LUNARDI CSIS-1030

COMPUTER SCIENCE CAREERS

Computer science is the scientific and practical approach to computation and its
applications. A computer scientist specializes in the theory of computation and the design of
computational systems. This field expands into many different areas, including algorithms and
data structures, programming language theory, computer architecture, computer networking, and
databases. In this paper, I will be exploring the many different career paths that a person with a
computer science degree can take, especially focusing on earning potential. Specific career paths
that I will be discussing include software development, network and computer system
administrating, and database analysis.
Perhaps the most common field and also the one with the highest average salary is
software development. A software developers duties include the design of software and upkeep
of existing infrastructure, including modifying and optimizing it. They also must be able to
analyze and meet the needs for a specific task, such as developing software for a new project. A
software developer must be able to identify the core components that a customer needs from
specific software and, if there are issues with the program, be able to identify and fix those
issues. There are a few different types of software developers, but the two most widely sought
after are applications software developer and system software developer.
An application software developer is in charge of creating and designing computer
applications for a specific customer or business company. By contrast, a system software
developer creates the whole system that keeps computers running. For example, they could
create an operating system for the public or a specific internal system for a business. Another

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important part of being a software developer is to collaborate with other people and have a good
relationship with others. A developer usually works closely, or in a team with many different
people and needs to be able to effectively communicate. The median annual salary for a software
developer amounts to $100,690 per year or $48.41 per hour (1), and an entry level position
should net no less than $57,340. This high salary makes it a very sought after career. The
projected growth in 2014 is over 17%, and the total available jobs as of 2014 are 1,114,000,
making it one of the fastest growing job market. Software development is a wise job choice for
people who likes to solve problems with creativity.
Networking is another very interesting field in computer science. A network can be
considered a telecommunication that allows computers to exchange data. A network
administrator aims to study and analyze the communication across many computing devices or
computer systems that are all linked together to share resources. A network system
administrators daily duties include the installation and the support of a network system, ensuring
that a website is fully functioning without any issue, and to perform data backup and disaster
recovery operations in order to minimize data loss. They need to be able to investigate and
subsequently analyze both hardware and software issues.
Another part of networking is network security. A network security administrator is in
charge of the protection of the information systems from both hardware and software, as well
as the disruption that can be caused from an attacker or intruder. This includes the design and
configuration of a complete security architecture to defend against a possible attack, including a
way to monitor anomalies and secure important and private information. This field focuses on
the study of internet and wireless networks, firewall solutions and configurations, WIFI and
Bluetooth wireless technology. This is a quickly expanding field as the growth of smart devices

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increases year after year. The median annual salary for a network and computer system
administrator is $77,810 per year or $37.41 per hour (2), and the projected growth in 2014 is
over 8%. The available jobs as of 2014 are 382,600, making this the second most in demand
career path in the field after software development. A career in network administrations would
be good somebody who enjoys solving problems by moving around and working with people
in contrast with a software developer, who needs to stay at a desk the entire day.
A database is a collection of information organized so that software can use and store
such data in a very fast and efficient way. A database typically includes information such as data
records, files, or transactions, as well as customer or employee profiles. Usually a database
administrator needs to be able to test and administer along with coordinate and correct errors to a
computer database. Database administrators often have to work with a massive amount of data
and organize it in a way that makes sense. The type of database varies depending on the needs of
the business, and its very important to have a competent administrator, due to the sensitive
nature of the data.
This can be an extremely good career path since every single company or entity,
spanning from a small company to an enterprise level one, must have a database system to store
the important data associated with the company. It may also be helpful for a database
administrator to have a strong background in analytics and statistics due to the calculations that
they often have to perform. The median annual salary for a database system administrator is
$81,710 per year or $39.29 per hour (3), and the projected growth in 2014 is 11%. The
available jobs as of 2014 are 120,000, making this one of highest paying job in the field and
also very in demand in terms of job openings. This type of job would be good for somebody
who enjoys working with large amount of data and numbers.

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In this paper, we only touched upon what I consider to be three of the most interesting
and high paying careers in computer science. However, computer science expands to many more
potential career paths and the possibilities are endless, especially with how rapidly technology is
developing. More and more jobs benefit from employees who have basic computer technology
skills, and even a rudimentary knowledge of computer programming can help somebody find a
better job. In todays world it is incredible beneficial if schools were to cover even the basics of
computer science. It is my hope that sometime soon, schools will start to consider computer
classes as serious as English or math. I believe that with a computer science degree, I will be able
to help people and perhaps make a difference in this world by pursuing a career path such a
software development, network administration or database administration. The idea of creating
something that can be used by millions of people is simply amazing to me, and I hope one day I
will be able to achieve this dream of mine.

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Bibliography
1. Software Developers. (2015, December 17). Retrieved November 21, 2016, from
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm

2. Network and Computer Systems Administrators. (2015, December 17). Retrieved

November 21, 2016, from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-informationtechnology/network-and-computer-systems-administrators.htm
3. Database Administrators. (2015, December 17). Retrieved November 21,
2016, from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-informationtechnology/database-administrators.htm