Job Creation from Computer Programmers

Without computer programmers there would be no computers. A world without computers is something hard to imagine. Human beings rely on computers way too much. People practically can do anything on a computer, from doing research to composing a formal paper. Computer programmers are actually people that work in fields of electronic data processing.

Computer programmers write step-by-step instructions for computers. The programs are written in a computer language, to tell the computer what to do when a task is performed. They may work alone or with a team. Their atmosphere of working is generally a computer room. Computer programmers work just like any other job; eight hours a day, five days a week. They can work in the evenings or nights.

Their responsibilities are studying problems and determining how to solve them. They have to write out steps involved with a flow chart format. Programmers write out details for each step in a computer language. Testing to make sure instructions are correct is prior to the job. They also have to prepare an instruction sheet for the use of the program.

The minimum education skills for a computer programmer are on-the-job training, High School Diploma/ Technical, Junior/ Technical/ Community College Degree, and Bachelor’s Degree. Computer and mathematics are subjects you need for being a computer programmer. “Most employees prefer their programmers to be college graduates”(Encyclopedia of Careers 484). As the market becomes more exposed to individuals breaking the field, a college degree is becoming more important. “Students should take any computer programming or computer science courses available”(Encyclopedia of Careers 485).

The earnings for computer programmers depend on the complexity of the work. Earnings are slightly higher in larger urban areas. Programmers in the West and Northeast averaged more than those in the South and Midwest. The average salary of a computer programmer with a Bachelor’s degree in 2000 was $48,551. Those with degrees in computer science averages $48,695 per year. Those with a Masters Degree in computer science averages $50,630 per year. Those with a Ph. D gets an average of $64,950 for their first year. Programmers may receive paid vacations, holidays, sick days, life and health insurance, and retirement benefits. In 1999, South Carolina’s computer programmers earned between $29,640 and $63,794.

The most common computer programmer is William H. Gates, the Founder of Microsoft. “Bill Gates is the cofounder and chairman of Microsoft Corporation, the World’s leading computer software company”(Biography Resource). He was born in Seattle on October 28,1955. He was first introduced to computers in 1967. Paul Allen became Bill Gates fellow computer aficionados. Paul Allen confounded Microsoft with Bill Gates. Gates, Allen, and others would skip class to spend more time working with computers. There soon was formed a programming “group”. The first program Gates developed was designed to arrange class schedules for his school. He earned more than $4,000 for a summer’s work arranging schedules. The “group” soon landed a paying job in Seattle’s Computer Center Corporation. “They studied programmer’s notes and computer runs”(Biography Resources). At Bill’s young age, he didn’t see a future in the field for himself. At this state it was merely a hobby. The “group” now developed a computerized payroll program at the school. When Bill was 17, he took a break from his computer career to work in Washington as a congressional page during summer of 1972. By 1975, Bill and Paul Allen began to design programs for personal computers, which had just entered the market. In 1980, International Business Machines Corporations chose Microsoft to develop the operating system for its first computer, the PC. Gates devised the Microsoft Disk Operating System for IBM. In 1985, the company introduced the first of PC programs called Windows. Microsoft has sold millions of copies of Microsoft.

South Carolina’s employment outlook held 3,809 jobs for computer programmers in 1999. The number is to be expected to increase to 4, 283 by 2006. Its hard to believe computers have come this far along. Next thing they will be thinking for themselves. Without the help of computer programmers working in the field of electronic data processing there would be no computers.