What is Computer Science?
If we're feeling formal...
Computer Science is a broad discipline concerned with the science and technology of information processing. It includes areas such as:
- Theory of Computation: what can (and cannot!) be computed, the complexity of problems, models of computation;
- Computing Systems: Architectures and devices for implementing computations, including parallel and distributed computation and computer networks;
- Applications: Web technology, Artificial Intelligence, Databases, Computer Graphics;
- And much, much more...
... and if we're not.
Computer Science is the hottest, most dynamic, and most exciting field there is. From cyberspace to multimedia to virtual reality, knowledge bases to data bases, chatterbots to filterbots, protocols to predicates... Computer Science is limited only by your imagination. This is not our parents' profession!
We're in demand!
The 2006 Final Statistical Report from WPI's Career Development Center (CDC) shows that computer science has the highest number of job listings at the CDC for that year. Computer science also has the second highest average bachelor's degree starting salary, at about $58,000.
BusinessWeek Online reports (July 25, 2005) reports that
"The latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics contain a pleasant surprise: The ranks of 'computer and mathematical occupations,' which include many programmers, actually rose in the second quarter by a robust 7.5%, to 3.2 million, compared with the previous year. While software companies themselves boosted jobs by a modest 3.3%, employment at establishments providing custom programming services increased by 5.6%. By contrast, tech manufacturing jobs were up just a tad and telecoms are still cutting staff."
"Why the shift? A couple of reasons. High-end programmers' skills are in demand as corporations and tech companies adopt a slew of new technologies from wireless computing to Web services -- pieces of software that fit together like Lego blocks. That makes it easier to add new features and to integrate one program with another. A second factor: While Indian service firms and their Western rivals are hiring lots of programmers overseas, they're also recruiting people with design skills and business knowledge close to their clients in the U.S. and Europe. 'You always need programmers on site or nearby,' says analyst Gregory Smith of Merrill Lynch & Co. (MER)."
The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the Computer Programmers section of the 2002-03 Occupational Outlook Handbook, says:
"Systems analysts, computers scientists, and database administrators are expected to be the among the fastest growing occupations through 2010. Employment of these computer specialists is expected to increase much faster than the average for all occupations as organizations continue to adopt and integrate increasingly sophisticated technologies. Growth will be driven by very rapid growth in computer and data processing services, which is projected to be the fastest growing industry in the U.S. economy. In addition, many job openings will arise annually from the need to replace workers who move into managerial positions or other occupations or who leave the labor force."
Maintained by webmaster@cs.wpi.eduLast modified: December 03, 2007 14:15:38