Employment in computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 13 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations, resulting in 557,100 new jobs.[1] This is an incredible statistic to contemplate. Given extraordinary leaps in computing power, massive proliferation of data, and emergence of practical AI applications, the demand for qualified technical expertise can be expected to grow exponentially.
There are a few paths to address this talent gap, but one approach that is being taken is to recruit greater numbers of women and under-represented minority groups into the technology field, particularly since these groups are under-represented in the technology field and represent a largely untapped talent pool. According to statistics provided by the Khoury College of Computer Sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, women represent greater than 50% of all BS/BA degree recipients, but only 18% of computer science degree recipients. Likewise, under-represented minorities represent roughly 25% of BS/BA degree recipients, but only 10% of computer science degree recipients.
Northeastern University is one of the leaders among national universities asking the question – How can we meet the demand for skilled high-tech professionals, while accelerating inclusion of under-represented groups and increasing workplace diversity in the process? In response to this critical business need, Northeastern’s Align Masters in Computer Science, is an advanced degree program for college graduates who did not study computer science. Northeastern is scaling this program to 1000 new entrants per year by 2021, and a large part of the strategy is to attract previously under-tapped pools of talent, while also promoting greater diversity of thought, background, experience, race, and gender. The university aims to attract some of the 1.8 million annual students who complete an undergraduate degree in different academic disciplines each year.
In an effort to achieve this objective, Northeastern University is partnering with private industry by providing a combination of partner-funded scholarships, on-the-job work experience offered through co-op and internship programs, and “upskilling” of existing employees. Northeastern offers the Align MS in CS in five locations: Boston, San Francisco, Charlotte, Seattle, and Silicon Valley. Students take two semesters of “bridge” classes to prepare them for the MS-level coursework in the third semester when they join the traditional MS in CS students who studied CS as undergraduates. The program provides real-world work experience through industry partners including Amazon, Facebook, Google, Dell, Nordstrom, and Zillow.
The premise underlying the Align program is that “sometimes the best computer scientists didn’t major in computer science.” Carla Brodley is Dean of the Khoury College of Computer Sciences at Northeastern University, and she notes, “As someone who discovered computer science after first majoring in English, I wanted to design a new pathway to tech for people who didn’t graduate with a degree in CS”. Dean Brodley continues, “Corporations love diversity of thought. The Align MS in CS allows people to combine their previous background with computer science to become technology leaders in the 21st century”.
Bringing together people from diverse backgrounds and diverse educational experiences will be central to the future of technology development. The noted intellectual and former grandmaster chess champion and dissident Gary Kasparov writes on this theme in his book Deep Thinking: Where Artificial Intelligence Ends and Creativity Begins. Kasparov observes that we need better humans, not less technology. He remarks, “AI will change our lives in ways large and small, but it won’t change our nature, it will reveal it”. He continues, “As our machines become more adaptable, more powerful, we do as well”. Northeastern’s Brodley reminisces, “For the past 30 years I have had two passions – machine learning (ML) that makes a difference in the real world and increasing diversity in computer science (CS)”. She recalls her own experiences working with machine learning in “evidence-based medicine, detecting lesions in the MRI’s of epilepsy patients, and predicting disease progression in MS patients”.
Today, Brodley is an advocate of “CS for Everyone”, noting that the Align program at Northeastern University today has 578 students enrolled with diverse undergraduate majors including English, economics, philosophy, biology, and aerospace engineering. She believes that like an MBA or JD degree, an MS in CS can represent a professional path for those who graduate with non-technical liberal arts degrees. I can appreciate this perspective as one who studied English literature and history as an undergraduate student, and then navigated their way through several decades of professional experience at the intersection of technology and business. I can attest to the value of diversity of educational experience, thought, and perspective, and like Gary Kasparov, attest to the centrality of human experience and creativity in shaping the future of technology.
Human experience provides the basis for technology applications and benefits. Expanding the pool of diverse tech talent and leadership is an imperative. To quote Joseph E. Aoun, President of Northeastern University, “Artificial intelligence is changing the future for every human. Smart machines will displace or transform millions of jobs. The mission of higher education today is to help people become robot-proof. The future of our economy, and our society, is at stake.”
[1] Bureau of Labor Statistics most recent Occupational Outlook Handbook
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/home.htm
