Computing Degrees and Careers
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions students frequently have about computing
degrees and careers, taken from the Association for Computing
Machinery's web site. For much more information, please visit them
at
http://computingcareers.acm.org/
Didn’t the opportunities in
the field disappear when the dot-com bubble collapsed in 2000?
Not at all. Although there was a slight dip in Information
Technology employment in 2001 and 2002, recent data show that this
trend has reversed and that there are now more computing jobs than
at any time in history. In addition, projections from the Bureau of
Labor Statistics indicate strong growth over the next decade:
In fact, most analysts predict that the number of people trained
for jobs in the computing industry will fall far short of the
employment demand. An article in the July 24, 2006 issue of Forbes
cites statistics indicating that “U.S. businesses will need 135,000
new computer professionals each year, but colleges and universities
are graduating only about 49,000 computer science majors
annually”—less than half the number needed. As a result of this
shortfall, job prospects for graduates in the computing disciplines
are expected to remain excellent throughout the next decade.
Aren’t all high-tech jobs moving to
India and China?
This myth appears to be entirely without foundation. Because of
the enormous demand for people with strong information technology
and computing skills, the opportunities for software engineers and
other information technology professionals are expanding in Asia,
just as they are everywhere else. The available evidence shows that
even though some jobs are being moved offshore, the number of new
computing jobs created in the United States is substantially higher.
A recent report by the Association for Computing Machinery offers
extensive background data and analysis of the effect of offshoring
in the software industry.
In a March 1, 2006 editorial, the New York Times observed that
the real threat to the U.S. computing industry is not offshoring but
the fact that so few students are getting the necessary training
in the field: “The industry isn’t gone, but it will be if we
don’t start generating the necessary dynamic work force.”
Won’t salaries for computing
professionals fall as companies turn to cheaper labor overseas?
According to a January 2006 article on CNN.com, salaries for
computing professionals are rising extremely fast. Among the
top-ten jobs with the fastest growing salaries, computing represents
fully half the list:
Offshoring is unlikely to halt this growth for the simple reason
that companies seek to maximize return rather than to minimize cost.
Good software developers generate far more value for their
companies than they cost, even at the high salaries that such
positions command in the United States. The top software firms like
Google and Microsoft will hire talented people wherever they can
find them.
Aren’t computing jobs solitary
and boring?
Computing professionals hardly ever work alone. In today’s world,
building software requires the coordinated efforts of many people
with a wide variety of skills. Designing a successful product
requires effective communication not only among the members of the
development team but also with the eventual users. Employers
routinely cite good communication skills as an essential requirement
for success in the field.
Software development is also a highly creative activity. There is
very little that is mechanical about software development—if there
were, those aspects of the discipline would have been automated
years ago. Putting together a software system means thinking
creatively about the design, finding clever solutions to problems,
exploiting the best engineering practice, and maintaining a
high-level vision of how all the parts fit together. Not everyone
has the breadth of skills that lead to success in this field. If you
are good at it, however, you will find it one of the most rewarding
and challenging fields around.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, despite a
significant increase in offshoring over the past five years, more
IT jobs are available today in the United States than at the
height of the dot.com boom and are expected to be among the
fastest-growing occupations over the next decade. The United States
creates and destroys millions of new jobs in response to changes in
tastes, and more importantly in response to innovations and advances
in technology.
While there is no way of ensuring lifetime IT employment, there
are steps students and IT workers can take to improve their chances
of long-term employment in IT occupations. These include:
- Obtaining a strong educational foundation
- Learning the technologies used in the global software
industry
- Keeping skills up to date throughout one’s career
- Developing good teamwork and communication skills
- Becoming familiar with other cultures
Globalization and offshoring in the software industry will
continue; however, career opportunities in Information Technology
are expected to remain strong in the United States as it
participates in a more globally competitive market. For more
information visit
http://www.acm.org/globalizationreport.
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