June 2005

Demand grows for computer scientists

In response to the article “Purdue’s dot-com fallout,” published in the March 22, 2005 Purdue Exponent: The writer pointed out the decline in undergraduate enrollments in computer science over the last couple of years.

The recent trend is unfortunately true across the nation, largely because of the dot-com bust, Sept. 11 and the perceived threat of outsourcing. However, the reality of the economic picture is that computer and information science are projected to be major growth sectors in the United States in terms of jobs. The increased demand for computer specialists in the 10-year period from 2002 through 2012 is expected to top 1.4 million new jobs, which dwarfs the roughly 50,000 students graduating in computing at our universities each year.

These hiring projections are based on sophisticated econometric models developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The projections take into account the dot-com phenomenon, Sept. 11 and outsourcing. The detailed forecasts are available in an article by BLS economist Daniel Hecker.

What is becoming more apparent as we move further into the information age is the strong relationship between computing and society. Information technology has accounted for the majority of the economic growth in the United States since the 1990s. Realizing the new challenges is what a high-quality Purdue computer science education enables, and it is enhanced when combined with disciplinary training in other fields. It is sometimes hard to see the beauty and promise of computer science from a first-year programming course or from the limited exposure that using a PC can provide, and that’s something we as educators have to work on.

But the demand for computer scientists in the United States is there. It’s real and growing. The innovations from the computing field go to the very heart of our economic vitality, both nationwide and in Indiana. Whether we provide the needed brainpower in computing will have a profound impact on our future lives.

Jeffrey S. Vitter
Frederick L. Hovde Dean
College of Science

Archives: Alumni Profiles | Class Notes