Computer Science graduates have the highest unemployment rate

[Joeman]

Most of the quotes from "industry leaders" says there is a shortage of quality candidates for most roles. That is at odds with the contract market. We should be thriving in those industries where skills are in short supply, but experience tells me this is not the case.

often the skills are in short supply because those skills dont pay well enough. As contractors, we are all fighting over the top paying roles..

[doodab]

Most of the quotes from "industry leaders" says there is a shortage of quality candidates for most roles. That is at odds with the contract market. We should be thriving in those industries where skills are in short supply, but experience tells me this is not the case.

Industry leaders definition of "quality candidates" doesn't stretch to people who expect to paid more than peanuts.

[TimberWolf]

Computer science graduates have always known flip all, IT was never something that could be learnt in a few years.

[d000hg]

When and where did you study?? i think its a recent problem that "the basics" have been dropped from courses because they are too challenging.

AS I said that wasn't the case where I was. And looking at their current modules they do stuff like Data Structures and Hardware basics in year 1 as well as some mathematics. They still teach C and Java as well as "web programming" and GPU coding, and they have modules on things like embedded systems.

Maybe your friends should have chosen decent universities.

[BrilloPad]

Well well...



Britain's computer science courses failing to give workers digital skills | Education | The Guardian

Graduate statistics

Do something useful instead like "Meeja studies".

Bigger issue is that all coding is going offshore. For some reason the government hates IT and especially contractors. I remember someone on here posting that we are just glorified typists?

[Spacecadet]

Industry leaders definition of "quality candidates" doesn't stretch to people who expect to paid more than peanuts.

WHS - Business leaders hate having to pay more than rock bottom for skilled staff

[Spacecadet]

AS I said that wasn't the case where I was. And looking at their current modules they do stuff like Data Structures and Hardware basics in year 1 as well as some mathematics. They still teach C and Java as well as "web programming" and GPU coding, and they have modules on things like embedded systems.

Maybe your friends should have chosen decent universities.

I think the other aspect of it is that universitys are for academic learning, not for preparing someone for the real world.
Any decent student should be reading round the subject and learning the nuts and bolts in their spare time. Picking up a language from a couple of tecxt books isn't difficult and it's something they'll need to do again and again in their professional life.

[MarillionFan]

I did more Computer Science in my Physics degree than these guys today are doing in compSci courses... we studdied semiconductors, super conductors, i did machine vision, and digital electronics and learnt at a fundamental level how a computer is working, and from day one we were expected to be fluent in the C programming languge to code up experiments and simulate complex mathematical stuff... Good luck to the current bunch of CompSci undergrads who only get to do HTML and look at Java code, and dont learn anything about Logic gates or low level workings of a CPU... its not computer science, its a glorified 'Basic IT' course - the course reading material is probably the ".. for dummies" range of books...

Low level. Yawn. We're talking practical skills you know.

[Notascooby]

When I worked at Logicak and they decided that they could offshore all the development roles to Logicak-India I asked where the next generation of solution architects would come from. PM spreadsheet mgt thought you could take graduates, throw them on a course and then they'd be an architect. Whilst you can read up on "enterprise" architecture, you can't just walk into solution architecture. Same goes for graduate analysts, holding a meeting and taking notes isn't analysis, that's secetarial work, which I've pointed out to a few "analysts" in my time.

Like any job, there's no substitute for experience, class room based projects are all very well but its handling screaming PM's demanding deliverables yesterday, attempting to elicit requirements from stuck-up jobsworths and keeping your mouth shut despite knowing you're right and that everything is going to go tits-up that are the real world skills. No Uni course is going to deliver "IT project realisim 101".

[d000hg]

I think the other aspect of it is that universitys are for academic learning, not for preparing someone for the real world.
Any decent student should be reading round the subject and learning the nuts and bolts in their spare time. Picking up a language from a couple of tecxt books isn't difficult and it's something they'll need to do again and again in their professional life.

Very true. Computer Science is NOT the same as programming or software development. They taught us an "intro to programming" course but you had to self-teach, with some small-group practical sessions to ask questions, etc.

I was rather surprised to see people on a CompSci course who didn't already have at least some programming experience, to be honest. But then I am a massive nerd.