Computer Science degree program offers students diverse career opportunities
>> PROGRAM ATTRACTS UNIVERSITY GRADUATES SEEKING EMPLOYMENT IN COMPUTER SCIENCE FIELD
The University of British Columbia’s 20- month Bachelor of Computer Science ( BCS) program gives people with a previous undergraduate degree a chance to prepare for the computing industry. The program attracts students just graduating from their first degree and professionals well along in their careers. Students typically come to BCS because of the strong job market in computer science ( CS), an interest in technology, or a desire to leverage computation in their own fields. About three in four BCS students undertake the co- op work program, taking four- to eight- month jobs with companies eager to hire CS students. Once they’re in the program, BCS students benefit from a strong community. “The energy in these groups was incredible,” says BCS graduate and bioinformatics researcher Katayoon Kasaian. “We had people who had been English majors, who’d already taught university courses, people from Commerce ... and they were more mature, more focused. They say you go to university to learn how to learn, and my classmates already knew how to learn.” That strong community may be responsible for the program’s success in attracting a pool of students unusual for computer science. For example, about one in three students in the program are women, well above the Canada and U. S. average of one in eight. BCS graduate and game designer Felicity Foxx Hearst cites this as part of her success. “It helped that there were also a significant number of women,” says Foxx. “I didn’t feel like some outlier weirdo!” In the long run, the program seeks to attract equal numbers of men and women. For students considering a change in their focus or careers, BCS may be just what they need to access what Foxx Hearst calls the “bright future beckoning in technology”.