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Recently a fellow CS teacher asked if CS careers were on the decline and if so, whether we should even be encouraging students to move towards a CS degree. A few other teachers expressed their concerns as well, talking about how they had children getting ready to graduate from college and the major hurdle they're facing is the inability to get an internship (which is required to graduate).
I couldn't address that specific question about whether it's on the decline, but this was a portion of my response specifically hitting on whether we should be encouraging students toward CS degrees:
I personally feel like a better conversation than whether or not students should get a CS degree should be "Which of these CS opportunities is right for you?" I went towards a CS degree not knowing there were other CS-Related options more in line with what I actually wanted. Because I didn't see these options, I moved away from CS as a college major. Had I seen these other options, I may have chosen my major/career path differently.
Cybersecurity
Computers & Information Systems (CIS)
Computer Science (CS)
Software Engineering (SE) - This is the major I should have probably done.
Computer Engineering (CE)
Information Technology (IT)
Information Systems (IS)
Robotics & Engineering
Artificial Intelligence
Machine Learning
App/Game Design & User Interfaces(User Experience)
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Some careers need combinations of one (or more) of these topics with something not specifically computer related
Data Science - CS + Math + Domain Expertise
Biomedical Engineering
Computational Medicine
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Some careers need certifications rather than degrees or can be done by earning a certificate along side a different major
Web Master
Cybersecurity (depending on the role/position)
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There's also less traditional routes available for students to consider, the military being the most obvious as they provide specialized trainings plus pay for your education.
Personally, if I was able to talk to my pre-college self, I'd have suggested a different route than what I took - Military (Air Force) with a focus on Cybersecurity.
If we're telling our students that Computer Science is the only college option for those who enjoy our programs, I think we're really missing the mark.
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