Computer science (CS) is THE career of the future!
But there are many challenges to get our workforce up to speed.
- Business and industry cannot find the numbers of computer scientists they need.
- The U.S. will increasingly see a demand for CS skills.
- U.S. universities are experiencing growing demands for CS degrees.
- States and schools are looking to include computer science. requirements for graduation, but there is a grave shortage of educators certified or prepared to teach CS.
- Even if we train more K-12 educators and college faculty to teach coding and CS, they will then be attractive as employees for industry! Education rarely can compete with industry salaries.
- There will have to be a concerted effort to find effective ways to attract women, minorities, and underprivileged students to the fields.
- Retention is also a problem. The “academic culture” in many colleges and the “workplace culture” in many industries often do not reflect the necessity to nurture and retain women and minorities in STEM.
What are the benefits to having coding skills or a computer science degree?
- The 2012 median pay for computer programmers was $74,280.
- The number of jobs available for computer programmers is projected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to grow by 28,400 from 2012 to 2022.
- Students have a transportable skill and will be highly sought for employment.
What is the latest news on Nevada having a computer science requirement?
Join the Conversation!
Use Twitter #Codek12NV to follow the conversation with Mark Newburn, member, Nevada State Board of Education.
Connect with Nevada and National Initiatives!
(and send more to infor@nvstem.org so that we all can connect!)