More Students Prefer Interdisciplinary to CS

prostoalex writes "With increased offshore outsourcing and continuing simplification of such tasks as writing a trivial application, Computer Science degrees are not as attractive for college students anymore, NYT finds. Students prefer interdisciplinary majors, where the programming skills are combined with solid scientific backgrounds in biotech, chemistry or business." From the article: "For students like Ms. Burge, expanding their expertise beyond computer programming is crucial to future job security as advances in the Internet and low-cost computers make it easier to shift some technology jobs to nations with well-educated engineers and lower wages, like India and China."

Comments

Re:Job Security

[Tablizer]

It won't do any good. Indians and Chinese are just as capable as learning new technology as Anglos.

Agreed. Education and re-education is not our comparative advantage. Asia has books and schools and the cost of an educated brain there is simply lower. Nor is there any evidence that Asians are less creative, at least not enough to justify the higher cost of Americans. Most bosses I know don't want to hear about new ideas anyhow. It changes stuff beyond their familiarity and comfort level.

Frankly, I don't know what US's comparative advantage is anymore. Maybe we don't have one and that is why our trade deficit is growing bigger than a Sunni riot. Or, the US is where all the wealthy foriegn CEO's retire. That is why jobs trimming poodles are growing and programming ain't.