COMPUTING: GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR COLLEGE DEGREE - AUTHORS: J. MCGRATH COHOON AND GRETCHEN ACHENBACH
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COMPUTING: GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR COLLEGE DEGREE Authors: J. McGrath Cohoon and Gretchen Achenbach
Computing is one of the fastest-growing occupations in the
United States. But is computing right for you? When considering
a career in computing, you might have questions like:
• Will there be jobs available?
• How much education do I need?
• How well do computing jobs pay?
• What are the work hours like?
• How does computing compare to other occupations I might
be considering?
MORE JOBS THAN QUALIFIED CANDIDATES
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that computing will have 1,240,100 job openings by 2022.1
However, far too few people are being trained to fill those jobs. This means that for someone choosing
to study computing now, the prospect of finding a job in the field is extremely good.
JOB OPENINGS AND DEGREES AWARDED
COMPUTING JOBS
100,150
REQUIRING A
BACHELOR'S DEGREE2
COMPUTER SCIENCE
47,970
BACHELOR'S DEGREES
AWARDED IN 20123
0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 120,000
1. Due to growth and replacement 2012-2022; http://data.bls.gov/projections/occupationsProj
2. Average annual jobs based on number of computing jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree projected to be available due to growth
and replacement 2012-2022
3. https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/webcaspar/
Computing: Get The Most Out of Your College Degree
2 Copyright © NCWIT, 2014. All Rights Reserved. | www.ncwit.orgPAY AND EDUCATION
Compared to other major occupational groups, computing tends to pay very well. The median annual pay
for computing occupations is approximately $76,000 a year, more than for any other occupational group
except management.
MEDIAN ANNUAL WAGE FOR MAJOR
OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS 4
Management $94
Computer and Mathematical $76
Legal $75
Architecture and Engineering $74
Business and Financial Operations $63
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical $60
Life, Physical, and Social Science $60
Education, Training, and Library $46
OCCUPATIONAL GROUP
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media $44
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair $41
Community and Social Service $40
Construction and Extraction $40
Protective Service $37
Office and Administrative Support $32
Production $31
Transportation and Material Moving $29
Healthcare Support $26
Sales and Related $25
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance $23
Personal Care and Service $21
Food Preparation and Serving $19
Farm, Fishing, and Forestry $19
$0 $10 $20 $30 $40 $50 $60 $70 $80 $90 $100
MEDIAN ANNUAL WAGE (THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS)
4. Each major occupational group includes many individual occupations that vary in the education required, pay, and job
descriptions. 2012 median wages are rounded to the nearest thousand; http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_101.htm
Computing: Get the Most Out of Your College Degree
Copyright © NCWIT, 2014. All Rights Reserved. | www.ncwit.org 3But how do jobs in computing compare to some specific jobs you might be considering? Most computing
jobs require a four-year bachelor’s degree. Compared to other jobs that are in rapidly growing fields and
require a bachelor’s degree, jobs in computing often pay better.
MEDIAN ANNUAL WAGES 5
Preschool Teachers,
except Special Ed $27
Computer Support Specialists $49
Web Developers ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE (2 YRS)
$63
OR SOME COLLEGE
Registered Nurses $65
Dental Hygienists $70
Child, Family, and Social Workers $42
Elementary School Teachers,
except Special Ed $53
Secondary School Teachers, except $55
Special and Career/Tech Ed
Human Resources Specialists $56
Marketing Research Analysts and $60
Marketing Consulstants
Accountants and Auditors $64
Network and Computer
OCCUPATION
$73
Systems Administrators
Computer Programmers BACHELOR’S DEGREE
$74
OR 4 YRS OF COLLEGE
Database Administrators $77
Computer Systems Analysts $80
Information Security Analysts $86
Medical and Health Services Managers $89
Computer Network Architects $91
Software Developers $94
Financial Managers $110
Computer and Information
Systems Managers $121
Physical Therapists $80
Computer and Information DOCTORATE OR
Research Scientists $102
PROFESSIONAL DEGREE
Lawyers $114 > 7 YRS
Pharmacists $117
Physicians and Surgeons $187
$0 $25 $50 $75 $100 $125 $150 $175 $200
MEDIAN ANNUAL WAGE (THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS)
5. Some jobs, both within and outside of computing, may require an internship, on-the job training, or related job experience in addition
to a degree. Non-computing occupations shown have >100,000 jobs projected to be available due to growth and replacement
2012-2022; http://data.bls.gov/projections/occupationProj. For associate’s and bachelor’s degrees, occupations employing >50%
women are shown, however, some teaching jobs with similar titles, education requirements, and salaries were omitted; http://bls.
gov/cps/cpsaat11.htm. Computer Support Specialists, Network and Computer Systems Administrators, Computer Programmers,
Computer Systems Analysts, and Software Developers have >100,000 projected jobs, but the other computing jobs do not; http://
www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/home.htm.
