The job market for computer science graduates moves so quickly that by the time anything is said about it, something new pops up to change the dynamics of the industry. However, two words will remain standard for some time to come�booming and profitable.
"The field is going in so many directions, that's what keeps it lucrative," says Edward Lazowska, chairman of the department of computer science and engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle and chairman of the board of the Computer Research Association (CRA).
Newly-hired computer science majors to seasoned company execs earn big bucks in computing and software. Corporate HR people, however, are crying the blues about the lack of qualified applicants, which forces up salaries and increases "churn" as employees jump between competitors.
Reports of available job openings in major corporations are staggering. A recent Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) study claims a shortfall of 190,000 unfilled positions. The same report states that companies on the magnitude of Intel have 3,000 openings as does Microsoft with 2,000 and Sun Microsystems at 1,000.
"New jobs are opening up that nobody even heard of 10 years ago," says Peter Denning, dean of Computer Science and vice provost for Continuing Professional Education at George Mason University. "Jobs with titles like web master, windows NT server system administrator, network identity graphics designer."
Denning questions the numbers of unfilled jobs. For instance, many of them can be filled by retrained people without CS degrees. But no matter how the numbers fall, 68% of information technology companies say lack of qualified staff hinders their ability to grow. In the Seattle area alone Lazowska says 3,000 software and digital media firms are "hiring like crazy."
Denning speculates that the situation will eventually resolve itself as future savvy college students head into computer science and private companies emerge to offer training.
Business trends indicate why the hiring frenzy got started in the first place. "Just about every industry relies on information technology and computing to some degree," says Lazowska. Stu Zweben, professor and chair of Computer and Information sciences at Ohio State University and also a CRA board member, agrees that new hardware products are becoming faster and cheaper.
Adding to the turmoil, every business sector is cooking up new software application needs. Says Zweben, "There are very few areas of business that don't have some stake in computing and software."
Marjory S. Blumenthal, executive director of the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board at the National Research Council, brings up data mining as an example of the effect software has on business growth. "Large-scale retailers are using it,' she says, "and they can afford computer scientists." Wall Street, too, actively recruits electrical engineers to develop the algorithms that make trading decisions, says Lazowska.
One development leads to another, creating new needs for software development. System assurance is a major factor. As more industries see the possibilities of software applications, they must ensure their systems are crash-proof. Denning adds designer integrity. "We have to know that systems are crash-proof, dependable, reliable and safe (if people's lives depend on them). But we also have to know that the designers who created those systems are well trained and ethical." This forces the issue of certification. Denning speculates that formal licensing is likely within the next decade.
These emerging developments in computing will make the past few years seem like ancient history. Blumenthal mentions the explosion of cellular telephony. She uses the term nomadicity to explain the "anytime, anywhere" direction in which telecommunications is headed. Lazowska notes the convergence of computing and telecommunications. Computers are becoming communication devices. As a result, systems integration and the search for a universal infrastructure is likewise increasing jobs.
And the Internet, by now a household word, generates enormous potential from Web page design to the issue of privacy and security. The possibilities that embedded systems open up are another big ticket item looming on the horizon.
Computer science graduates not only have their pick of jobs, they have multiple employers to choose from. Aside from established corporations of all flavors, Denning observes the growth of start-ups, particularly in computers and software. It looks like between jobs and employers, computer science majors have hit the hot button.
Perhaps you haven't yet heard the term "churning," but you will. It refers to the growing practice, especially for graduates of hot degrees, to accept a job in one company only to be lured away by another company with a more lucrative salary. The bait is enticing, but Peter Denning, dean of Computer Science and vice provost for Continuing Education at George Mason University, raises a warning flag.
Initially, it looks like a no-brainer to accept a higher offer. However, Denning compares churning to white water rafting. "You can be easily dumped by boaters, who are more practiced than you. Unless you maintain a deep, broad practical knowledge of the current, as do river guides, you can be knocked off balance by hidden dangers."
New graduates may have theoretical knowledge about currents and hidden rocks, but they don't know the river yet. Watch out. Before jumping from higher offer to higher offer, find out what's beneath its churning surface.
