[eugeneiiim]

I graduated from CMU about two years ago. Here are some of the things my peers from CMU have worked on (playing significant roles) based on what they learned in classes like OS, compilers, and algorithms.

- Facebook's PHP compiler.

- VMWare's ESX network kernel.

- iPhone hardware and firmware.

- Qualcomm's Linux distribution.

- Citadel's trading algorithms and execution platforms.

I constantly draw on my coursework in compilers, programming languages, and OS in my work on the Palantir Finance platform.

CMU's CS program prepares you work on problems that are truly technically challenging -- problems that require deep technical knowledge and that often take a large investment to implement. Small startups rarely have the staff and time horizon to invest in creating systems that require technical skills beyond the ability to use an API. So if you work at a small startup that doesn't have the capacity to invest in custom low-level solutions, don't be surprised if your CS skills are not utilized.