Computing: Get The Most Out of Your College Degree
4 Copyright © NCWIT, 2014. All Rights Reserved. | www.ncwit.orgWORK HOURS AND JOB FLEXIBILITY
Having time for family and non-work activities is important to many people. On average, people employed
full time in computer-related jobs work about 42 hours a week, placing computing near the middle of
other occupational groups.
AVERAGE HOURS WORKED PER WEEK
FOR MAJOR OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS 6
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance 40
Healthcare Support 40.1
Food Preparation and Serving 40.2
Office and Administrative Support 40.3
Education, Training, and Library 41.3
Personal Care and Service 41.7
Construction and Extraction 41.9
Life, Physical, and Social Science 42.1
OCCUPATIONAL GROUP
Community and Social Service 42.1
Computer and Mathematical 42.2
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical 42.3
Production 42.3
Business and Financial Operations 42.4
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 42.5
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 42.8
Sales and Related 43
Architecture and Engineering 43.2
Transportation and Material Moving 43.3
Legal 44.2
Farm, Fishing, and Forestry 44.2
Protection Service 44.4
Management 45.4
37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46
AVERAGE HOURS PER WEEK
6. Each major occupational group includes many individual occupations that vary in the education required, pay, and job description
2012 work hours obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unpublished data.
Computing: Get the Most Out of Your College Degree
Copyright © NCWIT, 2014. All Rights Reserved. | www.ncwit.org 5When specific jobs are compared, you can see that the average work week for computing jobs ranges
from 41 to 44 hours a week, which is very similar to other occupations requiring similar levels of
education, and much less than occupations such as lawyer, which averages 47 hours per week, or doctor,
which averages 52 hours per week.
AVERAGE HOURS WORKED PER WEEK 7
Preschool Teachers, except Special Ed 39
Computer Support Specialists 41
ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE (2 YRS)
Web Developers 44 OR SOME COLLEGE
Registered Nurses 40
Dental Hygienists 38
Child, Family, and Social Workers 41
Elementary School Teachers, 41
except Special Ed
Secondary School Teachers, except 43
Special and Career/Tech Ed
Human Resources Specialists 42
Marketing Research Analysts and 44
Marketing Specialists
Accountants and Auditors 42
OCCUPATION
Network and Computer
Systems Administrators 43
Computer Programmers 42 BACHELOR’S DEGREE
Database Administrators 42
OR 4 YRS OF COLLEGE
Computer Systems Analysts 42
Information Security Analysts 42
Medical and Health Services Managers 44
Computer Network Architects 44
Software Developers 43
Financial Managers 44
Computer and Information
Systems Managers 44
Physical Therapists 42
Computer and Information 43
Research Scientists
DOCTORATE OR
Lawyers 47 PROFESSIONAL DEGREE
> 7 YRS
Pharmacists 41
Physicians and Surgeons 52
35 38 41 44 47 50 53
AVERAGE HOURS PER WEEK
7. 2012 work hours from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unpublished data
Computing: Get The Most Out of Your College Degree
6 Copyright © NCWIT, 2014. All Rights Reserved. | www.ncwit.orgComputer-related jobs are distributed more widely across different industries than any other type of
occupation. 8 People with training in computing work in fields such as education, healthcare, finance,
manufacturing, government, and more. With jobs available in so many fields, workers can seek out the
kinds of employers that offer the schedules, wages, benefits, and geographic locations that best meet
their needs. 9
DISTRIBUTION OF COMPUTING JOBS
ACROSS INDUSTRIES 10
3.9%
Professional, Scientific, Finance and Insurance
5.8%
and Technical Services
4.6% Data Processing
Educational Services
Information
10.9% Healthcare and
Social Assistance Wholesale Trade
38.8%
Government Manufacturing
3.6%
Management of Companies Other
and Enterprises
8.6%
Administrative and Support and Waste
6% Management and Remediation
4.8%
5.4%
4.3%
3.3%
8. http://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-3/measuring-occupational-concentration-by-industry.htm
9. http://bls.gov/opub/ooq/2014/spring/art02.pdf
10. Projected for 2022; http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_108.htm
SUMMARY
Computing is an interesting and rewarding career path that offers:
• Many job openings
• Moderate educational requirements; most computing jobs
require a bachelor’s degree
• Jobs that pay well compared to others with high growth
and similar educational requirements
• Job flexibility and reasonable work hours for a healthy
work/life balance
Computing: Get the Most Out of Your College Degree
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