What Can I Do With A Major In Computer Science?

Plans ways to use computers to solve scientific, engineering, and business problems. Defines the goals of a computer system, and determines the individual steps needed to meet the goals. Uses analytical techniques such as structured analysis, data modeling, mathematical model building, and sampling.

Educational Requirements

A bachelor's degree. For some of the more complex jobs, persons with graduate degrees are preferred.

Avg. Maine Salary: $21.69 per/hour

Avg. # Maine Employment 1039

Annual Openings: 72

Projected Growth: 65%

DATA COMMUNICATIONS ANALYST

Researches, tests, evaluates, and recommends data communications hardware and software. Identifies areas of operation which need upgraded equipment, such as modems, fiber optic cables, and telephone wires. Conducts survey to determine user needs. Reads technical manuals and brochures to determine equipment which meets establishment requirements.

Educational Requirements

There is no universally accepted way to prepare for a job as a computer professional; however, employers almost always seek college gradutes for these positions, especially with related degrees.

Avg. Maine Salary: $16.59 per/hour

Avg. # Maine Employment 187

Annual Openings: 12

Projected Growth: 57%

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RELATED OCCUPATIONS

Chief Information Officer	Entrepreneur
Computer Aided Designer	Hardware Salesperson
Computer Applications Engineer	Hardware Service Person
Computer Operator	Magnetic Media Librarian
Computer Programmer	Mathematician
Computer Science Engineer	Media Center Manager
Computer Security Specialist	Operations Manager
Internal Revenue Agent	International Accountant
Computer Service Technician	Robotics Technician
Data Base Analyst	Software Engineer
Data Base Manager	Software Package Developer
Data Control Clerk	Software Package Marketer
Data Entry Equipment Operator	Software Salesperson
Data-Entry Manager	Statistician
Data Processing Department Manager	Systems Consultant
Electronic Data Processing Auditor	Systems Manager
Electronic Data Processing Trainer	Technical Writer
Electronics Engineer	Word Processor

SKILLS

Operating equipment	Working as a member of a team
Planning and giving information and help
Evaluating quality of products and materials	Preparing electronic data files
Processing data on computers

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SAMPLE JOBS

(taken from past issues of our Career Services Husky Job Board)

COBOL Programmer -
Development, maintenance, and enhancement of software systems, existing software consists of MIS reporting, financial and regulatory reporting, EDI, work flow, and other data interchange.
Qualifications: 2-3 years experience or Degree in computer Science, proficiency in COBOL language and related tools.

Computer and Application Support Specialist -
Install and maintain office and retail location's computer systems, participate on a team to automate data processing, research and propose new technology.
Qualifications: Ability to diagnose hardware and software problems, basic knowledge on local area network with Novell operating systems.

Internet Consultant/Web Designer
Contacting clients for internet advertising, closing sales, Web design (optional).
Qualifications: Familiarity with the internet, ability to work well with people, knowledge of HTML helpful but not required, training provided.

Laboratory Instructor -
One year position for 1998-1999 year. Prepare and teach laboratory selections in introductory computer science courses, prepare student assignments, grade student work, tutor in a range of CS courses, assist with system administration of department's instructional and research equipment.
Qualifications: BA/BS in Computer Science, masters preferred. Strong teaching, writing and interpersonal skills, experience with Apple Macintosh computers, personal computers and Internet tools. Programming experience with Java, Java script and C desired.

LAN Administrators -
At the end of a reasonable training period, candidates will be responsible for maintenance of a number of high profile ISO Notes databases, and day to day LAN support including, but not limited to, mixed NOS Client/Server environment consisting of Windows NT server, OS/2 Warp server, OS/2 LAN server and Windows 95 Client.
Qualifications: Knowledge of above, an understanding of TCP/IP and general network concepts, experience with web-based development and Lotus Notes Server/Workstation.

Machine Interface Developer -
Develop and maintain interfaces for electronic component placement machines.
Qualifications: Experience with C++, data structures, algorithms, Windows, OWL of MFC; Knowledge of electronic CNC equipment desirable. P> Software Engineer -
Design, develop, document, and install software using MS Visual C++ and other tools; Some customer contact work; some travel required.
Qualifications: Proficient with C++ under Windows, object-oriented design; good people skills. P> System Technician -
Support multi-platform Novell network with Windows 95, on-going daily operation and maintenance of Ethernet network equipment and the installation, upgrade and technical support of hardware and software.
Qualifications: AS degree in computer Science, C.N.A, C.N.E preferred, prior management experience with Ethernet, Windows 95 and Novell 4.1 a must; ability to work in a team environment, commitment to quality and end-user satisfaction essential. P> System Test Engineers -
Design, build and trouble shoot networks to find and isolate bugs/problems in leading edge products under development. These include high-speed multimedia multi-protocol routers, layer two and layer three switches, as well as other LAN/WAN and telecommunications technologies.
Qualifications: BA/BS in Computer Science or equivalent. Strong C++ programming skills and academic achievement. Demonstrated interest in the communications field and knowledge or experience with real time embedded systems. Top

RELATED ACTIVITIES

Working with a home or personal micro-computer; working part-time or as a volunteer in a computer firm or computer science department; repairing electronic appliances and other mechanical gadgetry; joining a computer club or organization; reading computer publications.

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

(These resources are located in our Career Resource Centers)

Maine Dept. of Labour and Occupational Outlook Handbook

Choices

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PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

(For more information see the National Trade and Professional Association
of the United States located in our Career Resource Centers)

Special Interest Group on Applied Computing
c/o Association for Computing Machinery
1515 Broadway New York, NY 10036
(212) 869-7440
*Web site: www.acm.org

AFSM International

AM/FM International

American Association for Artificial Intelligence

American Association of Public Welfare Information Systems

American Electronics Association

American Medical Informatics Association

American Payroll Association

American Physicians Association of Computer Medicine

American Society for Information Science

APEC, Inc.

