Computer Programming
Ten hottest careers rank: 5
Salary Range: $54,840 — $132,080
The computer software engineer career field is projected to increase by 21 percent by the year 2018. Computer software engineers generally design and develop new computer software systems by incorporating new technologies in a growing range of applications. Professionals in this field analyze users' needs and design computer applications or specialized utility programs using multiple programming languages, depending on the program's purpose. With the rapid growth and continual change in the technology industry, computer software engineers are expected to be in high demand.
Computer Programming is an absolutely essential part of the world we live in today. While the complex hardware of even a home computer is powerful, it can only be used in conjunction with software. It is the responsibility of a computer programmer to create the software which the computer uses to do anything from turning on to calculating pi, from writing a report in Word to high-end architectural CAD.
To transform a computer from a hunk of metal and wires into an information powerhouse requires that a programmer takes human needs and translates them into a language the computer can understand. Those translations must then be put into an order which will output some useful piece of data. That can then be run through another process, or displayed as is to the user in some form.
The type of education required for this job varies widely in scope, and breadth. At its heart, computer programming is a field of mathematics, so apart from the obvious primary focus on programming itself, a strong grounding in math is highly recommended. Depending on the type of programming one would like to do, useful secondary focuses include physics, English, engineering, robotics, and/or game design. This list, though, is by no means exhaustive. There's a niche in the computer industry for almost any combination of subjects, from Linguistics/Physics to Drawing/Biology and anything in between. A little more on that in a bit, though.
First, the other consideration when looking into the field of computer programming: Certifications. There are as many certifications in the industry as there are companies, but certifications are close to universal. A few that one thinking about becoming a programmer should be looking at are A+ Certification, Microsoft MCSE, and Cisco CCNA. Again, that is not anywhere close to all of the available certifications, but it is a good start. None of them are required, but they will make you stand out some, which is a very important thing.
And here's why standing out is important: the field of computer programming is exploding. It was mentioned earlier that we would return to the subject of useful fields of study to pair with computer programming, and the truth is that with the growth of the field, anything goes. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 21% increase in this field from 2008 to 2018, which is, by their account, much faster than average. With a job outlook like that, one can almost create their own job from whatever fields they like. It takes a highly tecnhical person to be a computer programmer, so if you aren't sure this is the right career for you, feel free to take our career aptitude test.
