On day 2 of the bi-annual meetings of the National Center for Women in IT, Ed Lazowska, the Bill and Melinda Gates professor of Computer Science at the University of Washington, started with a call to the audience to dispell the following myths about computer science careers:
- Myth 1: the only job that a degree in CS leads to is as a programmer. Not true. There are multiple applications of a CS background - you can apply computer science to multiple disciplines and industry and combine CS knowledge with other fields: art and multimedia, bioinformatics, social change issues, health, etc. You name it, CS is there.
- Myth 2: the work of a computer professional is isolating. Again, not the case. Even for traditional programmer jobs, only 1/3 of a programmer’s time is spent alone at the desk. 2/3 of the time is about team design and team building - computer science is collaborative!
- Myth 3: there are no jobs in high tech since the economic downturn and all the new jobs are being offshored. Not the case! Ask any company or university that is trying to hire computer scientists, and they will tell you that they are hiring at an all time high. Ed says that Washington State’s hiring of computer profressionals is at an all time high - only 8% of Microsoft’s workforce comes from Washington State and companies’ hiring is at an all time high.
- Myth 4: student interet in CS is lower than other science disciplines. That is not the case. Ed reports that student interest in CS is as high as the other science disciplines.
- Myth 5: you cannot make a difference in society through a computing career. Quite the opposite! Computing and technology in general is at the forefront of social change. If you attended the TechLeaders for Social Innovators at the Grace Hopper Conference, you could see the myriad uses of technology to make a positive difference in the world. A braille tutor technology, other assistive technologies for the disabled, a web 2.0 site connecting women in developing countries, a medical device that saves lives, a program that teaches autistic children…
ABI enourages you to go and dispel those myths in your community - reach out and let the young women in your community know that computing is collaborative, socially impactful, interesting, and leads to many carer paths.