There are so many benefits associated with studying computer science and programming, that students and educators alike agree it should be high on the list of college degrees to study. Available at schools like Vanderbilt University, computer science and programming classes help students discover a wealth of skills that will prove invaluable in their future careers. Get more information regarding Benefits Of Studying Computer Science, what do you study in computer science, importance of studying computer, why you choose computer science interview questions & benefits of computer science degree.
Read on to discover the latest information on west texas a&m university tuition for why i want to study computer science essay. It is possible for you to find more information about benefits of studying computer science in usa on infolearners.
what do you study in computer science,
Computer science is a degree that is made up of two different types of disciplines. They are computer engineering and software development. They are both similar in the way that they have to do with programming. However, they have different specialties. Both are well-paying careers since the average salary for both ranges between 80,000 – 120,000 dollars annually. So what are the benefits of studying computer science?
What are the benefits of studying computer science? There are a lot of importance of studying computer science. Computing is part of everything we do. If you are considering pursuing a degree in computer science, then this article is worth reading.
Computer scientists make the world better
As we live in a digital age, most industries rely on data and software programmes. Computer Science & IT impacts everything, from scientific research to health development, transport, banking, communications, you name it. Even objects like microwave ovens, fridges, or door locks are now connected to our Wi-Fi networks and personal assistants.
Technology has made the world better, faster, and more connected. But this didn’t happen by magic. We arrived here thanks to the brilliant minds of IT graduates, who took their passion for technology and used it to create gadgets and computer programmes which help us every single day.
You can be one of the people who work on innovations that will take humanity forward.
- Is blockchain the future?
- Can we predict when the next big earthquake or tsunami will happen?
- How can we stop the next major cyber-attack?
- Will AI have the answer to humanity’s major problems?
With a Computer Science degree, you’ll learn all the concepts and skills you need to answer these questions and many others. Technology is part of our future, and it is up to people like you to decide how it will impact and shape our world.
You don’t need to dream of becoming the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. After all, Windows is still buggy, and even iPhones are not what they once were. But you can develop the next generation of gadgets or software programmes which will improve the lives of millions of people.
Computer science is one of the more popular majors today, and if you are considering it for your own studies, read this article to find out what kinds of things you will learn by studying the subject.
Computer Programming
A significant portion of your computer science studies will involve programming. You start out by learning high-level, basic languages such as Java and C++. As you go on, you’ll be introduced to more complex coding methods, including Prolog, Scheme, and machine code, also known as assembly language programming. At first, you can expect to input basic commands that will print phrases such as ‘Hello, world!’ on your screen. This will evolve into entire structures and algorithms, along with operating systems design. For a primer on programming, check out our programming methodology chapter.
Computer Organization
Have you ever wondered how a computer performs basic operations inside? In this course, you study how a computer moves information from place to place. You examine the central processing unit, primary and secondary memory, accessories and peripheral devices, as well as the circuitry that conducts operations. Take a look at our computer hardware chapter for more details.
Internships
Most computer science programs require or encourage internships, which give you hands-on computing experience. Your department’s faculty members and advisors will monitor your progress throughout the program, and strong candidates may even have job offers waiting for them after completing the internship.
Calculus and Discrete Math
If you don’t like math, computer science may not be for you. You’ll be going through rigorous mathematical classes that start with calculus, and you can also expect to study statistics and linear algebra. Study.com has its own course if you want to tackle calculus before you start a computer science program: Math 104: Calculus I.
Lab Science
You’ll also also gain experience working in a science lab. Many programs recommend taking a physics course, but you may have the option of studying chemistry or biology as well.
Fortunately, Study.com also offers video courses in the following subjects:
importance of studying computer
Computer Science Holds High Employment Prospects
Graduates of computer science are in demand across all industries. There are so many places a computer science student can work that it’s impractical to count all.
Your years in college as a computer science student would expose you to the industrial applications of computer. During your one year or six months IT, you gain first-hand experience in using the knowledge to serve companies. And this prepares you for success in the job market. The most prominent employers of computer science graduates are in the industries of:
Aerospace and defense, agriculture, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, public and third sectors, retail, and telecommunication among many others.
