risks at this stage. In a scenario where you had to choose between Operating Systems and Computer Architecture, which would you have chosen keeping my field in mind? Just curious thats it...

I think I 'd go with operating systems....

>In a scenario where you had to choose between Operating Systems and Computer
>Architecture, which would you have chosen keeping my field in mind?
It really depends on what the operating systems class covers. Most likely it's going to be steeped in theory and minute details of OS design and implementation. While these are interesting topics, they're probably not going to be practical for you. On the other hand, computer architecture is likely to cover fundamental concepts that every technical professional should know.

My advice would be the same as Duki's: Go with the databases class because it has the greatest chance of giving you something useful after you graduate. The second choice would be computer architecture because of the core concepts that you'll learn. For the field you're interested in, I don't think operating systems would be more than a dalliance.

I know this is a little late, but if you live in the US, switch to law and join the money making crowd. In your present technical field you will always be just a peon competing with low paid labor from India or China.

>In your present technical field you will always be just a
>peon competing with low paid labor from India or China.
This has to be the most ignorant comment I've seen all day, and I deal with some pretty ignorant folks.

Well, the day is still young. What makes you the expert and what stuff are you on? Love your avatar, looks good for Halloween!

Why do you old folks always have to insult us young folks?

that was a pretty lame comment, lardmeister. A computer science major, going out of college will start at an average salary of 70,000 a year, with a BS. Master and a PhD will get $100,000 to $120,000 a year. Even lawyers don't start out at that, so how will you competing against programmers in india? how much to they make like $5 an hour?