Engineering and computer scientists are in such demand that some expect the annual quota of H1-B visas for workers in these categories will be filled in one day according to the Washington Post. This is really no joke, it is simply the case that the government runs an annual lottery for these oversubscribed visas on April 1 each year.
We feel the demand for engineers and computer scientists here at Dordt College too. In engineering and computer science our graduating students of May, 2007, were 100% placed “in major.” Most of these students accepted offers for work or graduate school prior to graduation. I feel like I could have placed each of my advisees three times over and still there would have been job openings available. This year we see the same demand again. The demand is that strong, both locally in the Siouxland Area (Northwest Iowa, Southwest Minnesota Southeast South Dakota, and Northeast Nebraska) and in much of North America.
How long can this good news last? In the years from 2006 to 2016 the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the employment of network, systems and communications analysts will grow about 55%, employment of computer software engineers will grow about 45%, and employment in “professional, scientific, and technical services” will grow by about 29%. These are among the fastest growing areas of the economy. More analysis of the BLS report linked above has been done by the IEEE, which finds that “Eight of the top 30 occupations by growth rate are in engineering and computer science specialties.” With statistics like that, not only should there be jobs available four years from now, there should be good long-term opportunities for timely promotion after graduation to management and technical service jobs that are above the entry levels.
Nobody can predict the future and times may change, but a least for now, Dordt’s graduates are in high demand and the forecasts are favorable in spite of the banking industry’s current woes.
Update, Saturday, April 5, 2008
Yesterday evening a local TV station ran a news story on the topic of the local job market and the prospects for students looking for summer jobs. To quote from the story, “. . .we have more summer job opportunities than ever.” You can read the transcript and view the video here. The story does not specifically mention engineering internships, but business are recruiting Dordt’s engineering students just as much or more than they did in the past. (”Keloland” is the TV station’s trade name for the four state area of South Dakota, Southwest Minnesota, Northwest Iowa, and and Northeast Nebraska, the area served by this station’s signal. The station’s call letters are “KELO.” )