Information & Communication Technology
Computer Scientist
Computer scientists design and create software and computer technologies and find innovative uses for existing technology.
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Entry-level education
Bachelor’s degree
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Job outlook
What does a Computer Scientist do?
Computer scientists design and create software and computer technologies and find innovative uses for existing technology. They study and solve complex problems in computing for business, medicine, science, and other fields.
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Work activities
As a computer scientist, you would:
- work on development of software and hardware
- analyse issues or problems to help build solutions
- complete feasibility studies on projects
- apply theoretical expertise and innovation to the adaptation of existing technologies for new uses
- meet with users, clients and technicians to discuss needs and requirements
- meet with managers, vendors, and others to solicit cooperation and resolve problems.
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Key skills and interests
To become a computer scientist, you would need:
- excellent IT skills
- good numeracy
- problem solving skills
- a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail
- an analytical mind
- good communication skills.
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Working hours and conditions
Working Hours
As a computer scientist you would work a standard number of hours per week, with necessary overtime to meet deadlines.
Conditions
You would spend most of your time working on a computer, and also attending team or client meetings.
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How to become an Computer Scientist?
Entry Level Education
To become a computer scientist you usually have to complete a degree in computer science. To get into these courses you usually need to gain your senior secondary school certificate or equivalent. English, computing and mathematics would be appropriate subjects to study prior to university.
Computer scientists that work in a specific field would need a knowledge or qualification in that field, for example if working on biomedical applications you would need a knowledge of biology.
To pursue a career as a computer scientist, you may need to look for job opportunities overseas.
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Job outlook
Employment of computer scientists is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations.
Computer scientists work across all fields of computing, so as demand for new and better technology grows, demand for computer scientists will grow as well.
The rapid growth in data collection by businesses is leading to an increased focus on data mining to improve business outcomes. Computer scientists write algorithms that help businesses sort, manage, and display these very large amounts of data.
Computer scientists will be needed to find innovative ways to prevent cyberattacks or to track hackers, as well as develop more advanced robotics and create new programming languages to make software development more efficient.
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