An article on the mismatch between computer science jobs and educational capacity includes various University of Washington examples, including comments by CSE’s Ed Lazowska:
“Until recently, the University of Washington was only able to accommodate 25% of computer science applicants, though it will be expanding somewhat this year due to a recent funding increase …
“At other schools, the numbers are even starker. Carnegie Mellon, for example, enrolled just 130 of the 4,200 applicants this fall to its computer science school. Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif. accepted only 21% of computer science applicants last year.
“And that’s a shame, with so many computer-related jobs going unfilled. But it gets worse — much worse, when you look at the demand that’s coming.
“A US Bureau of Labor Statistics report projects huge increases in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) jobs over the next decade, but not just any STEM jobs. The vast majority is in computer-related occupations …
“Of course, not every computer-related job requires a computer science degree, or any kind of college degree. Banking, insurance, and manufacturing all hire IT professionals who can do their jobs without one. But companies like Microsoft and Google that carve out new avenues in computing only hire degreed students from schools with strong programs, and they would rather leave a position vacant than fill it with someone they consider unqualified.”
Read more here.