Computer Science/Software Engineering

According to Joel Adams, in his 2007 textbook “Alice in Action: Computing Through Animation” preface (paraphrased here and there: “Software Engineers (i.e. computer programmers) have the unique opportunity in their jobs to be able to imagine practically anything and actually make it happen in the virtual world of the computer. In its 2006 “Best Jobs in America: study, Money Magazine listed software engineer #1 on its list of best jobs, because of its creativity, pay, and prestige. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, software engineering is also expected to be one of the fastest-growing job markets in the next decade.”

This growing demand for software engineers poses a problem, because ever since the dot-com bust in 2001-2, fewer and fewer students have been enrolling in CS1 courses. And many drop out. CS1 courses are the starting point for software engineers.

A recent survey by Money magazine reported on the top ten “best jobs” in the U.S. Software Engineer was ranked number 1. The reasons given were the high salaries ($90,000), employee satisfaction with the job because of good work conditions and high prestige of the position.

An excellent starting point for becoming a Computer Scientist or Software Engineer, both careers involving primarily computer programming, is the Computer Science A.S. degree program at San Juan College. The program was rated the best “by far” among New Mexico’s two year colleges in a survey done by the Computer Science Department at New Mexico State University.

For more information, please call Tim Reeves at 505 566-3372. Or send us an email at reevest@sanjuancollege.edu.