Computer science's careers
Today Computer Science is probably one of the fastest growing jobs in the world, and computer programmers, software developers are in very high demand. With a median salary of $98,000 a year (2012 data), a bachelor’s degree in computer science is definitely a desired thing to have in this job market where many college graduates are having difficulty in finding work.
Computer science is a diverse field with many career options including computer programmers, software developer, software engineers, computing security specialists, database administrators, software project managers, data scientists, and more. As computing technology changes, more new careers are created and the demands for these people are being created every year. However, there is a critical shortage of skilled workers to fill these positions and that is why the salary of computer science workers keeps increasing in every country. With a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, you could work in these careers:
Computer programmers write, test and maintain software programs that perform a wide range of functions. A programmer’s main function is to write application programs based on requirements given by the project managers after software engineers and system analysts design the computer system. Most programmers use a programming language such as Java, C++, Python, Ruby or other programming languages.
Software engineer’s main job function is overseen, design, and implement computer systems from requirement concepts to the maintenance of software that runs on the computer systems. Software engineers often have extensive knowledge of software and system lifecycle; understand customers’ needs, architect and design computer systems, as well as the best way to develop software applications using the newest methods, tools and programming languages.
Database administrators work with database management software (DBMS) and find ways to collect organize and store data. Some tasks performed by database administrators include designing new databases based on a user’s needs, integrating data from old or outdated systems into newer systems, and updating existing systems whenever necessary. Database administration is becoming an increasingly important job considering the growing amount of data being stored on today’s computer networks.
When applying for jobs in this field, most companies require at least a bachelor’s degree for entry level position and two to five years of experience for more advanced positions. A computer security specialists, Data scientists may require a master’s degree or even higher. The key success in this field is not just the degree but also the skills on how to apply knowledge to solve problems and the lifelong learning attitude to continue develop more skills as computing technology changes fast. The more experience one has, the better chance he or she will have at successfully getting promoted to higher level positions.
Since computer science is a fast growing field and all companies need to have more skilled workers, most graduates will be able to get a job easily even before graduation, and keep that job for a long time. This is one area of the job market that will continue to grow rapidly in the next ten years. If you want a good job, good salary and good future, this is probably the best choice for college students.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
