What Can You Do With A Computer Science Degree?

The worlds technological advances in the last few decades is enough to show

the importance of computer science degrees. Everything is done online. We write

emails instead of letters, send a direct message instead of a phone call, visit a website

instead of a store and manage our bank accounts, schedules, and lives through

smartphone apps. With a computer science degree, many career opportunities are

available and a successful future is likely.

The following computer science careers are some of the highest in demand and

pay salaries that make the degree look appealing to any undecided college student.

Data Scientists, Software Applications Developer, Business Intelligence Analyst, Web

Developer and Computer Programmer are just a few of the positions available for this

lucrative degree.

Data Scientists are an exceptional benefit to any commercial company. In

October 2012, Thomas H. Davenport wrote an issue for the Harvard Business Review

that went into depth on the importance of data scientists and gave a real life example of

how these specialists benefit companies. When the popular networking site LinkedIn

first started out the site was gaining traffic but users werent connecting with one

another the way the creators had anticipated. A data scientist by the name of Goldman

began to brainstorm ways for users to connect more easily and network with

acquaintances.

Goldman started to test what would happen if you presented

users with names of people they hadnt yet connected with but
 seemed likely to knowfor example, people who had shared

their tenures at schools and workplaces. He did this by ginning

up a custom ad that displayed the three best new matches for

each user based on the background entered in his or her

LinkedIn profile. The click-through rate on those ads was the

highest ever seen. Thanks to this one feature, LinkedIns

growth trajectory shifted significantly upward. (Davenport,

October 2012 issue of Harvard Business Review)

Successful Data Scientists are analysts, company advisors and experts at data

hacking and coding. According to Glassdoor, the national average salary of a data

scientist is $113,436.

Software Applications Developers simply put, design computer programs. What

is the difference between a Software Developer and a Computer Programmer?

Software Developers tend to have Computer Programmers write code to their

specifications. Imagine the Developer being a General Contractor where a Computer

Programmer is the construction worker. The Bureau of Labor Statistics quoted Software

Applications Developers as making a median of $100,690 per year in 2015. This career

choice would consist of the Developer analyzing user needs, designing applications

through flowcharts, figuring out how the software will work in their specific application,

continued maintenance and testing of their application and more of the like.

Business Intelligence analysts are market intelligence and data specialists.

These types of analysts identify, analyze and predict trends in their business market.

Business Intelligence Analysts use their intelligence from public information collected
and data trends to recommend or discourage action in business ventures. They also

provide technical support for their business network and generate reports for

executives. According to Callie Malvik in a blog written for Rasmussen College,

Business Intelligence Analysts can expect a 3-7% growth in career opportunities

between 2012 and 2022 and on average earn upwards of $83,410 per year. (Malvik,

2015)

Malvik who is a Content Marketing Manager at Collegis Education also wrote on

Web Developers and Computer programmers. Web developers build sites for

commercial businesses, non-profit organizations, social media sites, and much more.

Their duties are to write, design, and edit web page content and correct bugs within the

websites theyve created. Their average salary according to Malvik is $33,320 -

$110,350. Computer Programmers have a slightly higher salary, ranging from $43,640 -

$123,490. A Computer Programmers duties include creating and testing code,

analyzing user needs and writing computer programs. Malvik points out, Youre not

likely to find a career path with a more optimistic outlook than computer science

careers. (Malvik, 2015)

Having the right technological knowledge is undoubtedly important in all of these

careers, however there are aspects of this path that go unforeseen.

ComputerScienceOnline.org is an informative website dedicated to helping technology

interested individuals find the right information to make their future career decisions.

Their site explains, Our staff is passionate about technology and dedicated to helping

others find the information they need to make decisions about their future in the fast

moving and rapidly growing tech industry.

 Micheal Hoffman, an attorney and writer for ComputerScienceOnline.org points

out in an in-depth article titled A Guide To Computer Science Careers that to make a

successful career in computer science you need more skills than just science, math and

coding experience. To gain an edge in the field Hoffman states that communication,

networking, managerial and self reliance abilities are aspects often left out of a

computer science graduates list of skills. Employers in the tech market today bemoan

the fact that many otherwise well-educated CS graduates lack even minimally

acceptable competence in writing and speaking. (Hoffman, 2017) This is something to

think about when considering a future in computer science. With its growing popularity,

having the know-how to designate responsibility, effectively communicate and work

successfully on your own without being managed could put you above the rest.

With the constant evolution of technology comes new career opportunities in

computer science that didnt exist before. A successful computer science specialist will

be able to grow with the future and learn new code and techniques that didnt exist

before. I predict specific career expansion opportunity for these individuals in the field of

artificial intelligence. I dont believe there will ever be a plateau concerning gaining

knowledge for a computer science graduate. To some, this may seem daunting, but to

those forward thinkers who enjoy learning and new experiences I believe the future is

bright. Further, the pay grade for this degree points to inevitable financial success.
 Works Cited

Davenport, T. H. Data Scientist: The Sexiest Job of the 21st Century. Harvard Business
Review. October 2012

Gill, J. What can you do with a computer science degree? Times Higher Education.
February 2017

Malvik, C. What Can You Do With a Computer Science Degree? Rasmussen College.
August 2015

Hoffman, M. A GUIDE TO COMPUTER SCIENCE CAREERS: Exploring Options And

Career Paths For The CS Professional. ComputerScienceOnline.org. March 2015