by Alicia Crowder

Computer Science

Isn't Just For Geeks

“Often, it’s not about becoming a new

person, but becoming the person you

were meant to be, and already are, but

don’t know how to be.”― Heath L. Buckmaster

Purpose

Help the teacher understand the vast

scope of jobs and uses that a Computer

Science degree can provide for their

students.

What strengths does a student need

to have to be successful in

Computer Science?

• Curious and analytical mind

• Flexible, creative thinking

• Strong math and science background

• Problem solving skills

• Communication and interpersonal skills

Technology

• Mobile Application Developer

• Software Developer

• Software Designer

• Project Manager

• Webmaster

• Systems Analyst

• Database Manager

• Network Administrator

• Internet Programmer

• Computer Security Specialist

• Operating Systems Programmer

• User Interface Designer

What percent of Computer

Science jobs are at

technology companies?

50%

So where are the other 50%?

Accounting/Banking

• Create computer programs that

automatically execute trades based on set

parameters and trends

• Write programs to predict

future trends based on

history

• Write better programs to

do taxes automatically

Advertising

•Develop algorithms based on websites

searched to target the user's wants/needs

•Develop software to test which type of

advertising is most effective

•Write algorithms to

increase the hit count for

a specific Google search

Aerospace and Travel

• Find new and exciting

ways to travel around

space

•Find the most efficient route to a

destination

•Research/develop software to be able to

make calls while flying

Agriculture

• Develop an algorithm to determine how much

fertilizer is needed

• Determine which

crops to plant to

make a maximum

profit

• Determine when

to market your

products to give you the best advantage

Animals

• Write an application to watch and track animal life

• Develop a system to better communicate with animals

• Determine amount

of medication to

give livestock

• Calculate the

amount of feed for a

cow based on the amount of milk it gives

Automotive

• Develop technology to make better GPS

software

• Develop a way to

steer a car with your

eyes

•Write software to

adjust settings based

on outside conditions

Defense

• Eliminate language

barriers via automatic translation and

multilingual search

• Write programs to generate notifications

when suspicious activities are detected

• Write programs to enhance the ability to

detect and defeat specific threats.

Education

• High School Teacher

• College Professor

• Research ways to

improve education in CS

• Write games that are fun

and educational

• Develop programs to protect children from

internet predators and inappropriate content

Electronics

• Program robotic

limbs that work with

the human body

• Develop new gadgets that have never been

created before

• Write the software for robots that run on

artificial intelligence

• Create laser surgical tools

Entertainment and Leisure

• Improve the quality of video clarity

• Find new uses for TV's and other similar

technology

• Improve how sports

are watched by:

Putting computer chips

in balls, on flags, and in

shoes

• Develop video games

Fashion

• Create technological gadgets to accessorize

people's lives

• Develop computer chips and other objects that

have computer interaction with everyday objects

• Write software to

create outfits that

match a certain style

or color scheme

Food

• Develop cost effective product management software

• Write programs to manage the operations and

resources of a food processing plant

• Develop the software for more efficient home

appliances

• Develop algorithms to

determine where best to

shelve food items in a

store

Health Care

• Develop image processing and

pattern recognition technology to

evaluate radiology scans

• Improve electronic medical records

• Improve microscopic surgery using robots

• Develop diagnostics systems to help physicians isolate

the possible causes for a patient's symptoms

• Improve information retrieval and data mining to

provide better methods for early detection of disease

outbreaks

• Develop software for computer assistive devices

Music

• Develop the next genre/style of music

• Construct instruments and devices to be used in the

future to make music

• Write software that analyzes music and automatically

creates a playlist that would suit a current mood.

Develop a way to teach the

computer how to create

good music from scratch

Photography

• Improve the quality of digital pictures

• Write software for cameras

• Develop better picture editing software

• Develop a better way to backup pictures on

your computer

Nationally

• We can fill 61% of 1.4 million jobs available

by 2020

In Utah

• 13,610 jobs available by 2016

• Ready to fill 53%

• In 2009 47 students took the AP CS exam

Gap between Opportunity (jobs) and

Preparedness (people ready to fill those jobs)

• Petroleum Engineering: $46.75/hr

• Computer Engineering: $35.85/hr

• Chemical Engineering: $33.80/hr

• Computer Science: $32.40/hr

• Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering: $32.20/hr

• Mechanical Engineering: $32.00/hr

• Electrical/Electronics and Communications Engineering: $31.70/hr

• Management Information Systems/Business: $31.55/hr

• Engineering Technology: $31.10/hr

• Finance: $28.70/hr

• Business Administration/Management: $27.60/hr

• Accounting: $26.45/hr

• Nursing: $26.10/hr

Average Starting Hourly Pay (Based on 50 40-hour work weeks in a year)

Are you surprised at the

significant need for computer

science?

What am I going to do?

“I am not a teacher, but an

awakener.”

-Robert Frost

Questions?