Maybe becuase industry pays developers so well,it’s hard for Academia to compete and attract quality teachers for computer science - ie is supply constrained rather than demand constrained.
Why do so few people major in computer science? (2017)
21–30 of 452 posts
Re: Why do so few people major in computer science? (2017)
#22I don't think CS is a high social status field at all . You're deluding yourselves. Outside of our peers also in the industry nobody cares that you're a staff engineer at Google. Absolutely nobody. They'll assume you're doing IT work like the characters in the IT Crowd if they even bother to think about it at all and haven't already walked away. Here's a concrete example to make it really obvious. How many computer s…
Is the social status of computer scientists zero, or do computer scientists choose not to go into politics or other leadership positions? I suspect it's the latter [anecdotal; opinion; citation needed]. CS people are a tribe on their own (if I may generalize); I've not met anyone with an interest in participating in politics. They have strong opinions on politics, but not to the point where they're willing to represe…
The creator of PHP's Xdebug (Derick Rethans) unsuccessfully stood for local elections recently.
I can't think of many others though!
Re: Why do so few people major in computer science? (2017)
#23I was in college from 2010-2014 which is a period of high growth as shown in the article. It may not have been an all time high but it felt like everyone was taking CS. The 101 classes were incredibly oversubscribed. Maybe not many people graduated with the major but a ton of people started down that road and many people pursued the minor.
I was in college during the same period at the largest school in my state and we graduated a class of about 60 or so undergrads in 2014.
Re: Why do so few people major in computer science? (2017)
#24I don't think CS is a high social status field at all . You're deluding yourselves. Outside of our peers also in the industry nobody cares that you're a staff engineer at Google. Absolutely nobody. They'll assume you're doing IT work like the characters in the IT Crowd if they even bother to think about it at all and haven't already walked away. Here's a concrete example to make it really obvious. How many computer s…
Is the social status of computer scientists zero, or do computer scientists choose not to go into politics or other leadership positions? I suspect it's the latter [anecdotal; opinion; citation needed]. CS people are a tribe on their own (if I may generalize); I've not met anyone with an interest in participating in politics. They have strong opinions on politics, but not to the point where they're willing to represe…
What is someone's status as a chess player if they never play? If computer scientists have no social status - a position I am not necessarily backing - whether it is because they have not sought it or because nobody cares that somebody is a computer scientist would be moot.
Re: Why do so few people major in computer science? (2017)
#25Why would you major in computer science if you want to work as a software engineer? It's like getting a physics degree to become a civil engineer.
To develop the thinking. Rigorous algorithmic and mathematic thinking. Studying physics is also good.
At my software company I think we have more physics graduates than software engineer or comp sci.
We use mostly Python and Go btw, which I think might affect things a bit. Graduate schemes for those computing degrees tend to be at big corporate dot net shops.
Re: Why do so few people major in computer science? (2017)
#26I don't think CS is a high social status field at all . You're deluding yourselves. Outside of our peers also in the industry nobody cares that you're a staff engineer at Google. Absolutely nobody. They'll assume you're doing IT work like the characters in the IT Crowd if they even bother to think about it at all and haven't already walked away. Here's a concrete example to make it really obvious. How many computer s…
I don’t know how old you are but this is not the case at all among my age group, recent college grads. If you say you work at Google, to continue your example, people are definitely impressed and think you’re very smart. Pretty much all of my friends and their friends are not in software engineering and that’s still the case.
Re: Why do so few people major in computer science? (2017)
#27Personal opinion: after four of the required five years of my CS major education, I felt like I had gotten about as much out of it as I ever would. I knew I would advance my own skills and knowledge more by spending that last year as part of an experienced team in the industry instead, so I did.
Other than it being annoying to explain the situation if someone asks, this has not ever set me back in any way I know of.
If, in the future, I feel like it would improve my abilities/position to write a Master's thesis and get a diploma, I might look into taking the last year. But so far, I have gotten way more leverage out of the additional industry experience.
Re: Why do so few people major in computer science? (2017)
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
Using your analogy, probably because there aren’t many well established civil engineering degree programs. I don’t know what “practitioner program” could get you close to a guaranteed spot at a top software firm. I’ve been out of school for a few years and figure this stuff has been changing fast though, so that perception may be out of date. Never even heard of a software engineering degree. Only computer engineerin…
They do exist. Even Oxford has an MSc in SoftEng.
Doesn't Oxford just automatically boost all bachelors to masters a year after graduating though?
Re: Why do so few people major in computer science? (2017)
#29I don't think CS is a high social status field at all . You're deluding yourselves. Outside of our peers also in the industry nobody cares that you're a staff engineer at Google. Absolutely nobody. They'll assume you're doing IT work like the characters in the IT Crowd if they even bother to think about it at all and haven't already walked away. Here's a concrete example to make it really obvious. How many computer s…
You’re right. I went to a slightly posh school and my parents actually got commiserations that I was going on to study comp sci. “I.T.” is still not a high status field in the LEAST in the UK. It went down like telling people I was going to drop out and become a mechanic (not that there’s anything wrong with that either, but it’s all about the perceived status of the field).
Re: Why do so few people major in computer science? (2017)
#30Some of the decline in 80s can probably be attributed to a reduced percentage of women getting CS degrees [1]. I tend to agree with the conventional wisdom that gaming and home computers led to CS becoming a less welcoming degree to someone who had never touched a computer before. Contra almost every degree outside of the arts where some interest and the usual high school curricula are all you need. (And it became a somewhat self-reinforcing cycle.)
That theory doesn't speak to the 2005 peak and subsequent decline however. [ADDED: Which is probably more related to the dot-com bubble bursting.]
[1] https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/chart-of-the-day-the-declinin...