In these industries, graduates of computer science assume positions such as Data Analysts, Data Analyst Development programs, Application Analyst and a host of other positions.
While there is an innumerable opportunity for employment as a computer science graduate, you need some skills to actually land the lucrative jobs out there. Computer science is an ever-expanding field of study and you must keep abreast of the latest development in your field and the industry you are looking to work in. Most high-paying jobs require the latest knowledge and skills in certain fields without which you won’t make an ideal candidate for the job. To reap the benefits of your computer science professionals in the job market, you want to master the following skills which must reflect in your CV or Resume.
- Learn and perfect a good number of programming languages
- Software tools and packages
- Network design and engineering
- Multimedia design
- Team work and leadership
- Great communication and problem-solving skills
- Report writing, time management and organization
- Numeracy, commercial awareness and negotiations
Wide Option of Specializations
Because the field of computer science is so vast, you won’t lack something interesting to pick. This helps reduce the competition in the computer science job market as there are so many professionals with differing skills. This is not only available in your college or university but also and especially in post-graduate studies.
There are plenty of niche-specific courses a computer science graduate can pick and study online or in some specialized institution. And the good thing is, while these courses can be intimidating for non tech-savvy people, a computer science graduate will always find it easier to understand these new fields that are continually being developed. In fact, computer science is the fastest-growing science due to its application in almost every aspect of human activities.
Your task is just to keep an ear to the ground for new breakthroughs and the opportunities they might offer in the job market. You’ll find many computer science students taking specialized courses to meet certain requirements of a particular high-paying job offer they have or are interested in applying for. Some of the many specializations in computer science include:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Machine Learning (ML)
- Data Science
- Software Engineering
- Human Computer Interaction (HCI)
- Cybersecurity
- Cloud Computing
- Information Systems
- Digital / Interactive Media
Immense Entrepreneurship Opportunities
There are so many entrepreneurship avenues for computer science graduates I don’t even know with which to start. But as this article targets fresh graduates or those without a solid footing in the IT industry, I’ll concentrate on entrepreneurship opportunities that aren’t capital-intensive.
If you are a brain, the chances of developing software worth buying are pretty high. All you need to do is identify a problem, developed a solution, locate those who need such solutions, and effectively reach out to them. It is pretty sad to see many computer science graduates looking for jobs when they are supposed to have what it takes to create one for themselves and others. This is likely due to a lack of imagination, misplacement of priority and it could be a lack of intelligence or passion in the field.
Many average computer science graduates are making it big time deploying software on the Play Store for people to buy. You could master any of the popular operating systems like iOS or Android and develop games and other applications for solving certain problems. Games are particularly very profitable as they can be addictive. Some other software could be “speech to text”, word processing files, photo editing software, and many more.
You can also start a small software company and advertise your offerings to small and medium businesses around you. For example, you can develop certain apps for banks, websites, organizations, and pretty much any company that deals with the masses. Again, you can start an online agency for developing and maintaining websites, offering SEO services, and consultations in managing websites and company software.
Computer Science Has a Wide Applicability
It is hard to think of an area of human endeavor where computer science is not heavily deployed. Being a computer science graduate prepares you for many things you might decide to do later in life, like starting and running a business.
You might study computer science but end up in the poultry business, crop production, running a school, or anything at all. Every business involves the use of data at certain points. Being a computer science graduate allows you to quickly identify areas where certain programs can make your work much easier and faster. And some of those programs may be even free or one you develop on your own.
The point here is that in any business or industry you later find yourself in, chances are, you could employ your computer knowledge to manage it better and even gain a competitive advantage over those who do not possess such knowledge and need to outsource.
High Freelancing Potentials
Apart from content writing, graphics, video and audio services, there doesn’t seem to be any skill out there with as many opportunities in freelancing as services related to computer science. Every website you see online is built by a computer science expert or at least someone knowledgeable enough in the field of computer science to build a website. That goes for applications, databases, and much more.
