Researcher: Computer science job market improving
University has 93 students in program
Angelle Barbazon
Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: News
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Since the advent of companies centering their business around computers in the 1990s, information technology startups emerged, creating many jobs. Stu Zweben, Computing Research Association surveys committee chairman, described this period as a "gold rush for computing people." A crash ensued after several large startup companies folded in the early 2000s because of financial instability.
"So we had a double whammy," said Zweben, who is also the College of Engineering Academic Affairs and Administration associate dean at Ohio State University. "We had all of these experienced people plus all of these new talented people coming out from our undergraduate programs in record numbers, and the market could not deal with the situation at that point."
Zweben said reports of instability and downsizing alarmed many high school graduates entering colleges nationwide.
"What happens in situations like this is there's an initial shock in the market place, and it has to sort itself out," he said. "And a big shock like that takes a couple of years to sort out, but once it does, the market goes back into a state of equilibrium. And then jobs will start becoming available."
Zweben said the job market has already turned around, but most people interested in computer science have not figured it out yet, causing many to steer clear of pursuing a career in that field.
"By 2005, we actually saw signs that people who were graduating were having a reasonably easy time finding work again, but the numbers of people going into the field were still going down because the word had not gotten out to the students and parents of the next generation," he said.
LSU's Computer Science Department followed this national trend.
"We also have experienced that dip in enrollment four or five years back, but now it's increasing," said S.S. Iyengar, Computer Science Department chairman at LSU.
Since spring 2004, the number of computer science majors at LSU peaked at 177, dropped in spring 2005 and gradually declined until this semester. There are 93 computer science majors at LSU this semester, according the Office of Budget and Planning's 14th Day Enrollment reports.
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