| First, some facts: at the end of 2009, 1.8 million | | | | into web development and web design; practically |
| people around the world had access to the internet. | | | | everything that we do these days is in some way |
| That's about 27% of the global population who are | | | | underpinned by computer technology. |
| now regular internet users (up from just 5.8% as | | | | Different Areas of Computing & IT |
| recently as ten years ago) and who rely on | | | | Information technology is an incredibly broad church, |
| computers for everything from keeping up with | | | | and long before you even get to the internet there |
| distant relatives to booking a holiday and doing the | | | | are plenty of degree fields and areas of work to |
| shopping. | | | | consider. Computer science courses can include |
| What we're talking about is nothing short of a global | | | | everything from developing artificial intelligence and |
| technological epidemic - a fundamental shift in the | | | | robotics to gaining an understanding of internet and |
| way we create and share information, in particular. | | | | phone networks and systems. |
| And with four in every five people around the world | | | | Computer engineering degrees provide students with |
| believing that the internet is a "fundamental human | | | | the ability to design and deliver efficient, flexible and |
| right" according to a recent survey by the BBC, it's | | | | good-value technology solutions in any number of |
| only going to get bigger. | | | | software, electronics and applications-based areas. |
| Way of the Future? | | | | What the huge advances in technology have also |
| Where does that realisation leave someone trying to | | | | meant is that the present and, naturally, the future |
| decide which degree or course would suit them best | | | | are going to be data-driven. As such, information |
| and give them the best chance of success? If you're | | | | systems degrees that give you an understanding of |
| of a technical disposition, one of the best career | | | | information systems are also going to be an |
| options for taking advantage of the increased | | | | increasingly necessary and, therefore, lucrative career |
| opportunities this surge in computer-use has brought | | | | choice. |
| about would obviously be a degree in computing of | | | | So practically whichever way you come at it there's |
| some description. | | | | a specialist area within computing and IT studies |
| The worlds of computing and IT certainly aren't just | | | | that's tailor-made to a particular relevant area of |
| confined to web-based technologies, however. It's | | | | work. And given the seemingly unstoppable march of |
| one of the most common misconceptions about | | | | progress in technology in recent years, it would seem |
| computer sciences that they're simply broken down | | | | that there's only going to be more opportunity. |