There are lots of myths about computing careers. One of the most ridiculous is the myth that all the computing jobs are going to India. By contrast, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (US-BLS) projects that computing will be one of the fastest-growing job markets in the U.S. for the foreseeable future, as indicated on the following chart:

(Click on the chart for a larger image.)

For the foreseeable future, nearly 3 out of 4 new science or engineering jobs in the U.S. are going to be in computing! By contrast, just 14% will be traditional engineering jobs.

What kind of jobs are these? The next chart breaks down the US-BLS projections into specific computing jobs:

(Click on the chart for a larger image.)

That is, the US-BLS is predicting that

• There will be twice as many new jobs in software engineering alone as there will be in the rest of engineering combined!
• There will be more new jobs in network analysis and administration than in (non-software) engineering.
• There will be almost as many new jobs for systems analysts as there will be for (non-software) engineers.

Note that basic computer literacy (i.e., knowing Microsoft Word, Excel, or Powerpoint) will not get you one of these jobs. These jobs require skills that you will only gain by studying computer science, information systems, and/or software engineering.

With all of these jobs out there, you’d expect students to be flocking to computing. Unfortunately, the opposite is true, as the following chart shows:

(Click on the chart for a larger image.)

So demand for software engineers, network administrators, and other computing-related professionals is exploding, but fewer and fewer students are choosing to study what is needed to get these jobs.

If you’re not convinced, this final chart compares the number of graduates vs. new jobs in broad science and engineering (S&E) categories:

(Click on the chart for a larger image.)

The yellow bars indicate the raw number of graduates in the broad areas, while the orange bars indicate the number of new job openings in those areas. In engineering, the physical sciences, and the life sciences, there are more graduates than there are jobs. This means the graduates from these programs will be competing for the available jobs, keeping salaries flat.

But in computer science, there is a huge undersupply of graduates. As in any situation where demand exceeds supply, companies are competing for the (relatively few) available graduates that have advanced computing skills, driving salaries up. This is creating a “perfect storm” for people with degrees in computing, as they have a wealth of career options from which to choose.

The Calvin College Department of Computer Science offers:

• a computing education that has been shown to be one of the top programs, nationally;
• strong computing programs, including our ABET-accredited BCS program and BA degrees in
  • computer science
  • information systems,
  • digital art, and
  • digital communication;
• an excellent faculty,
• outstanding facilities,
• undergraduate research opportunities and
• a distinctively Christian approach to computer science.

If you think God might be calling you to a career in computing, we invite you to join us. We will do everything we can to help you realize that calling.