Association for Automated Reasoning

Association for Computational Linguistics

Association for Computer Operations Management

Association for Computers and the Humanities

Association for Computing Machinery

Association for Financial Technology

Association for the Development of Religious Information Systems

Association for Women in Computing

Association for Work Process Improvement

Association of Agricultural Computer Companies

Association of Computer Training Professionals

Association of Information and Dissemination Centers

Association of Management and International Association of Management

Association of On-Line Professionals

Association of Personal Computer User Groups

Association of Public Data Users

Association of Rehabilitation Programs in Computer Technology

Association of Service and Computer Dealers International

Black Data Processing Associates

Business Software Alliance

CAUSE

Commercial Internet Exchange Association

Computer Aided Manufacturing - International

Computer and Automated Systems Association of SME

Computer and Communications Industry Association

Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium

Computer Ethics Institute

Computer Event Marketing Association

Computer Law Association

Computer Leasing and Remarketing Association

Computer Measurement Group

Computer Press Association

Computer Security Institute

Computer Use in Social Services Network

Computerized Medical Imaging Society

Computing Technology Industry Association

Council for Electronic Revenue Communication Advancement

CUMREC International

Data Administration Management Association International

Data Interchange Standards Association

DPMA The Association of Information Systems Professionals

EDUCOM

Electronic Document Systems Association

Electronic Forum on Sound Technology

Electronic Funds Transfer Association

Electronic Publishing Special Interest Group

Equipment Leasing Association of America

Federation of Government Information Processing Councils

Government Management Information Sciences

IEEE Computer Society

IMAGE Society

Imaging Products Remanufacturing Association

Independent Computer Consultants Association

Independent Computer Services Association of America

Independent Industry Association

Independent Service Network, International

Industry Applications Society

Information Industry Association

Information Systems Audit and Control Association

Information Systems Consultants Association

Information System Security Association

Information Technology Association of America

Information Technology Industry Council

Information User Association

Institute for Computer Capacity Management

Institute for Certification of computing Professionals

Instructional Systems Association

Intelligent Transportation Society of America

Interactive Digital Software Association

Interactive Services Association

International Association for Computer Information Systems

International Association for Computer Systems Security

International Association for Human Resources Information Management

International Association of Knowledge Engineers

International Compact Disc Interactive Association

International Council for Computer Communication

International Digital Imaging Association

International Disk Drive Equipment and Materials Association

International Health Evaluation Association

International Information Management Congress

International Interactive Communication Society

International Neural Network Society

International Society for Intelligent Systems

International Society for Technology in Education

Internet Society

IS Financial Management Association

IT - International Recording Media Association

Library and Information Technology Association

MEMA Information Services Council

MicroComuputer Investor's Association

NaSPA: The Association for Corporate Computing Technical Professionals

National Association of Computer Consultant Business

National Association of Computerized Tax Processors

National Association of Health Data Organizations

National Association of Professional Work Processing Technicians

National Association of State Information Resource Executives

National Computer Security Association

National Federation of Abstracting and Information Services

National Multimedia Association of America

National Training Systems Association

North American Computer Service Association

Online Audiovisual Catalogers

Open Applications Group

Pattern Recognition Society

Personal Computer Memory Card International Association

Portable Computer and Communications Association

Semiconductor Safety Association

Serial Storage Architecture Industry Association

Society for Applied Learning Technology

Society for Computer Simulation

Society for Conceptual and Content Analysis by Computer

Society for Information Display

Society for Information Management

Society for Software Quality

Software Manufacturing Association

Software Publishers Association

Special Interest Group for Algorithm and Computation Theory

Special Interest Group for Architecture of Computer Systems

Special Interest Group for Computer-Human Interaction

Special Interest Group for Computer Personnel Research

Special Interest Group for Computer Science Education

Special Interest Group for Computer Uses in Education

Special Interest Group for Computers and Society

Special Interest Group for Computers and the Physically Handicapped

Special Interest Group for Data Communication

Special Interest Group for Information Retrieval

Special Interest Group for Management of Data

Special Interest Group for Measurement and Evaluation

Special Interest Group for Micro programming and Micro architecture

Special Interest Group for Simulation and Modeling

Special Interest Group for Symbolic and Algebraic Manipulation

Special Interest Group for University and College Computing Services

Special Interest Group on Ada Programming Language

Special Interest Group on APL Programming Language

Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence

Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics

Special Interest Group on Computing at Community Colleges

Special Interest Group on Design Automation

Special Interest Group on Documentation

Special Interest Group on Hypertext

Special Interest Group on Individual Computing Environments

Special Interest Group on Management Information Systems

Special Interest Group on Mobility of Systems, Users, Data, and Computing

Special Interest Group on Multimedia

Special Interest Group on Numerical Mathematics

Special Interest Group on Office Information Systems

Special Interest Group on Operating Systems

Special Interest Group on Programming Languages

Special Interest Group on Security, Audit, and Control

Special Interest Group on Software Engineering

Systems Independent Data Format Association

Technology Transfer Society

Transaction Processing Performance Council

Untied States Association for Computational Mechanics

Urban and Regional Information Systems Association

Women in Technology International

Work group for Electronic Data Interchange

World Computer Graphics Association

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The information on this page was taken from the following sources: CareerWare 98; Maine Dept.of Labor, 94; Occupational Outlook Handbook, 98; National Trade and Professional Associations Of the United States, 97; College Majors and Careers

Website Last Updated August 8, 1999

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