Computer science careers

First, I want to say that many computer science graduates never wrote a program until getting to college. Several of my most talented colleagues wrote their first program in a college freshman intro course. So after this course, you're actually ahead of the game.

Computer science graduates are in high demand, and - although of course this is just speculation - people generally think that the demand will not abate soon, as companies continue to handle more data and more transactions via computers.

Career choices vary widely between what people do with an undergraduate degree and what people do with a doctorate. I'll summarize the scene for both categories, also discussing what's up with a Master's degree.

For more information about careers in all disciplines, I recommend Yahoo's summary. The statistics are a bit dated (for computer science, any such statistics become dated after a few months), but the information seems fair and solid.

With a Bachelor's degree...

Although the prestigious undergraduate computer science programs do not emphasize their vocational aspect, a Bachelor's degree (and, for that matter, a Master's degree) is viewed by industry as providing a very useful background for a variety of jobs. This is reflected in the fact that computer science boast one of the highest starting salaries of typical undergraduate majors; this statistic currently runs around $40,000. Average salaries for typical computer science jobs go up to about $60,000 or $70,000.

The most traditional career paths for a person with a bachelor's degree includes the following...

• A computer programmer (a.k.a. a software developer) works on a team of developers working on a software product. The software may be either commercial (the type you buy in stores) or industrial (special-purpose software for companies).
• A systems analyst helps design solutions to organizations' computing-related problems. This typically involves more work with management to decide what is required.
• A system administrator helps maintain computer systems for an organization. This typically involves little programming; instead, a system administrator makes decisions about which products the organization should use and maintains the purchased products.
• A database administrator helps maintain an organization's database (which may, for example, hold information about inventory or customers or clients). The database administrator adapts general-purpose database software to the specific needs of the organization.
• A Webmaster helps maintain an organization's Internet Web site. Although the simpler Web sites hardly require much expertise, more complicated Web sites (such as those that handle large volumes of sales) require somebody fluent in programming.

With a Master's degree...

A Master's degree is basically a one- or two-year extension of a Bachelor's degree, but concentrating more heavily on advanced computer science. A Master's degree is highly desirable in industry, and personally I would recommend it for any person intelligent enough to handle the additional study, if they are not interested in doctorate-level positions.

People with a Master's degree tend to take either a very desirable job among those I listed for Bachelor's degrees, or a not-very-prestigious position among those I listed for doctorates.

Generally people planning to get a PhD in computer science do not study for their Master's degree. Such a student typically applies directly from undergraduate school into the PhD program, and the PhD program will give them a Master's degree basically once they complete their classes and maybe a short thesis. (Of course some students decide on a PhD after they see how fun the Master's degree was - but since Master's programs typically cost whereas doctorate programs typically pay, people generally decide one way or the other after undergraduate school.)

With a doctorate...

In most disciplines - including even most technical disciplines - the scene for doctorates is quite bleak. Not so in computer science. Although of course a PhD in computer science is no guarantee of an easy job, there is a reasonable demand for computer science doctorates that current supply does not quite fill.

Traditional paths for a PhD include the following.

• A researcher works at a research lab trying to develop new products or techniques. There are good research labs run by many large computer companies (prominent ones include Bell, Microsoft, IBM, Lucent, and Compaq) and by the government.
• A computer science professor does basically what other professors do. Relative to most other fields, computer science professors are in short supply (thanks to the research labs who entice many PhDs with higher salaries and no teaching load).
• A computer science instructor teaches computer science classes to undergraduate students. Several computer science departments employ instructors to handle beginning undergraduates so that the professors can concentrate on research and teaching more advanced students. (Actually, a very good Master's degree is sufficient for many of these positions.)