Because outsourcing technical computer operations to freelancers are more cost-effective, many companies hire a good number of freelancers as part of their team. Not only that, you can own your website where you advertise freelance services like app and software development, website design, and many other IT-related services.
On many job boards and marketplaces like Upwork, Indeed, Fiver, etc., you find thousands of requests for computer science services, and often, there aren’t enough freelancers to pick up all the jobs.
An important step you need to take to become a successful freelancer is developing your skills to an exceptional level. Companies hire the service of freelancers to get quality. With more freelancers online, the chances of a company getting the right fit for a job is much higher than if they tried to outsource locally unless the company hires the services of a recruitment agency. Searching for freelancers only is the cheapest way to add talent to your team. And in most cases, a freelancer will cost you a lot less than an in-house team. This is the main reason why the gig economy continues to grow with plenty of opportunities for computer science students.
High Salary Potential
Just like with any other profession, the amount of money you make as a computer scientist depends on your location, qualification, industry or niche, and your status in the company or organization. However, on average, computer scientists make much more than their counterparts in other industries. The highest-earning computer scientists in the world seem to be in the USA, where you’ll find IT managers making as much as $136000 a year. The least in the U.S seems to be computer support specialists whose annual salaries average out at $52000, but with possibilities to earn more.
As a computer scientist in Nigeria, you can expect to earn from N100k to N200k depending on where you find yourself. This can be more in places like Abuja main city where living costs are higher. But despite the comparatively low salary for Nigerian computer scientists, they still do much better than their counterparts from other courses in the country. If you are a brain and really want to make dough out of your expertise, migrating to developed countries might be the best option for you.
Computer Science Makes You Smarter
Computer science makes you smart in the sense that you’ll easily learn to use different products, gadgets, and machines that use computer programming to operate. And in today’s world, there are so many such equipments. IoT is a good example. You’ll also find services that have advanced options for those with knowledge of programming, like when you design a personal blog using WordPress, there are several tweaks you can make your website that the average computer user isn’t likely to know.
You also live a smarter life online and be able to protect yourself from cyber criminals because you are likely to know many of their tricks. A computer science student should also learn faster to use software and be able to navigate it much better than the average computer user.
Computer Science Helps Advance the Society
Computer science is of great use to the world in that almost every aspect of our lives now involve computers. With the coming of the IoT, life will even get smarter. We see computer software and modeling adopted in the diagnosis of many diseases, in research to find solutions to problems in our societies, like climate change. Computer software and technology are also used extensively in agriculture, defense, financial institutions and every other area vital to human life.
We live in more advanced societies today thanks to the immense contribution of computers in making our lives easier and helping us solve problems faster than ever before.
Self-Improvement Through Increased Productivity
You get to improve your productivity by using computers more effectively as a computer scientist. Not only that but also you get to help others make the best of their computer devices.
Imagine how beneficial it’ll be for you to be able to effectively use the internet in advancing your knowledge and conducting research. With good computer skills, you should perform very well in institutions due to your ability to use the internet for research and solve problems like computation and processing of data. A good example is the use of an excel VBA to run some complex operations that saves you tons of time compared to the average user.
Great Scholarship Opportunities
There are organizations and governments that want to increase the knowledge of computers in society and also the number of computer scientists. You’ll always find these scholarship opportunities to study some specialized or advanced course in computer science. Being a computer science graduate qualifies you for most such scholarship programs and helps you build a better portfolio to increase your employment chances.
There are other reasons why a computer science career could be the best option for you right now. You must consider your passion and the prospect of suspect in any course before studying it, especially if you intend to be employed not to create jobs. So much depends on your passion for any profession. Without a passion for computer science, I’ll advise you not to try it as the course can get really complex, especially when you start learning to program. There’s a lot of technical jargon and confusing stuff in computer science, but for the one who has passion and is determined to learn, that’ll present no overwhelming challenge.
benefits of computer science degree
Computing and computer technology are part of just about everything touching our lives today, from the cars we drive to the movies we watch to the many ways we all interact with each other (not to mention with businesses and government).
