Students pursuing courses in computer science, computer programming and other information technology (IT) related courses are on the right track. IT careers still have a bright future in the U.S. including Pennsylvania despite the reality that many companies are outsourcing their workload. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has shown that more IT jobs are being created and the rate is faster than they are outsourced to other countries. It also confirmed that computer skills application will increase in areas such as healthcare, retail trade and construction.

Various IT-related courses are available today for high school graduates or even for professionals who want to change their career path or improve their current careers. These include Computer Systems Software Engineering, Computer Applications Software Engineering, Systems Analyst, Database Administration and Network Systems and Data Communication Analyst. These courses can lead to some of the fastest growing jobs through 2014, according to the Labor Statistics Bureau. They are also among the top 10 jobs with computer or programming degree listed by CNN.com and CareerBuilder.com. Employment and wage in the computer science (CS ) field is seen to go up by 68 percent until 2014.

CS deals with the theories of information and computation or the study of algorithmic processes. It has four important areas as identified by the CSAB – theory of computation, algorithms and data structures, programming methodology and languages and computer elements and architecture.

In colleges and universities such as in Pennsylvania, this discipline normally delves into the computation theory, concurrency theory, analysis of algorithms and systems, databases, graphics and programming. A major part of the course usually provides college students hands-on training covering software applications, computer programming, online data and information and computer networking. A Computer Science education can be earned in two ways – either by getting a Bachelor’s degree or an Associate’s degree. One can undergo training online or by going to a traditional school.

An associate degree is a two-year general program that tackles operations, problems and solutions as well as designing computer systems. Students who choose this program are taught about theory, hardware design, applications and programming. The emphasis is more on the basic skills that an individual may need in performing his or her job. This degree program is ideal for people who want to land an entry level job right away and for professionals seeking advanced education in the field of computer programming.

A bachelor’s degree in CS, on the other hand, has a wider and more extensive coverage. This four-year course is also more mathematical in nature. Subjects taught in this program include theories of algorithms, programming languages and database management.

Graduates of Computer Science have excellent job opportunities ahead of them. They can work in different fields such as business, government and the academe. From the present through 2014, a 40 percent growth is seen in the demand for computer scientists with an expected median wage of $81,000.

This change has been implemented with backing from heads of industry. The department of education has said that it hopes the proposed changes will help England retain a competitive edge in the global digital economy.

The implementation of Computer Science may look attractive form an industry point of view; however what does it mean for teachers and pupils who have little or no experience of programming or understanding how a computer works.

Like myself, most teachers will have to learn this new subject as we teach it. The department of education has promised to release the complete new curriculum in autumn 2013, leaving only a year to prepare.

One of the problems I foresee is that the majority of pupils will have no parents, uncles, aunts or family friends with any computer science experience. This will make teachers the only port of call for any queries; hence it is vital that we really know this new subject inside out. Personally I feel that the sooner we get to grips with what will be expected of us the fairer it will be on the pupils and the less chance for any nasty surprises.

So what am I doing to prepare for the new curriculum? Firstly I have looked into the new technologies that have kick started this change. The name on everyone’s lips is the Raspberry Pi.

The Raspberry Pi was released in February 2012 with the aim to attract more students into computer science at university, it has been recommended by companies such as Google for use in schools. What is the Raspberry Pi? It is a very small computer which can be plugged into a monitor and keyboard.

The clear set out and well laid out diagrams makes the Raspberry Pi ideal for teaching the components of a computer. It also has built in programs for spreadsheets, word processing and playing videos. While these functions make it a useful computer the main attraction of the computer is how easy it is to program.

While on its own the Raspberry Pi could be used to implement the new computer science curriculum there are companies who have been working with the Raspberry Pi to make computer science more exciting to teach.

By allowing pupils to program an object they can see and interact with, the real world applications of computer science can be quickly realised.

The hands on approach to computer science will be sure to demystify a subject that has for too long been taught only in universities. Any fear of an unfamiliar topic of study is likely to be forgotten as the pupils are swept away with an enthusiasm to program a robot.

These kits are specifically designed to be ready straight out of the box and intuitive for new users who are unacquainted with technology. They are also great entrance to further computer science studies for both boys and girls.

Overview

Computer sciences are the study of the foundation of computing logic and the applications to computer architecture, hardware and software design as well as specific applications to program development and the use of industry standard technologies. The education starts with the study of natural sciences as they relate to computing and then diverges into a study of the specific niche area – such as hardware, software, graphics and information technology etc. Most institutions offer students the opportunity to learn about all these areas to some extent before choosing a specialization.

Online computer sciences institutions offer students a variety of fully online – to – blended courses in a variety of subjects; students can complete a choice of degree or certificate at any level (diploma, associates, bachelors, masters, PhD or certifications through shorter courses) in general computing or a specialized area – all from the comfort of their own homes and be able to work around their jobs and schedules – without having to enroll for time consuming classes and without having to relocate or spend and money commuting to and from lectures.

Enrolling in an online computer science course means prospective students can now fit their education around their work and personal schedules and save the money and time normally required in order to attend lectures and lab sessions. Most online institutions offer their enrolled students a free online resource center for all the information – e-books, lecture slides and practical experiments – that is need in order to finish their coursework.

Areas in computer science education

Theory of computation: This area deals with the logic use by computation systems and the mathematics that relates to computational logic. It defines the limits of computability (solvable problems) and computational complexity (resources required to solve these problems in terms of time and space).

Algorithms and Data structures: This side deals with functionality such as searching data storage structures and the formation (of models) of data storage (linked-lists, arrays, trees etc).

Programming Languages and Methodology: This area addresses the methodology used to formulate problem solving software code and the programming languages that are used to write viable code. It also deals with modern software development tools and tricks-of-the-trade which are used in modern compilers to formulate accurate running code. Languages may include c, C++, Java, c-sharp etc. Tools may include Visual C++ etc. This area defines the methodology of writing logical code step-by-step and the use of common best-practices.

Computer Architecture and logic design: This area deals with the knowledge of how a computer processor works and how is uses its resources to solve computational problems by breaking complex code down to minor mathematical and logical problems. This area includes digital design, automation, architecture and compilation.

The Author of this article is a computer sciences graduate
Wikipedia: Computer sciences and related Links

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