[jsfg_cinti] Re: Blue Skies Ahead for IT Jobs

This article is very short on facts and figures.
I'm still "underemployed" compared to where I was
in 2002.

Joe Elsaesser

--- Lance Feldman <feldman8396@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> More good news?
> 
> Regards,
> Lance Feldman
> 
> -----------------------------------------------
>
http://www.cio.com/archive/120105/keynote.html?action=print
> 
> Blue Skies Ahead for IT Jobs
> 
> Contrary to popular belief, career opportunities in
> computer science are at an all-time high. Weâ??ve
> got
> to spread that message among students from a rainbow
> of backgrounds, or risk becoming a technological
> backwater.
> 
> BY MARIA KLAWE
> 
> The future of the U.S. information technology
> industryâ??and thus the competitiveness of the
> nationâ??is caught in a trap of misperception. Since
> the burst of the dotcom bubble in 2000, young people
> have avoided careers in information technology. The
> number of computer science majors at U.S.
> universities
> has plummeted. 
> ...
> Yet the demand for people with computer science
> skills
> is at an all-time high. The latest figures from the
> U.S. Department of Labor show that the number of
> computing-related jobs has surpassed the previous
> peak
> in 2000. 
> 
> What is more, computing-related jobs are no longer
> an
> isolated component of American industries; IT
> underpins every function of the business
> communityâ??market research, product design,
> finance,
> strategic planning, environmental issuesâ??every
> aspect of doing and leading. That means these jobs
> are
> not only vital but fun. They require people who have
> strong technical knowledge but who also can work and
> contribute in a much broader realm. A recent New
> York
> Times article dubbed this kind of IT professional
> "the
> renaissance geek." The leaders of Microsoft, Google
> and other companies have made their point clear:
> Give
> us more well-trained, well-rounded computer
> scientists!
> 
> The reality is that a career in IT is dynamic and in
> demand. Yet the myth of a narrow, boring and
> uncertain
> work life persists. Unless this misperception is
> corrected, we will continue to lose talent, and the
> United States will become a technology backwater.
> Companies will shift technical and innovative work
> offshore. Our standard of living will decline
> because
> the driving force behind today's economies is
> innovation, which, in turn, requires a workforce
> that
> is highly educated in science and technology.
> ...
> It will take time to see the effects of many of
> these
> changes, so we have to make a long-term commitment.
> And it is critical that correcting a misperception
> does not create a new one that overstates our case.
> There is no question that a degree in computer
> science
> is not a magic bullet for financial success. Indeed,
> the days of the dotcom twentysomethings who became
> instant millionaires are over. A successful
> long-term
> career in computing requires the same effort and
> skill
> that are necessary in other fields: developing
> strong
> people and communication skills, willingness and
> ability to learn new technologies, understanding
> what
> makes businesses successful and adapting to change.
> Still, the opportunity in computer science for
> creative work that makes a difference equals or
> surpasses that in any other field I can imagine.
> 
> **********************
> Maria Klawe is dean of the School of Engineering and
> Applied Science and a professor of computer science
> at
> Princeton University. She can be reached at
> klawe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Send comments to Executive
> Editor
> Alison Bass at abass@xxxxxxxx
> -----------------------------------------------
> 
> 
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