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Current and Future Demand for Computer Scientists/Programmers/Software Engineers

Four references are used here: Comments by Bill Gates chairman of Microsoft, Money magazine. The U.S. Department of Labor Web site, and a newspaper article from Stanford University.

Comments by Bill Gates

Bill Gates, longtime Microsoft chairman, recently commented on the need for trained experts in Computer Science. Quoting from the MSNBC Web site (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9686905/):

“Computer science graduates will be in greater demand than ever over the next 15 years, Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates says. To college students at the University of Michigan he said ‘You're going to have tons and tons of opportunities. If there's a field to go into, this is it.’ He said the global market has greatly expanded the need for technology and innovations and needs young people to create them. Although many computer science jobs are being created overseas, there still are plenty of opportunities in the United States.”

Money Magazine

In a 2006 survey of the top ten “best” jobs in the United States, Money magazine listed Software Engineer as the top job. Reasons include good pay ($80,500), number of annual openings (44,800), and ten year projected growth in jobs (46%). Additional positive points are the ability to use your creativity, stress levels that are quite tolerable, and flexibility in work schedule. Read what they had to say below which is quoted from the online version of the list (http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/moneymag/bestjobs/frameset.exclude.html).

“1. Software Engineer

Why it's great Software engineers are needed in virtually every part of the economy, making this one of the fastest-growing job titles in the U.S. Even so, it's not for everybody. Designing, developing and testing computer programs requires some pretty advanced math skills and creative problem-solving ability. If you've got them, though, you can work and live where you want: Telecommuting is quickly becoming widespread.

The profession skews young -- the up-all-night-coding thing gets tired -- but consulting and management positions aren't hard to come by once you're experienced. What's cool Cutting-edge projects, like designing a new video game or tweaking that military laser. Extra cash from freelance gigs. Plus, nothing says cool like great prospects.”

Newspaper Article Stanford University

Quoted from the Stanford Daily Online
(daily.stanford.edu/article/2007/10/17/highDemandForCsMajors)

High demand for CS majors

October 17, 2007
By Eric Messinger

A computer science (CS) degree from Stanford has always been a valuable possession, and it is only getting more lucrative. The National Association of Colleges and Employers reported on Sep. 12 that the average starting salary nationwide for a 2007 CS graduate was $53,051, a 4.5 percent increase from the year before.

The salary increases were in part due to a nationwide decrease in CS degrees in recent years. The Computing Research Association reported that only 10,206 bachelor’s degrees in CS were awarded in 2006, compared to more than 14,000 degrees per year at the start of the decade. Increasing demand leads to more competition to hire those holding CS degrees, allowing students to be selective when confronted with various job offers, in turn raising salary offers from employers.

“Our graduates have the pick of the job market,” said Verna Wong, a CS student services specialist. Students agreed, citing the ease of finding a job in the tech sector. “It’s pretty easy to get interest from a lot of different companies,” said CS graduate student Matt Jachowski, a former intern for instant messaging company Meebo.

“A lot of my friends’ offers are between $70,000 and $90,000 a year,” said Chase Yarbrough ‘07, a CS major. “I haven’t heard of anyone who’s not content with their salary.”

While CS degrees have decreased nationwide, the number of CS majors at Stanford has stayed relatively consistent throughout the decade. Stanford granted 70 CS bachelor’s degrees in 2007 and 82 in 2006. By comparison, there were 79 majors in the department in 1998. On the graduate level, according to Wong, the department “hadn’t noticed any decline in applicants.”

“The truth is that there aren’t enough programmers to go around,” Jachowski said. “It’s a good time to graduate.”

U.S. Department of Labor

According to the U.S. Department of Labor (see http://www.bls.gov/home.htm) there are a large number of jobs for Computer Science and related jobs. There is considerable job growth projected in this field. Below is a quote from the U.S. Department of Labor Web site’s section on Computer Science and Database Administrators.

“Computer scientists and database administrators held about 542,000 jobs in May 2006, including about 58,000 who were self-employed. Employment was distributed among the detailed occupations as follows:

• Network systems and data communication analysts — 262,000
• Computer specialists, all other — 136,000
• Database administrators — 119,000
• Computer and information scientists, research — 25,000

Although they are increasingly employed in every sector of the economy, the greatest concentration of these workers is in the computer systems design and related services industry. Firms in this industry provide services related to the commercial use of computers on a contract basis, including custom computer programming services; computer systems integration design services; computer facilities management services, including computer systems or data processing facilities support services for clients; and other computer-related services, such as disaster recovery services and software installation. Many computer scientists and database administrators are employed by Internet service providers; Web search portals; and data processing, hosting, and related services firms. Others work for government, manufacturers of computer and electronic products, insurance companies, financial institutions, and universities.”

Work conditions are good for such experts. Again quoting from the U.S. Department of Labor:

“Computer scientists and database administrators normally work in offices or laboratories in comfortable surroundings. They typically work about 40 hours a week, the same as many other professional or office workers. However, evening or weekend work may be necessary to meet deadlines or to solve specific problems. Telecommuting is increasingly common for many computer professionals as networks expand, allowing more work to be done from remote locations through modems, laptops, electronic mail, and the Internet. However, some work still must be done in the office for security or other reasons.”

The education required for such jobs is also detailed by the U.S. Department of Labor:

“While there is no universally accepted way to prepare for a job as a network systems analyst, computer scientist, or database administrator, most employers place a premium on some formal college education. A bachelor’s degree is a prerequisite for many jobs; however, some jobs may require only a 2-year degree. Relevant work experience also is very important. For more technically complex jobs, persons with graduate degrees are preferred. Most computer scientist positions require a Ph.D. degree, as their main job function is research. Computer scientists having only a bachelor’s or master’s degree are generally limited in their ability to advance.”

Employment change

“The computer scientists and database administrators occupation is expected to grow 37 percent from 2006 to 2016, much faster than average for all occupations.”

Please refer to the U.S. Department of Labor Web site (http://www.bls.gov/home.htm), which is regularly updated, for more information.

Computer Scientists and Database Administrators
on Bureau of Labor Statistics