Computer science is worth studying

Our modern world would be inconceivable without computer science. From engineering to business management, medicine to biology, and language processing to psychology, sociology and archaeology - all the sciences today need computer science for the evaluation of their data. At the same time the science of processing information by means of computer programmes provides the basis for the internet and mobile telephony, for airlines and financial transactions, for DVD players, televisions and cars that work - in short, for a functioning world. This creates a strong practical relevance, which is exactly what makes the subject so exciting and is opening up ever more employment opportunities for computer scientists. Computer science, therefore, is a forward-looking discipline that offers excellent prospects for graduates.
After receiving degree on computer science, students will be equipped with lifelong skills that they can use in a whole variety of jobs-- from management to consulting, from programming to information systems administration, from IT companies to any company, large or small.
According to the Association of Computing Machinery, an international organisation for computer scientists, "Computing jobs are among the highest paid and have the highest job satisfaction. Computing is very often associated with innovation, and developments in computing tend to drive it. This, in turn, is the key to national competitiveness. The possibilities for future developments are expected to be even greater than they have been in the past."
The Association said: "There actually are more computing jobs than qualified people to fill them in the United States. U.S. IT employment was 17% higher in 2004 than in 1999. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says computing has the greatest potential for new jobs through 2014. Yes, some IT jobs have gone overseas. If you consider the expected growth in computing, it's easy to see that companies simply need more talents. Don't miss out on pursuing the large number of open positions available right now, here in the United States."
Computer scientists said computer science is the study of computers and how to best use them for solving problems. Solving problems requires an ability to write programmes that control a computer. A computer is a wonderfully flexible machine, so it can be told to do almost anything, limited only by your imagination.
 Computer science develops students' computational and critical thinking skills and shows them how to create, not simply use new technologies. This fundamental knowledge is needed to prepare students for the 21st century, regardless of their ultimate field of study or occupation.
According to HourofCode.org, "In China, every student takes computer science to graduate high school. In the U.S., 90 percent of schools don't even teach it. It's time for us to catch up to the 21st century. We know that regardless of what our students do when they grow up, whether they go into medicine, business, politics, or the arts, knowing how to build technology will allow give them the confidence and know-how to succeed."
According to a survey, at present the number of jobs in Information Technology (IT) sector in the USA is three-fold more than the students who passed the subject. Another survey said, there will be a demand of over 35 lac skilled IT manpower in England, Germany, France, Spain and Italy in 2015, but only 33 lac IT manpower will be available in the those countries by the time mentioned above. There will be human resource deficit of more than 2 lac. Such human resource deficit will be at 10 lac in USA only in the year 2015 and globally it will be increased to about one crore.                 
 Founder of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg said, "Our policy at Facebook is literally to hire as many talented engineers as we can find. There just aren't enough people who are trained and have these skills today". Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook, said, "An understanding of computer science is becoming increasingly essential in today's world. Our national competitiveness depends upon our ability to educate our children - and that includes our girls - in this critical field". Marco Rubio, Senator, Florida, said "Computer programmers are in great demand by American businesses, across the tech sector, banking, entertainment, you name it. These are some of the highest-paying jobs, but there are not enough graduates to fill these opportunities.
US President Barack Obama asked every American to give it a shot to learn to computer science, kicking off the Hour of Code campaign for Computer Science Education Week 2013.
Why is it worth studying computer science in Bangladesh?
It is significant for Bangladesh, as the skilled computer graduates can contribute to Bangladesh's development and also we can supply the skilled computer graduates who can meet the demand of IT works abroad and bring huge remittance.
We should explore computer science curriculum as an introduction for our students to an increasingly important and globally-relevant field. Computer code is quickly becoming the world's most salient international language.  Those who know code will design and change the future of our world.  
Realising the importance of Computer Science education for Bangladesh, Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), the national trade body for software and IT enabled services industry of Bangladesh, and BASIS Institute of Technology and Management (BITM) jointly held Computer Science Education Week across the country on December 9-15 last year.   The event was also held simultaneously in a total of 160 countries across the globe. On the occasion, BASIS and BITM organised "BASIS Hour of Code", which is the first event in the country's history.
The Hour of Code is an opportunity for every student to try computer science for one hour. BASIS Hour of Code is an hour long introduction about computer programming. Its main objective was to remove fear about coding and make it enjoyable to the students. Responding to the call of BASIS, many educational institutions observed the BASIS Hour of Code from December 9-15.
 "The Hour of Code is designed to demystify code, to show that computer science is not rocket-science, and anybody can learn the basics," said Hadi Partovi, founder and CEO of Code.org. "It's now on track to be the largest learning event in history, proving that the demand for relevant 21st-century computer science education crosses all borders and knows no boundaries."
Speaking on the occasion, BASIS President Shameem Ahsan said the demand of computer science is increasing day by day across the globe. This can open up immense potential for Bangladesh. "The BASIS Hour of Code is aimed at creating interest among Bangladeshi students regarding study of computer science and also motivating them to choose Information Technology (IT) as their career in the future," he said.
Quoting a remark of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Shameem Ahsan said, "In fifteen years we will be teaching programming just like reading and writing….and wondering why we did not do it earlier".
The massive demand of computer science across the globe will open up a scope to endless potential for Bangladesh. The organiser hoped that the event will create interest among students in Bangladesh on a large scale to select computer science as subject of studies and take IT as their future profession in the greater interest of the country.
The writer is a journalist,
email: [email protected]