If you're soon to graduate as a software engineer, we have good news for you. Even in our rocky economic times, the future continues to look bright for those in the field. And there is no shortage of job opportunities coming your way.
"We have (software engineering) alums employed in everything from the circus to NASA," says Professor Linda Ott, chair of the Department of Computer Science at Michigan Technological University, when asked what you can do these days with a degree in software engineering.
"The interesting thing about software engineering is that graduates can work in so many different fields. Software engineering is part of virtually every industry.
"Obviously, there are commonalities," she says, "but if you are a software engineer working for an organization that develops software, you'll be working with other software engineers and be specialized - in testing, quality assurance, etc. But if you're a software engineer working in a start-up business, you could be developing software yourself from the ground up, as well as answering the phones and developing a marketing strategy."
And Ott continues with the good news: "Right now the career outlook is excellent. Our graduates don't have trouble finding jobs. In fact, because of the economic squeeze, people are trying to automate. They do that with software, and that demands software engineers."
Sounds pretty good, right? And if you're about to graduate into this booming field of software engineering, you should know you have something in common with your new area of expertise.
Both you and your field of study are still pretty young. Even though the phrase "software engineering" was occasionally used as early as the late 1950s, it wasn't until the 1968 NATO Software Engineering Conference that it became popular.
Today computer software engineers are one of the occupations projected to grow the fastest and add the most new jobs over the 2006-2016 decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, employment of computer software engineers is projected to increase by 38% over the 2006-2016 period, which is far faster than the average for all occupations. This growth is thanks to our increasing dependence on new technologies, as well as business's increasing desire to intragrate more technologies to streamline the efficiency of their computer systems. According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for computer software engineers will also increase as computer networking continues to grow.
Lucky for you, all this growth and demand leads to improving salaries, as well. According to Robert Half Technology, starting salaries for software engineers in software development ranged from $66,500-$99,750 in 2007. For network engineers, starting salaries ranged from $65,750-$90,250.
Greg Smith, chief technology officer at George Fox University says that the field of computer software is in flux. At George Fox University they have modified their computer software program to add an Information Systems curriculum. They have also recently launched a new Center for Mobile Computing, which will focus on developing applications for mobile devices with emphasis on Apple's iPod Touch and iPhone. Several corporate partners, including Oracle and Apple, are supporting the center's work in an effort to help the university leverage the computing innovations they provide.
"This center represents the university's commitment to using technology to enhance our learning community and to provide new opportunities for students to gain real-world experience in the mobile computing market," says Robin Baker, the school's president.
One of the center's first projects will be the migration of its existing iPhone portal to Oracle's PeopleSoft system, which will allow students, faculty, and staff the ability to access the university's network for grades, reports, and other data using their cell phones. The Apple connection comes as a natural outcome of the university's transition to an all-Apple campus - promoting iPhones and the iPod Touch for enhanced communication and learning.
A new curriculum also has been developed by the university's Computer and Information Science program to aid the center. Brian McLaughlin, author of Groundspeak's Geocaching application for the iPhone, will be the center's lead application developer. McLaughlin will collaborate with CIS students to move projects through alpha and beta development to the end user - providing students with real-world experience in application development and delivery.
The university believes the center will offer new and valuable opportunities for CIS graduates and presents opportunities for the school's engineering and business students to collaborate on mobile computing projects designed for the marketplace.
With a changing economic climate and a changing professional landscape, now is a great time to be launching your software engineering career.
As you navigate your career, remember to always communicate with your higher-ups - something that those in engineering are often notoriously noted for avoiding.
Keep in mind that your generation is part of a new crop of students trained in actual degree programs for software engineering, which is something relatively new. In fact, according to the Association for Computing Machinery, "most people who now function in the U.S. as serious software engineers have degrees in computer science, not in software engineering."
Due to it's relative newness as a field of study, formal education in software engineering was often taught as part of a computer science curriculum, and as a result many software engineers working in the field hold computer science degrees. Therefore, there may be a bit of a gap between you and your coworkers and bosses, but communication goes far in dealing with this issue. And it's helpful to recognize that a degree is just one way of learning about software engineering; on the job training is also key.
