Reasons to Consider a Computer Science Major in 2021

Hi everyone, welcome back. Computer science is a popular major choice and with good reason. I received my bachelor’s in computer science and it has helped to shape my future by building a software engineering career out of it. There are many benefits for having a computer science major and/or having the knowledge of computer science topics.

Why is computer science so popular?

Computer science degrees will net you all sorts of benefits that not many other majors can offer. These benefits include numerous opportunities, high salaries, and job security. With technologies always being evolved and being a big part of our everyday lives, there is much to do with a computer science degree. There is definitely a huge future for computer scientists with all sorts of new technologies being created. Nearly every company has a need for someone with computer science knowledge.

What is computer science?

Computer science is a broad field. There are many focus areas within computer science that could lead to different career paths. Computer science is simply a study of computers, but getting a computer science will open a whole new set of opportunities for you. Computer science mostly involves work with software, such as programming or coding, but may also include hardware as well. Math is also heavily involved in computer science.

Computer science fields

Like previously mentioned, there are many areas of focus within computer science. Many of these different fields have overlap. Let’s look at some of the popular choices:

• Software Engineering: Developing computer software and applications. Tasks include designing, implementing, testing, and maintaining computer code. Development positions includes mobile application developer, game developer, web developer, etc. UI/UX designer, API programmer, and full-stack development are also common job positions within the software engineering field.
• Data Scientist: Knowledge from data is used to solve problems or to improve results. Data science uses statistics and analytics to examine and study a dataset. New discoveries from studying the data can allow actions to be taken to solve problems and improve results. Analyst positions include data analyst and business analyst. Artificial intelligence engineers and machine learning engineers are also popular positions.
• Information Technology(IT): The IT department typically manages the software, hardware, and networking capabilities within a company. Creating a secure infrastructure and solving technological related problems are common tasks for an IT position. IT positions include network architect, network administrator, or an information security analyst.
• Cyber Security: Protect computers and networks from digital attacks. This includes protecting hardware, software, and user data. Applications, networks, databases, and clouds all need to be secure to protect against attacks. Identifying and addressing vulnerabilities is a common task for cyber security analysts. Positions include security analyst, security administrator, cryptographer, and cyber software engineer.
• Database Administrator: A database is a collection of data storage that can be used to interact with a software application. Many of the tasks that a database administrator does overlaps with development, analysts, and network engineers. Database administrator is a common job title, but a software engineer or network architect may be capable of the same position.
• Computer Graphics: Software used to create digital images with computers. Computer graphics programming includes working with special digital effects and animations. Designs could be used for video games, movies, advertisements, websites, and much more. Jobs include graphic design, game design, animator, or even a production artist.

How difficult is a computer science major?

Overall, computer science is known to be a relatively hard major. There are various computer science topics you can expect to learn when going for a computer science degree, such as statistics and math. Time and effort will need to be put in with programming, which plays a big part of computer science. Getting frustrated with programming is a very common thing, especially when you’re first learning it and unfortunately, many students get discouraged from it. It takes practice to learn and build up your programming skills.

Conclusion

Computer science is a great major to pick up in 2021 due to having much opportunities and a promising future. Going to school for it may be difficult, but you will gain knowledge and skills that are beneficial and in high demand. There are many career paths that a computer science major can lead you to. I hope this helps. Thanks for reading.