Career Report: COmPUTER SCIEnCE

Black Collegian, Oct 2006 by Greene, M V

CompSci Grads Coveted by All Industries

Bill Gates knows a thing or two about computer science careers. The Microsoft founder helped propel an industry from his companys beginnings in 1975 to what it includes today - converged networks, programming languages and digital platforms.

So, when Gates says he worries that Microsoft will not have enough homegrown computer science talent to fill jobs in the future, his words are worth considering. Turn his sentiments around and what Gates is also saying is that now is a good time to be a computer science major in America.

Gates spoke of his concern about the reduced numbers of math and science majors at U.S. colleges and universities during Blacks at Microsoft Minority Student Day, organized by an African-American employee resource group at the company.

"It's a little bit of a concern as we look at the trends in the United States," Gates said during the February 10 event in Redmond, Wash., home to Microsoft's headquarters. "We need to think about why that is."

Gates has said in speech after speech that the hiring of computer science graduates is always a key corporate agenda item at Microsoft. "When I sit down and review projects here inside the company, the topic that always comes up is, 'How's the hiring going.'... We've got open headcount; these are super, well-paying jobs," Gates said in 2005.

Microsoft is not alone. Every other world-class company is on the hunt to get talented computer science graduates to join up - whether that company is a traditional technology company like Microsoft or in other industries.

Mickey Garcia, University Relations and Recruiting Manager at aerospace giant Northrop Grumman Corp., called the long-term hiring outlook for computer science hiring at her company "very good."

"If anything," Garcia said, "we are concerned about a future lack of qualified candidates."

Between the years 2000 and 2005, the number of arriving college underclassmen choosing computer science as a major fell by more than 70 percent, UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute has reported. The number of women choosing the major has decreased, too, from its peak in the mid-1980s. The Institute's report said students view careers such as medicine or the law as more exciting. This has left recruiters and companies scrambling for good candidates to fill technical openings.

Meantime, the rapid spread of computers and information technology has generated an overwhelming need for computer professionals - those who design and develop hardware and software systems - according to the current Occupational Outlook Handbook, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics at the U.S. Department of Labor publishes annually. Many companies have had to go overseas for talent, and others have outsourced operations to foreign countries including India and China.

At Lockheed Martin Corp., Leslie L. Chappell, Director of University Relations, says software and systems engineering have the greatest demand for new college graduates, adding that high demand also exists in related fields such as electrical, computer, mechanical and aerospace engineering.

"We are fortunate that Lockheed Martin is growing, which means we'll continue to need top technical talent to continue to meet business needs. But even for existing programs, we're always improving the inner workings of our products and services, which will continue to mean demand for computer science students," Chappell said.

Plentiful Roles, Evolving Tasks

Computer science workers include a wide range of specialists, from systems analysts to database administrators to computer programmers. Jobs and tasks in computer science evolve quickly as new areas of specialization occur and as businesses change the way they employ technology in their organizations, according to Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Computer system analysts, for instance, solve computer problems and apply technologies to meet the needs of individual organizations. Programmers design and update software systems that run computers from the inside out, and work with databases and object-oriented languages and client-server applications. Computer scientists are characterized as being theorists, researchers and inventors who solve complex computing problems and create new applications and technologies.

Related positions proliferate in the field of computer science. Network systems analysts tie together converged computing networks, such as local area networks and wide area networks, or LANs and WANs. Telecommunications specialists create interactions between computers and communications equipment to leverage voice and data platforms. Internet developers design links between computer servers to websites and ensure performance.

The Computing Research Association, a Washington-based industry group, said 18,232 bachelor's degrees and 9,286 masters degrees in computer science were awarded at U.S. colleges and universities during the 2004-2005 academic year. Both figures represent decreases from the previous academic year, the CRA said.