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Computer Science Enrollments Rocketed Last Year, Up 22%
alphadogg writes "A sneak peek at the annual Computing Research Association's (CRA) report on computer science enrollments at colleges shows that strong demand for technically-savvy workers is luring students in a big way. The full 2013 Taulbee Report will be published in May, but the CRA revealed a few tidbits this week in its Computer Research News publication. Among the findings: Among 123 departments responding last year and the year before, there was a 22% increase in enrollment for computer science bachelor's degree programs at U.S. schools. Degrees awarded increased 0.9% and new enrollments rose 13.7%"
I love the idea of people who are genuinely interested gaining access to these careers but this reminds me too much of the last dot-com bubble. All sorts of idiots who had no business getting into technology jumped into the pool chasing lucrative salaries and making gigantic messes once they got hired. It took years to flush them all back out.
I remember CS enrollment shot way up in the late 90s as the dotcom bubble was inflating. Now that we're in the late stages of the social media/apps bubble, and people are getting interested in computer science again, I'm guessing that's the reason for the spike.
Bubble or no bubble, there's always going to be demand for good, talented people in software development and IT. The H-1B and offshoring trends have cut salaries significantly, and have made employment less stable, but there are still jobs out there. If students are going into CS that have a genuine interest in computers, that's good. Chasing the money like they were doing in the 90s without the desire will lead to the same problem we had when 2001 rolled around -- tons of "IT professionals" who had no aptitude for the work and were just employed because of the frothy market.
I've managed to stay employed for almost 20 years now and I still really enjoy what I do. It's not as wildly lucrative as it was in the 90s when you could get 20+% salary increases by changing jobs every six months. The only things I've done consistently over this time are:
- Keeping my skills current (and yes, it is a tough commitment especially when you employer doesn't care.)
- Not begging for higher and higher raises every single time salary review time comes around (which requires saving and living within one's means...)
- Choosing employers who don't treat their employees like they're disposable.
I've heard lots of older IT people that they're actively discouraging their kids from following in their footsteps. I don't think that's necessarily good advice. Sure, there are crappy employers out there, and it's not a guaranteed ticket to wealth anymore. But if you're flexible and want interesting work that lets you use your brain and get paid for it, it's still a good move IMO. Look at the legal profession right now - the ABA sold out their members by allowing basic legal work to be offshored. Law degrees were previously an absolute guarantee of a respected, high-salary job, and now that profession is starting to see what we're seeing. My opinion is that as computers get more and more involved in our daily lives, a professional framework will eventually develop when things really start getting safety-sensitive and people stop treating computers like magic boxes and IT/developers like magicians.
HR departments are the bane of modern business.
"Sorry, sir, but we just don't feel that you're qualified for this entry-level programming position"
"But I'm Bill Gates!"
"Yes, and your application clearly shows that you dropped out of college before obtaining your Bachelor's Degree..."
"But I'm *Bill Gates*!"
"Sorry sir, please apply again when you have the required degree..."
SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
Former nurse turned programmer here. Nursing demand has always been cyclical. Or, at least since the 90's when I went to nursing school. It starts with a huge demand for nurses. Lots of people jump into the field, getting ADNs, LPNs, and sometimes higher degrees. Within a few years, the demand is met and there is a glut of nurses on the market. Eventually, those people who got into nursing because they wanted a (relatively) high-paying job with decent benefits see all the crap (figuratively and literally) you have to deal with. Combined with a typically hostile workplace, many relatively new nurses end up leaving the field. The cycle repeats. I mention hostile workplace because nursing is well known for being one of the few professions out there that still "eats their young." All that to say: give it time. They'll be another shortage within 3-4 years.