Computer and information sciences showed the most growth among undergraduate degrees in spring 2024, with a 4.3 percent increase, despite an overall 3.0 percent decrease in degree earners.
This field has more than doubled its graduates over the last decade, rising from 51,696 in 2013-14 to 112,720 in 2022-23.
On National Higher Education Day, celebrated on June 6th each year, many high school seniors are questioning the value of coding due to perceptions of job saturation in the software development field.
However, experts suggest that a computer science degree remains a strong choice, emphasizing the importance of specialized knowledge and skills.
According to the National Student Clearinghouse, computer and information sciences experienced the most significant year-over-year growth among undergraduate degree earners, as reported in spring 2024.
The number of bachelor’s degree recipients in computer and information sciences increased by 4.3 percent from the previous academic year, despite an overall decline of 3.0 percent, or 59,339 fewer graduates.
Over the last decade, the number of students earning bachelor’s degrees in computer and information sciences has more than doubled.
For instance, in the 2013-14 academic year, there were 51,696 graduates, which rose to 112,720 in the 2022-2023 academic year, according to the spring 2024 edition of the Undergraduate Degree Earners report.
In a recent discussion on social media, high school seniors debated whether investing time in coding is worthwhile in an era dominated by artificial intelligence (AI), especially since software development is perceived as an oversaturated field.
One student noted that they switched to computer science due to the low enrollment in coding classes.
A recent graduate shared that after earning a bachelor’s degree in 2020, they secured a software developer position during their first interview.
A year later, they were able to buy a house, and five years into their careers, they are now earning $85,000—significantly higher than their entry-level salary of $52,000, although still below the salaries at companies like Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, and Google.
This graduate believes that, while the job market has become increasingly competitive over the last five years, a degree in computer science remains one of the most effective ways to secure a job quickly.
Another graduate expressed confidence that the computer science job market would be one of the few not significantly impacted by AI.
To succeed, they noted, individuals need to be exceptional, especially coders who can respond to a prompt by sketching out workflows and writing unified modelling language (UML) diagrams, allowing AI to handle the finer details of implementation.
One graduate advised that as professionals from the dot-com hiring boom approach retirement, there will be an upward pull on current employees and a vacancy in entry-level positions.
A data scientist mentioned wishing they had known more about computer science, while another professional pointed out that although some areas of software development have become more competitive, demand in data science and machine learning continues to be strong.
Overall, computer science remains a viable field to enter, and acquiring various IT certifications can be beneficial as the job market increasingly favors those with specialized knowledge and expertise.
Another professional recommended that high school students major in mathematics, which would support their pursuit of a degree in various fields, including computer science and computer engineering.
Ending on an optimistic note, one commentator suggested that as long as new graduates do not expect $150,000 starting salaries, they should be fine.
New graduates in any discipline are competing against thousands of others, so they should aim to secure as many internships as possible to enhance their prospects for a good income later in their careers.
According to the Public Policy Institute of California, which analyzed state public institutions conferring 83 percent of the state’s computer science degrees in the 2022-2023 academic year, graduates in computer science experience the most significant disparity between low and high earners.
The institute found that computer science graduates from UC Berkeley ($150,100), UCLA ($130,200), and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo ($113,584) have the highest earnings two years after graduation.
In contrast, graduates from campuses in the Inland Empire and San Joaquin Valley earn an average of $74,000 and $68,000, respectively.
Furthermore, Latino and Black students remain underrepresented in the most lucrative majors, and their earnings tend to be lower compared to their peers in the same fields.
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