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ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, has released the highly anticipated report "Retention in Computer Science Undergraduate Programs in the U.S.: Data Challenges and Promising Interventions"(pdf)
[...] The computing field is experiencing exponential growth, both in terms of current and projected job openings, as well as students majoring in computer science (CS). Recently, the U.S. Department of Labor projected that between 2008 and 2018, ¼ million computing jobs opened in the U.S. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, however, in 2015-2016 only 64,405 students received computer science degrees. the main source of preparation for these jobs. Additionally, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that employment in computer and information technology occupations is expected to grow by 13% in the next decade.
The interest in computing is also reflected in the numbers of incoming students pursuing Bachelor degrees in computing. A report by the Computing Research Association (CRA) highlights that US undergraduate enrollment in computer science is higher today than at any other time. Additionally, the CRA report outlines a 185% increase in CS undergraduates at large institutions since 2006, and a 216% increase of CS majors at smaller institutions during the same period.
Despite these trends, the challenge of retaining more women and people from underrepresented minorities (African-American, Hispanic, Native American) has been a persistent challenge in the field for decades. According to the National Science Foundation's Engineering and Science Indicators for 2016, despite the fact that women earned 50% of the Bachelor degrees in science and engineering, they accounted for only 17.9% of Bachelor degrees in the computing sciences. Additionally, data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) shows that for CS Bachelor degrees granted at doctoral-granting institutions in 2015, only 8.4% of degree recipients were Latino and only 4.3% were African-American.
[...] it is an economic imperative for the United States to have a large and diverse tech workforce. Better solutions are developed by teams with a diversity of people and perspectives. Retention in college computing programs is foundational because if we are not attracting and retaining a diverse population of students in Computer Science programs during the students' academic careers, we will not see a diverse workforce in computing emerge.
The article enumerates several areas of interest:
- Data Collection and Analysis
- Promising Interventions
- Give Students a Better Understanding of CS
- Meet Students' Varied Backgrounds
- Increase Helpful Collaboration
- Increase Sense of Belonging and Build a Safe Learning Culture
The report concludes by emphasizing that there is no silver bullet than can transform an institution into an inclusive and equitable learning environment for all students, and that the work to create an inclusive environment is not a temporary effort. The ACM Education Board Retention Committee notes that because these constructs change very slowly, issues of equity will continue to be pressing in all fields -- including computing -- and therefore will require continued vigilance and determined effort.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 04 2018, @09:53PM (4 children)
This is an easy one..
Uh..I dunno, maybe get rid of the H1B (and L1, and whatever else) Indian import programs so our grads know that there are good long term stable jobs with benefits and good working conditions at the end of the study slog that they can build a long term career with?
This would also enable good salaries again like the 90s used to have (=enough to live in the area the jobs are in at what has historically been known as 'middle class' living standards, and not living in a the back of a truck in the Google parking lot..). Oh and working conditions... tired of the 60 hour weeks and 2AM phone calls to Bengalore every other night (and weekends) in phone meetings where you cannot understand most of what is being said in supposed 'English'... yup, get rid of that too..
i.e. if the conditions were better, you'd get more people.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday December 04 2018, @11:04PM
Alternatively, teach them COBOL [soylentnews.org] - that's the only way to make sure the distant past will continue well into the future.
While only 9% of the business need it, it's the 9% which have the money to pay good wages but not enough money to risk the code brought into the present.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 5, Interesting) by bzipitidoo on Tuesday December 04 2018, @11:19PM
Yes. I wonder, is this a plan for more code monkeys, to keep pay down?
Seems a lot of businesses want to use smart people, but won't respect them, instead viewing them with a blend of jealousy, contempt, and hatred. It's as if college is only a brief escape between the persecutions and gaslighting that the in-crowd dishes out to nerds in high school and the job place. For the latter, Dilbert is an excellent representation.
Now go draw some red lines with a green marker.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 05 2018, @01:48AM
The future is indeed unpredictable for both the IT field and one's career. Past patterns are not always a good guide to future patterns. IT has been a lucrative field for the past 15 years, but there are too many variables to say that will continue.
While programming can make decent money out of college compared to other fields, one also plateaus early compared to other careers. Worn out fingers (RSI) and general burnout are common, as you have to constantly learn new fads to avoid looking dated. If you can move up into management, that's great, but not everybody is cut out for management. Competing against cheap foreign labor with fresh fingers during recessions can take its toll.
Then again, ANY career is a gamble. Stability is dead and change is the only constant. I take that back, it appears to be accelerating.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 05 2018, @02:44AM
I kind of like Trump's plan, where people paying H1Bs the most go to the front of the line, and everyone else gets none. If you really, really, REALLY need that one dude with a PhD in applied leapfroggery, you will pay through the nose and smile. America will benefit. If you want Ashok Cheap and Ahmed Cheaper, you can pound sand. And America doesn't have any great urgency related to bringing them over.