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Computer Science Graduates and Job Outlook
So you have, or are working toward, your Computer Science degree. Will you be able to do anything with it once you have that paper in your hot little hand? The answer is a resounding “Yes”.
While the job outlook is softening in many sectors, jobs for people will college degrees, including online degrees, remain strong, and for degrees in Computer Science, the outlook is especially rosy. Everyone from government agencies to small start-up firms is looking for people with computer skills, and specifically computer-related degrees.
In fact, in the list of “most in demand” degrees for 2006, both Computer Science and Computer Engineering made the Top 10 list. If you think about the changes that have come along in the past few years just in the home computer market, you’ll understand why Computer Science graduates are such hot commodities right now. One change to your home computer is going to translate into hundreds or even thousands of changes for a business.
Networks grow and develop. Software programs stop being manufactured, are revised, and new programs are written. New operating systems or servers arrive. The list is almost endless.
Unfortunately, there’s a myth circulating that all the Computer Science jobs are gone, or have been outsourced. Absolutely not true! According to CNNMoney.com (Feb 23, 2006), there are now more IT jobs in the United States than there were at the height of the dot-com boom.
Yet even while Computer Science employment is up—as is pay, by the way—enrollment in Computer Science degree programs is down. Bill Gates himself is concerned about a looming dearth of qualified graduates and what that will mean to the computer industry. Even Monster.com, the huge Internet job search engine, has articles posted at its site about the decline in Computer Science major enrollment.
Average salaries for Computer Science graduates is a little over $50,000 per year according to NACE’s 2007 winter survey. And what types of jobs pay those salaries?
There’s certainly no one answer to that! Computer Science graduates may work for survey companies, like Nielsen. They may research information and help to interpret results. Jobs like Database Administrator not only pay well but carry quite a bit of responsibility, as more and more companies rely on integrated databases of information to make informed decisions about the company’s future.
There is also a job out there called “computer specialist” which can be two completely different jobs at two different companies. For instance, a computer specialist in the Human Resources department in a large corporation might develop, write, and/or apply a computer program to human resource information. That program might weed through preliminary batches of job applicants, highlighting and forwarding those applications that best match the job the company is trying to fill.
In a smaller company, a computer specialist could be the “go to” person when employees have computer-related problems. The graduate might be the IT department! He or she could fix hardware and software related issues, install or maintain a network, or even write programs specific to the company.
One of the real strengths of a degree in Computer Science is that you can look for a job that suits you. You need a computer, and sometimes an Internet connection, but other than that, you’re good to go. Need to work nights while your significant other works during the day so you can keep daycare costs under control? Plenty of companies want someone to come in at night for maintenance, upgrades, backups, and other things that can’t happen during the day while users are typing away.
Love to work with people? Computer Science can help you there, too. You can take that person who thinks the CD tray is a cupholder and transform him or her into, well, maybe not a geek, but at least someone competent with the keyboard.
There are plenty of companies that provide corporate or government training, as well as schools and colleges with computer classes, and they’re all looking for Computer Science graduates to help them out.
You could hang up your shingle and become self-employed, a contractor with a specific, in-demand skillset that people will pay for. Why work for The Man when you can do it all yourself?
Maybe you have an interest in a niche field. Computers are transforming the lives of people everywhere, but especially those with disabilities. Maybe you’ll create a program that speaks to a blind person, or work with a prosthetics developer to make a prosthetic arm or leg work better.
Or maybe you’ve always fancied yourself a secret agent (James Bond, not Maxwell Smart), but the idea of getting shot at just doesn’t appeal. There are incredible opportunities available with law enforcement agencies in the detection and deterrence of crimes. Criminals use computers just like the good guys do, and there’s not a police force or governmental agency that can’t use someone with a white hat and keyboard to help track them down.
If you love CSI but not the idea of a dead body, then the field of Computer Forensics may be just up your alley. This is where you take your Computer Science degree and examine the “trail” left behind on a computer to determine if it was used in any illicit activities. You would then be CFI, which should rarely involve anything that decomposes.
Hopefully you can now see that Computer Science graduates have a job outlook that is incredibly varied, but potentially quite lucrative. As with any other field, it’s good to apply yourself in school and take classes in various concentrations to find the one that’s a “fit” for you.
There are hundreds more variations on the jobs we’ve shown you. Really, the only common thread is that they all involve a thorough understanding of computers or computing language. Some of the jobs, like educator, require “people” skills as well. Some will require more programming or programming language skills. Still others will require a balance of both, especially if you’ll be working in a smaller company.
But whatever you decide, you can’t go wrong with a degree in Computer Science, because the job prospects can truly be out of this world—just ask NASA!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
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