Predicting the future isn’t always easy. But in the case of one particular corner of the job market, it doesn’t take a crystal ball to know what’s coming: lots of jobs in computer science, with far too few skilled professionals to fill them.
Analysts across the nation have said over and over – even throughout the recent recession – that employers have struggled to find qualified individuals to fill technical positions. Even as people in other industries experienced layoffs, unemployment, and under-employment, the computing industry was on fire and looking to hire.
All sources indicate that this trend will continue nationwide, and in our local Puget Sound area the data is no different. A joint report* by the Washington Student Achievement Council and the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges highlights the huge disparity between college computer science graduates and the needs of local employers. Even in our technology-rich area, every year we are producing far less than half of the skilled graduates needed to fill positions vacated by retiring professionals or added due to industry growth. In fact, computer science is listed as the industry for which there is the highest supply-demand disparity projected over the next six years.
Simply put, there are lots of jobs available, not enough people to fill them, and no indication that this trend is going to change anytime soon.
There just aren’t enough people in the pipeline.
Parents, it’s never too early to help your children enter that pipeline and encourage them into the highest-demand field in our area. Help them cultivate a curiosity for computers and a love of technology. And now with classes through Computing Kids, it has never been easier. Contact Computing Kids to learn how you can start setting your child up for future professional success today.
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