Why Study Computer Science?

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my weekly article.  This time I'm going to think again about the career choice I took and answer a few  questions:

1. What is actually Computer Science?


2. Why most young people refrain from taking this academic track?

3. What makes young people take this track anyway?

4. What are the main advantages of this career?

5. What are the main disadvantages of this career?



What is actually Computer Science

This term itself is problematic because the field doesn't deal with computers as objects and is not a standard  exact science.    Let's put it clear: a science deals with theory while engineering deals with finding practical solutions.   So by this definition Computer Science is mostly an engineering.   Moreover, This field deals with the principles and methods of software development and not with the structure of computer.  So The proper name for this field would be "Software Engineering", as it has been started to be called.


So studying Computer Science you will be educated about the several aspects of the software world: algorithms, data structures , operating systems , logics , machine languages, modern languages  and software engineering courses.  This academic track should teach you the proper state of mind for engaging in software development.  After graduation you should be ready to deal by yourself with extensive self learning of languages  ,development environments and algorithms.



Why most young people refrain from taking this academic track

1. Women  -  constitute a minority among Computer Science student (about 20%).  This may be attributed the general reluctance  of women from technical career.  In addition, the field's image as a masculine one deters many women from entering it.

2. Geek oriented - this filed is widely perceived as suitable mainly for socially inept males, who can't deal with interpersonal jobs and retreat to a solitary career.   Many prospect students ditch this career path due to this problematic issue.

3. Offshoring - it's widely perceived that software jobs have been leaking to developing countries like India, thus the future of professionals in the software industry seems blurred.

4. Age bias - it's widely believed that software professionals work till the age of 40, then they're usually fired without being able to find any further employment.

5. Boredom - the field is depicted in public as extremely boring and as one that people engage in just for the good wages it brings.


What makes young people take this track anyway?


1. The mouse generation effect - most of the 1990's born generation has been raised as computer and cellphone addicts.  They have known these instrument as their best friend from age 4-5 and have spent thousands of hours using them.   Thus a certain percentage of them view the possibility of computing as a career as a natural career path.

2. The big money - many young people are attracted to this field due to the relatively high salaries it offers.  Software engineers in the US might earn $100,000 a year after 5-10 years of experience as the average annual salary is about $45,000, which means that good professionals in the software industry earn about 2 times the average salary.

3. High job prospects - young people who tend to study technical courses are often attracted to the high number of jobs the software industry offers compared to other technical field like: Construction, Mechanical or chemical engineering fields.

4. Entrepreneurship prospects - the software industry is perceived as offering wide prospects of working as a self employed professional or as an entrepreneur.  We all have been hearing about the success story of Facebook or Twitter which were initiated basically by a single person and have become world wide phenomena.


What are the main advantages of this career

1. Prestigous - no matter where you go, being computer programmer is highly respectable, sometimes one of the most respected careers: North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America or India.   Being respectable and engaging in a well respected career is important to many people.

2. Twenty years of grace - software professionals enjoy a steady prospects of employment for about 20 years after graduation, as most Computer Science graduates enter the job market at about 23 years of age.  It's rare to see a software professional unemployed for long periods of time, at least until the age of 45.

3.  Self employment prospects -  It's feasible to work as a freelancer or as an entrepreneur, a luxury a few academic occupations enjoy.  For people who can't find proper employment or wish to be their own bosses, this feature is highly important.

4. Work from everywhere - this field lets you work from every place on this planet almost without any significance to your physical location.  This enables the possibilities to  work for a remote client without leaving your room.


What are the main disadvantages of this career?


1. All day in front of the computer - there are people who are suitable for such a daily routine but many would get frustrated from sitting 45 hours a week in front of a small screen.   So taking this aspect into consideration would be prudent.

2. Limited social interaction - again, there are people who would crave such working conditions and people that would climb the walls after a month in this atmosphere.  Though software professionals interact during work, interpersonal relations surely can't be defined as the title of this career.

3. Age bias - in this field 40 years old worker is considered quite old, though the average age in the industry has increased during the last 2 decades, due to the fact that the field got popular mainly since the 1990's, so obviously the average age can't be over 35 years of age.


Summary

In this article I've shared with you my understanding of the various aspects  of choosing Computer Science as a career: its advantages, disadvantages and why people opt for or refrain from this field.

You're more than welcome to comment this article with your insights.