Computing Professionals Changing Needs for the 1990s (1993) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
Supply: Who Enters the Profession?
Supply: Who Enters the Profession?
Pages 58-77
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From page 58... ...
INTRODUCTION Where does the talent come from to fill job openings for computing professionals? Computing professionals are those individuals who have acquired the requisite skills by completing appropriate courses of education and training and/or by gaining appropriate experience.
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From page 59... ...
One factor that may contribute to an increase in the available talent pool is the slowdown in defense spending, which is expected to free up computing professionals as well as other scientific and technical personnel. Paul Stevens, manager of Corporate Software Initiatives at Hughes Aircraft Company, noted that this effect on human resources may be disproportionate, since commercial projects tend to use fewer people than comparably sized defense projects.
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From page 60... ...
degree holders constitute a clear majority of those working in the field, in the computing professions a large proportion of employed individuals have degrees in other fields. In part, this unique characteristic of computing professionals reflects the relative newness of degree programs in this field and is typical of emerging disciplines.
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From page 61... ...
Baccalaureate Programs Most people who pursue an education in computing complete a baccalaureate program. Baccalaureate programs related to computing, which offer from 6 to 15 courses of varying quality and rigor over 4 years, have a range of names such as computer engineering, computer science and engineering, computer science, computer information systems, information science, information systems, management information systems, and management of information systems.
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From page 62... ...
that more than 300 departments offer master's degrees in computer science, about 95 in information science, about 72 in information systems, about 33 in management information systems, and about 40 in computer engineering. Master's programs have varying requirements, ranging from course work only to course work plus a project or paper or thesis, and may also offer specialization in such areas as telecommunications, decision support systems, and artificial intelligence.
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From page 63... ...
Although counting the computer science and computer engineering Ph.D.s they produce is relatively easy, it remains the case that the contents of those programs, and therefore the quality and competence of their Graduates are not consistent.2 Less is known about doctoral programs in the related areas of information science and information systems, which are not covered by the Taulbee survey. Within the academic computer science and engineering community, the optimal rate of production of Ph.D.s has become a subject of debate.
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From page 64... ...
Also, anecdotal evidence from mid-1992 suggests that there is a surplus of candidates for faculty positions, at least for those at upper-tier schools. FUTURE SUPPLY: PIPELINE OR AQUIFER The supply of computing professionals for the future depends primarily on the supply of people capable of and interested in pursuing relevant bachelor's degree programs; the supply of future computer science and engineering researchers depends further on the number of people capable of and interested in pursuing higher degrees, especially Ph.D.s.
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From page 65... ...
Encouraging Student Interest Workshop participants expressed strong concern that the number of young people preparing for computing professional jobs is inadequate. To a limited extent, the field may be suffering from a tarnished image: a positive image is fundamental to attracting and retaining talented people in the computing professions.
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From page 66... ...
Possible reasons for the recent downward trend in computer science degrees include inadequate student appreciation of the rigorous requirements for the degree, expectations that job opportunities are poor, greater attraction of other professional careers, and so on. Declines at the bachelor's level are part of a larger process of attrition, as William Lupton, professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Morgan State University, noted in the context of discussing minority interest: There are several leakage points along the way [and]
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From page 67... ...
Although on a national basis relatively few children have significant exposure to computers through their schools, workshop participants challenged conventional wisdom by asserting that precollege programs often appear to discourage rather than encourage interest in computer science and engineering. Although this topic was not discussed at length, possible reasons identified include poorly des~gned programs and poorly prepared teachers.
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From page 68... ...
more and more cases of students who would like to work for a while after their baccalaureate degree, to get a sense of what the career perspective looks like, sometimes just to earn money for a change or to escape the pressures of school and into the pressures of work. But very many times the traditional faculty doesn't look positively on someone who has polluted this or her]
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From page 69... ...
One reason for historically limited levels of retraining in industry has been the relatively high levels of mobility among computing professionals. Commenting on the West Coast labor market, for example, Paul Stevens noted that computing professionals tend to be more mobile than engineers.
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From page 70... ...
1 percent Hispanics and African Americans. So, it is really [a problem for all of]
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From page 71... ...
On the other hand, I think it is extremely important that we realize that this extremely large, expanding population is outside of all science and technology, and that this is bad for the country. Workshop participants were concerned that current labor market conditions undercut shortage as a major motivation for encouraging broader participation, although they expected that scarcity may be a problem in the future.
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From page 72... ...
Minorities The problem of limited participation in computing professional jobs is particularly stark for African Americans, who typically account for zero to two computer science or engineering Ph.D.s awarded per year, with eight the annual maximum ever recorded in the Taulbee survey (in 1990-1991~.~° Throughout the period from 1970 to 1991, these numbers translated to either O percent or 1 percent of computer science Ph.D.s awarded each year. Correspondingly, a negligible number of African American faculty work at Ph.D.-granting institutions covered by the Taulbee survey.
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From page 73... ...
Wade Ellis, professor in the Mathematics Department at West Valley College, noted that the problem of the larger pool of minority students is compounded by the fact that people of limited means tend to go to schools with limited resources. The limited participation of Hispanics in computing programs presents some of the same challenges as participation of African Americans.
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From page 74... ...
. because foreign students will include far fewer women than American students will." Vetter also noted that language and cultural differences between foreign and American students appear to discourage American students, who often have difficulty with foreign-born teaching assistants.
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From page 75... ...
Computing professionals of foreign citizenship appear to be a significant presence within the United States. They are key elements in staffing some research and educational institutions and are prominent among student populations, especially at the graduate schools.
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From page 76... ...
can serve as a guide to educational institutions and students, helping to focus the skill development process. · While computing professional jobs are likely to continue to attract people from other fields, increasing skill requirements may call for more fundamental education in computer science and engineering than was needed in the past.
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From page 77... ...
If the ~l`uly~l~ ~~ rhea to aoctorate-granting institutions, an increasing proportion of the respondents expect future shortages. This finding applies to each of the individual fields covered in this survey, including computer science.
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