Careers

The computer has become vital to the life and growth of almost all organizations from small local businesses to multinational concerns including agricultural, educational, governmental, manufacturing, medical and service institutions. The computer is the nervous system of these organizations, providing management with one of their most critical resources: timely, accurate data and information. This ranges from simple record keeping functions to projections of the future and support for strategic planning and decision-making activities.

Demand

The predicted growth for the field is much faster than average through 2014 according the to US Bureau of Labor & Development. Robert Half Industries reported that the median salary for a Systems Analyst was $66,460 for 2005.

Supply

The supply of college graduates with appropriate computer training has fallen 20-70% since 2000. The number of US college freshman interested in pursuing computer science degrees has dropped 50% according to a recent survey. At a time when firms are interested in hiring more students for internships and entry level professional positions, we have half the number of students graduating than we did just a few years ago. This decrease in the potential labor pool of skilled new hires, combined with the expected increase in demand for these skills, assures a plentiful supply of financially rewarding jobs in this field for the foreseeable future.

Year	Number of Graduates	Placement Percentage	Average Starting Salary
1999/2000	77	96%	$43,000
2000/2001	76	88%	$43,800
2002/2003	59	65%	$40,428
2003/2004	52	77%	$41,579
2004/2005	59	90%	$44,022
2005/2006	33	96%	$44,550
2006/2007	28	88%	$46,075