The Importance of Computer Science Education

The Importance of Computer Science Education W. Mackey Freise Trident University International

The Importance of Computer Science Education

Imagine a world that has become totally dependent upon computers and technology. Computers have taken over every area of life from work to personal to worldwide communication. Many wouldnt realize that in the twenty-first century our world is just that; a world that is dependent upon computers for everything. That includes electricity, water, television, manufacturing, and even, to some extent, our food. With a society so dependent upon computers for almost every aspect of life, one would think that those who were going to college to get a degree in computer science would be on the rise. After all, five of the top thirty fastest growing jobs in the United States are from computer related specialties and subgroups. However, that doesnt seem to be the case as the Computing Research Association reported that the annual number of bachelor's degrees awarded in computer science and computer engineering dropped 12 percent in 2009 (Carey, 2013) and continues to drop every year. Everyone needs to understand that, for many reasons, it is increasingly important for people to pursue a computer science degree in the twentyfirst century. First of all, while tech companies may be looking to hire people with wellrounded skills and backgrounds, a computer science degree is still extremely important in preparing oneself for any sort of computer related job in any company. Michael Heath, the interim head of the computer science department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign stated that he would agree that communications, interpersonal skills and those sorts of things are extremely crucial to career success. And you can develop those in any major. But tech companies aren't hiring English majors and History majors. They're hiring technically trained, problem solving

The Importance of Computer Science Education

computer science majors. So you have to take some of that [demand for soft skills] with a grain of salt. (Marsan, 2009)" Again, its back to the issue that computers are everywhere, in every part of life, and they are what keep our society running as it is today. To take care of those computers, its important for those in the workplace to be prepared to take care of those systems. That makes it important to have a computer science degree so that a person understands what it is that makes these systems tick and they can keep them going, create the programs to make the processes easier, and can create the actual systems that create what is needed for a company to remain strong. As it stands right now, computing jobs are here to stay no matter where you are located (Top 10 Reasons, n.d.). This can be highlighted the best by looking at Las Vegas where Jack Braman, the CIO at the Las Vegas Sands, and Tim Stanley, the CIO of Harrahs Entertainment are working with University of Nevada to ensure that they can deliver graduates with the skills that will get them jobs right out of college. Their message is that the Las Vegas economy is driven by the hotels and casinos and that business is driven by IT (Burger, 2008). Without the proper computer science degree than the graduates arent ready for the needs of employers in the real world. Again, this simply underscores how important a computer science degree is in the 21st century. Headlines all over the country indicate that technical, computer science, and software positions are being added all over. A brief look at the headlines show that an Indianapolis firm is adding 400 tech jobs (Consulting Firm Grows, 2013), a Colorado Springs firm is adding 600 tech jobs (Castellanos, 2009), and a Chicago

The Importance of Computer Science Education

firm is creating 2,000 jobs (Hinz, 2012). If one were to look even deeper, the numbers would be staggering. Every where a person looks, one can usually hear about any number of companies that are hiring computer science, software, and technical positions. An important element in landing any of these jobs is an education that is grounded in the basics of computers and what the person will need to land these jobs. To get these skills and to lay the foundation for a good start in these industries, its important to have a computer science degree. In retrospect, it is possibly short-sighted for so many people to ignore the importance of a computer science degree. With the numbers of jobs requiring some sort of computer education, it is more important than ever that people consider obtaining a degree in Computer Science. The fact that the numbers of students who are majoring in computer science are dropping every year shows that many students dont understand this. People in general may not realize this. So many people in society take for granted the technological advances that had made our lives, economy, and world work. This makes many not realize how important it is that people prepare themselves to support and create the technology and computing needs to keep these things going. As was stated, computing jobs are here to stay regardless of location. All one has to do is look to the classifieds and the headlines to see this is the case. So, in order to prepare ourselves for the twenty first century it is essential that everyone realizes how important a computer science degree is to ensuring were prepared for what lies ahead.

The Importance of Computer Science Education

References

Association for Computing Machinery. (n.d.). Top 10 Reasons to Major in Computing. Retrieved from http://computingcareers.acm.org/?page_id=4 Burger, Dan. (2008). Is An IT Career Looking Better for Students? Retrieved from http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh021108-story07.html Carey, Kevin. (2010). Decoding the Value of Computer Science. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Decoding-the-Value-of-Computer/125266/ Castellanos, Sara. (2009). Tech firm to add 600 Springs jobs. Retrieved from http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_12717774 Fox 59. (2013). Consulting firm grows Indy headquarters, adds 400 jobs. Retrieved from http://fox59.com/2013/08/27/consulting-firm-grows-indy-headquarters-adds-400jobs/#ixzz2dOHfC78x Hinz, Greg. (2012). Chicago tech firms commit to creating 2,000 jobs. Retrieved from http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120924/BLOGS02/120929919/chicagotech-firms-commit-to-creating-2-000-jobs Marsan, Carolyn Duffy. (2009). Does a computer science degree matter anymore? Retrieved from http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/040609-hot-techskills.html?page=1