Understanding the many facets of computing is a necessary skill for any educated person in the 21st century. Whether you want to create the next hot application or simply need to map your next big idea for the boss, studying computing will give you a competitive edge, the ability to solve complex problems, and a career that will never be obsolete.
To keep your career on the cutting edge and marketable in any business environment, consider the following reasons why majoring in Computer Science is a sound investment.
1. Improved hiring prospects
Computer Science students do well in terms of getting full-time employment after graduation. According to code.org, there were nearly 500,000 computing job openings nationwide last year, and fewer than 64,000 Computer Science students graduated into the workforce. They also had the second-highest projected starting salaries of all majors (next to Engineering) with an average of $67,539 in 2019, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
2. Nearly recession-proof jobs
Companies are eager—if not desperate—for talent in all areas of computing. As you read above, there are actually more computing jobs available than there are qualified people to fill them. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects computing and information technology jobs will grow between 12%–37% through 2022. If you take into consideration this high expected growth rate, it’s easy to see that companies simply need more talent. That future talent comes from today’s Computer Science students.
3. Opportunities for true creativity and innovation
If you think Computer Science is devoid of creativity, think again. The field is about much more than programming; it’s about inventing and building solutions. A Computer Science major is an artist whose canvas may be a smartphone or PC display and whose paints and brushes are programming languages and development environments.
The internet has been in existence for decades now. What was once mainly used by university and military researchers has become the most disruptive technological innovation of our time: the protocols and software of the World Wide Web. And it was all largely due to one person with a revolutionary vision. Can’t imagine a world without Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, or Twitter? All were created by two to four individuals—some as college students—on the software platform provided by the web. With a major in Computer Science, you’re limited only by your imagination.
4. An essential part of a well-rounded academic education
Having a computing background will provide you with a foundation of knowledge, problem-solving skills, and logical thinking that will serve as an advantage to you in your career in whatever field you choose. Beyond the vast applicability of a Computer Science degree, it’s also seen by an increasing number of universities and employers as a sign of academic well roundedness.
5. Collaborative work and individual effort
Though you might imagine a lone hacker toiling away at their computer, computing is often about being part of a collaborative team that requires people with many different kinds of skills. But there is also plenty of space for individual flair and imagination.
6. Limitless future opportunities
It’s the Computer Science major who will help transform what the internet will be like in the next 20 years. Like the rest of infrastructure, the internet will eventually seem to disappear by becoming ubiquitous. Developing the Internet of Things will require specialized skills and computing expertise. So many everyday items, appliances, and vehicles are now online that their numbers far exceed the Earth’s population. Making these networks of devices sufficiently robust and resilient will be a challenge for current and future Computer Science majors.
7. Making a positive difference in the world
Computing drives innovation in the sciences, such as major advances in the study of the human genome, tracking important AIDS vaccine research, and monitoring and protecting the environment—just to name a few. If you want to make a positive difference in work and in the world, study computing.
8. Civil liberty protection
As the internet grows, privacy will come at a premium. Enormous quantities of data about our daily affairs flows across the Internet, and while this generally makes our lives easier, it also increases our vulnerability to hacking. Despite our penchant for giving up some privacy in exchange for convenience, our experiences online may make us yearn for the anonymity of the past. Who will have access to our medical records and our financial data? These will be some of the many digital issues computing experts will help confront and solve.
9. Frontline warriors in the battle against cybercriminals
Encryption algorithms—aka the mathematical rules by which secret codes are made and broken—have been at the center of a simmering spy vs. nerd war since the early 1990s. Cybercrime is a big business, as conspiratorial smugglers and hackers infuse our computers with virus attacks to steal our identities and financial data. Majoring in Computer Science will give you a leg up in making the world as well as your neighborhood a safer place to live, work, and play.
10. Strengthening your primary career choice
Want to follow your dream of working in the arts or health care or education? You can still major (or minor or have a concentration) in Computer Science, particularly if you bolster your degree with supplemental learning opportunities like internships, extracurriculars, and graduate school. In any case, Computer Science will give you a broad foundation of skills that can be applied to a variety of careers and will serve as a competitive advantage in a crowded job market.
