Those of you already working in data processing possess the requisite education (formal or otherwise) that got you your first DP (data processing) job. The three most important attributes in hiring a data processor are prior experience, technical know-how, and education. Certainly, at least a basic grounding in data-processing skills through some educational process is expected by companies looking to hire entry-level staff. But the fact that those of you already in data processing have achieved that educational level doesn't mean it ends there, particularly in an industry that changes so rapidly because of emerging technology. The concept of continuous education - of viewing one's life and career as a continuous learning process-is necessary for sustained career growth. There will be more about adding layers of education throughout a career later in this chapter.
There has been a proliferation of data processing degree programs in colleges and universities. The differences between them in quality and scope are as many as the names given the degree. A recent study indicated that more than two hundred colleges and universities use a different name for their introductory computer course, even though the course material is virtually identical at all the schools.
Basically, universities offer four-year degrees in two general areas of computer science-scientific programming, computer hardware, and software design; and business data processing. There are schools that try to combine both, but these are the exception rather than the rule.
This poses a dilemma for the incoming freshman with sights on a career in data processing. Which of the two basic courses of study do you choose? It might not be such a crucial decision if it were easy to shift from one school to the other, but curriculum requirements at many colleges and universities often preclude this to the extent that a switch in emphasis could tack an additional year onto your undergraduate schooling.
Once you have decided which area of data processing is for you - and you have decided to take the four-year college route for your training (as opposed to two-year community colleges, private technical schools, and other avenues) - you can begin evaluating each school's ability to properly prepare you for a career in DP. Clearly, all schools are not the same, particularly when it involves so highly technical a field as data processing.
First, of course, you should ascertain the qualifications of the faculty that will be teaching you computer sciences. What's more important here is the willingness on the part of faculty members to keep abreast of current concepts and to constantly upgrade and revise the material they teach. This is not a discipline in which a course plan developed five years ago will have much relevancy for today's student. Professors of Elizabethan English, zoology, and romance languages generally can teach what they learned twenty years ago with confidence and success to students today. Not so with a dynamic and rapidly changing field like data processing. New languages, new software programs, new hardware and applications demand that today's teacher of data processing be deeply involved in the changes in the subject matter. If you get the impression that the faculty of a college or university you are considering is likely to deal with computer science as in "the good old days," it's time to look at another institution.
If you are someone who has made the determination that scientific programming and computer hardware and software design are to your liking, take the time and trouble to assure yourself that you will be offered state-of-the-art technology that includes courses in data base, telecommunications, computer architecture, FORTRAN, Assembler (mini-micro), and Pascal languages, as well as other things that might not only be of particular interest to you, but reflect what is used in industry in your geographical area.
If your interest lies in the nuts and bolts of hardware, you might find computer engineering to be the right degree program for you. A number of colleges and universities now offer a degree in this area of computer science. This course of study obviously prepares the student for a number of jobs in data processing's most technical aspects, including such esoteric applications as robotics.
