Four Careers with a Computer Science Degree

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Four roles you can access with a degree in computer science

Choosing a degree course can be hard, especially if you’re not quite sure what job you want to do yet. You’ll want to pick something that you’ll enjoy, but also a course that gives you the best chance of employment after graduation. Additionally, you may be considering your future salary, especially if you’re hoping to move into your own place as soon as you’ve landed your all-important first job.

Fortunately for the technologically-minded, a computer science degree has multiple benefits; it allows you to access a wide variety of career paths, all of which tend to come with a decent salary. Plus, due to our dependence on technology, it’s a sector that is constantly growing and developing, meaning that graduates will always be in demand.

Sound good? Read on to find out where your future could lead with a computer science degree.

Video game developer

If you love to play video games, or want to make a career out of something creative, then becoming a game developer could be a great fit for you. You’ll work in a team with designers and game artists, creating new worlds and developing existing ones to provide players with an exciting, interactive experience that uses cutting-edge technology.

Not only will you create sections of the games, you’ll also get to review your colleagues’ work, looking for bugs. To do this role, you’ll need to have a keen eye for detail, analytical thinking skills, and a desire to come up with new ways of tackling problems.

Cyber-security analyst

As our reliance on technology increases, so too does the number of scams and cyber-security threats. Hackers are getting increasingly sophisticated, chipping away at security defences until they can slip in undetected and take control of information and money. This puts people at risk, and on a national scale can become a major security concern.

As a cyber-security analyst your job would be to detect, identify and alert the necessary people to incoming attacks or suspicious activity. If the idea of actually building tech to repel attacks appeals to you, you may want to look at a career as a cyber-security engineer instead. This job involves creating secure networks and building long-term measures – an intense but rewarding vocation.

Software engineer

If you want to ensure that there is plenty of variety in your future career, then you could look at becoming a software engineer. You’ll work in a team to design, create, test and maintain software applications, using code to solve problems and come up with innovative solutions.

This could be internally for one specific company, or you could work for a consulting firm that will put you on their client projects for a certain period of time, or to solve a specific issue. When you have more experience, you could also move into specialist contracting, where you technically work for yourself, but are hired by a company to support a project for a set time.

It’s estimated that the demand for software engineers will increase by 25% between 2021 and 2031, so you have a high chance of being hired after college if you follow this career path.

Web developer

We all rely on the internet. Whether it’s to look up information about restaurant recommendations, to study or to use social media, it’s a part of everyday life for many people. As a web developer, you’ll be part of this network of information, building the back-end (the website structure) or the front-end (the visual parts) of websites. Or, if you want to push your skillset, you can qualify for both aspects and become a full-stack developer.

Web developers can work for agencies or in-house, but they can just as easily work as freelancers on a project basis. Jobs in this sector are increasing, partially because many people now shop online. As well as a computer science qualification, it can be helpful to have some technical SEO knowledge.

A sector full of opportunities

We’ve listed just a few of the career paths you could take with a computer science degree – this sector is full of opportunities. Our reliance on technology is unlikely to change anytime soon, meaning that there will always be job openings for graduates with this desirable degree.

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