Computer Science Skills Increasingly More Important in Wider Range of Jobs

As we kick off the start of Computer Science Education Week, I wanted to share some recent research published by Oracle Academy and Burning Glass. The data is foundational in explaining why Computer Science for All (#CSforAll) is compelling – and it also helps to paint a clearer picture of a personal passion point. The impetus of the research is grounded in how jobs are classified since “computer science” careers are often narrowly defined as computer programmers and software engineers. Not all people in tech are developers, engineers, and computer scientists. Many technologists (myself included) specialize in design, user experience, data science, or marketing.  

Alison Derbenwick Miller, Vice President of the Oracle Academy, contributed to the research forward and aptly states, "By a wide margin, the fastest growing and highest paying jobs require computer science skills, and the ability to work with and analyze data—any kind of data, in any industry—is increasingly linked with computer science skills. Interestingly, by an even wider margin, the same jobs that value computer science skills do not require a degree in computer science."  

Here are a few other interesting highlights from the research:  

  • Hybrid roles where candidates are expected to have a combination of programming skills, data analysis skills and domain-specific skills such as marketing or business strategy are becoming more the norm (read my previous blog about hybrid jobs here) 
  • Specific skills, more than a particular college major or prior experience, are key to landing jobs 
  • Data management and analysis skills are at least as important as teaching coding 
  • Computer science skills are a key differentiator which can have a significantly impact earning potential  

The bottom line:  computer science skills are increasingly more important in a wider range of jobs. Read the full Rebooting Jobs report to learn more about the fastest-growing and highest-paying computer science skills in each job category – and the implications for students learning computer science.   

Happy Computer Science Education Week!  

#CSforAll #CSEdWeek @CSforAllTchrs

Source:  http://burning-glass.com/wp-content/uploads/rebooting_jobs_2017.pdf 

Melissa Risteff