Should I buy "The Art of Computer Programming"?
chipsy: Only if you are in the market for comprehensive reference. Reading through TAOCP is a good project for the eager-to-learn beginner, but you probably already know the essentials of the material from your coursework. It's a compendium of the "proven useful" stuff, which tends to be older material. Research papers will have more/newer information. TAOCP will have more examples.