The Job Market is Bright in Science
Posted July 28th, 2014
Every year, the Computing Research Association releases the Taulbee Survey report, a comprehensive examination of the state of education and employment in the computer sciences. For people that track employment trends, the release of the report is a major event because it has become such a reliable indicator of trends in the industry.
This year’s report suggests that the job market for computer scientists specifically, and scientists of all types generally, is extraordinarily healthy. The report contains a wealth of information, but the numbers that really jumped out from this year’s report had to do with undergraduate and graduate enrollment in computer science degree programs.
New enrollment in Ph.D. computer science programs has fallen by 8.1%, while undergraduate enrollment has risen by 21%. Those two facts suggest that fewer computer scientists are pursuing graduate degrees because they are finding lucrative post-college employment, and that more undergraduates are pursuing computer science degrees because so many employment opportunities are available.
This hypothesis is not entirely scientific, but experts who study these kinds of trends have noted the correlation between shifting enrollment statistics and a healthy job market. And considering that the number of computer science graduate programs is growing rather than shrinking, there is no reason to believe that people are being turned away from masters and Ph.D. programs.
Insights from outside the world of academia support the notion that computer science employment is on the rise. All industries are becoming more digital, and many companies are beginning to wrestle with the challenges of “big data.” Common sense suggests that the need for qualified computer experts is greater now than it has ever been before.
The Taulbee Surey report applies only to computer science, but data from other surveys suggests that the job market for all scientists is growing steadily, if not at the same rate as computer science. Enrollment in both undergraduate and graduate science programs has increased slowly but reliably since the early 2000s. If the post-college job market for physicists, biologists, geologists and others were anemic, one would expect the rate of undergraduate enrollment to decline – but that hasn’t been the case.
This methodology suggests that now is a great time to be in a scientific field, whether as a student, graduate, or working professional. And if you have training in computer science, you are particularly well positioned. Follow along with Bayside Solutions as we continue to report on the state of the scientific job market, and rely on our team if you need help finding exciting opportunities tailored around your expertise.
