The popularity of Computer Science has always been on the rise since its emergence as a university/college major. Many degrees awarding institutes across the world reported a record number of admission applications for a major in this field. Results in the availability of huge career options in Computer Science.
According to an article published by The New York Times: “At the University of Texas at Austin, which has a top Computer Science program, more than 3,300 incoming first-year students last fall sought Computer Science as their first choice of major, more than double the number who did so in 2014”.
Other than its popularity as a most sought-after major, which is indeed an outcome of the abundance of high-status as well as high salary jobs, there is another extraordinary aspect that is the cause of this much popularity. That is, the extraordinary huge variety of subject choices and associated career paths. Mentioning that variety of specialized courses in Computer Science and the corresponding career paths, would require another long dedicated article, but here I would try to show a glimpse, while you read ahead of my views on how to give thorough advice about career options in computer science and related majors.
Advising about careers in Computer Science takes a fair deal of consideration and a lot of factors count. I am going to cover the most common as well as crucial ones.
A Huge Variety is a Blessing & Increases Confusion at the Same Time, Analyze Particulars
This is quite a natural phenomenon that decisions can be challenging when you get a huge variety of options to choose from. This is the case with career options associated with a Computer Science degree as well. Perhaps no other subject gives this much huge variety of career options as is the case of Computer Science. At least, I couldn’t come up with any! And if there comes something in your mind, I would love to see your comment below.
Almost a decade ago, most institutions across the world offered graduate degrees in the fields, of Computer Science, computer engineering, software engineering etc. and offered specialized subjects – for specific career paths – either in the final years or in the postgraduate and higher degrees. But in the recent decade, as a result of the revolutionary growth of this field, many institutions have started offering specific graduation degrees e.g. computational sciences, data science, artificial intelligence, embedded system engineering etc. to name a few.
So question is, as an advisor, how we can help with this wide range of options. Well, the answer is not plain and is not short, but to come to something general and applicable in majority cases, I would say: go for a degree in general, primitive and comprehensive major i.e. Computer Science, in case you have no particular choice, aptitude or career path in mind. Once you are there you will tend to find your specific area by the end of the graduation, which in most cases, be available to you as a professional career path with this graduation or you can top-up your particular skills in a very short time to kick-start! e.g. one of my university students developed an interest in game development while he was finalizing the 4-year graduation at a university. While the tools are only a semester course during graduation in game development. So he enrolled himself on an online Unity Game Development course and was soon able to get offers from a couple of game development organizations in the city, where he applied for a game developer.
In case, somebody has made up his mind for a certain specific field, then he can go ahead with that specific program, e.g. web development, machine learning, communication and information technology etc.
A glimpse of the variety I have tried to explain can be seen at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). MIT has always been a hallmark in imparting Computer Science education.
How to Check the Aptitude for Career Options in Computer Science
Ask me one basic aptitude parameter about Computer Science, and the answer is logical thinking. Reasoning, logical thinking, problem-solving, logic building and strong basic math skills are the main pillars of this subject. Sometimes, students are pretty sure that they exhibit strong aptitude. In other cases, someone may “test” oneself with online tests which check the aptitude towards these areas.
A very common situation, I have come across is, when people mistakenly think they have the aptitude to be a software engineer because they have an aptitude for playing video games, exploring mobile applications or playing with robotic devices and so on. There is a huge difference between having an aptitude for developing mobile applications and exploring them.
For Those Who are Planning a Career Shift
I have come across many people who are inclined to make a move from an ongoing career to some career role in Computer Science. And most of them did make the move not only quickly but very successfully. The most common reasons I could see were: low-wages in their field, lack of interest, lack of employment opportunities, slow financial growth etc.
Another reason I could observe in post COVID times, people either lost jobs, or had insecurities during lockdown times, and they build interest in the fields like freelancing, web development, digital marketing, social media marketing, content creation etc. And they finally started it either as part-time or full time.
So if someone is planning a move, yes this is the sea of opportunities that can absorb such movers, if they tend to build up a proper skill set.
Also Read: Aerospace Engineering vs Aeronautical Engineering: What is the Difference?
Skill-First Career Paths
A bounty that Computer Science past, present and upcoming students have started enjoying is, the market has actually become a “skill-first” opportunity. Many tech giants across the world have officially announced that they do not require a proper college degree, but only the particular skillset and they let you in, on an awesome package and offer a proper career path and growth. What to mention of small and medium private software companies who take people on board as their permanent regular employees based on skills and not the degree. So as a result, I know hundreds of my students who started earning as early as before they were even halfway through their graduation. So one must be excited about this all, and a coach who is advising about careers in computer science must talk about this at the right stage to channel full potential and to help make more clear decisions.
Answering the Expected Salary Range
If you have read point # 4, you must agree that answering about average salary or starter salary is hard. It depends on a lot of factors: employee’s skill-set, employing organization size, region of the world, nature of job and contract to name a few. So the best way to tackle such queries is, to ask about a specialized situation and then present some cases. e.g. an entry-level software developer usually makes around 100,000 USD / year.
According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics “The median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $91,250 in May 2020, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $41,950”.
Answering the Degree Requirements and Choice of Institutes
College admission application requirements vary from institute to institute and region to region. However, very common requirements are mathematics and science majors in Grade 11 and 12. Like many other fields of study, there are a handful of universities and institutes which are renowned across the work for Computer Science degrees and associated courses. But apart from seeking admission in those, this matter depends on a lot of other factors which are specific case to case. However, it is generally good to inform students about top colleges and universities in their area of interest.
As mentioned above, there are multiple career options available in the field of Computer Science. If your students are looking for assistance in finding the perfect career or job in this field, this blog can help you out.
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