Computer Science Career Options

Specialist Major Minor Co-op Joint Exploring career options involves researching occupations and industry sectors that fit your skills, interests, personality preferences and values. An occupation relates to the activities of the work you perform, whereas industry sector classifies the organizations that employ people in such occupations. Example: Computer Scientist is an occupation that involves using complex problem solving, critical thinking, judgment and decision making skills to apply theoretical expertise and innovation in order to create or apply new computer technology. Computer Scientists work in all sectors of the economy particularly but not exclusively in the information and professional services sectors. They might also work in the manufacturing, educational and government services sectors.

Computer Science graduates have many skills. In particular, they can:

Analyze and solve problems systematically Assess, test, troubleshoot, upgrade and develop Conceptualize complex computer systems Describe technical information Design computer interfaces or multimedia systems Develop and implement software projects Formulate computer network structures Think logically and reason algorithmically Understand complex operating systems Work effectively in team based environments

With these skills in mind, how can I research my career options? Occupational Research
Canadas National Occupational Classification (NOC) system categorizes over 30,000 occupational titles into 10 broad classes listed in Table 1. The 4-digit titles in Table 2 are examples of occupations related to Computer Science within these classes (NB: Some require further education). Table 1: NOC Occupational Titles (www5.hrsdc.gc.ca)
0 Management Occupations 1 Business Finance and Administration Occupations 2 Natural and Applied Sciences and Related Occupations 3 Health Occupations 4 Occupations in Social Science, Education, Government Services and Religion 5 6 7 8 9 Occupations in Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport Sales and Service Occupations Trades, Transport and Equipment Operators and Related Occupations Occupations Unique to Primary Industry Occupations Unique to Processing, Manufacturing and Utilities

Table 2: Sample Occupational Titles Related to Computer Science 0131 Telecommunications Manager 2253 Computer Aided Design Technologist 0213 Project/Information Systems Manager 2281 Network Administrator 0611 Web Communications Manager 4112 Intellectual Property Lawyer 2161 Operations Research Analyst 4121 University Professor 2171 Information Systems Consultant 4131 Computer Programming InstructorCollege Level 2172 Database Administrator 4166 Curriculum Developer 2173 Artificial Intelligence Designer 5121 Technical Writer 2174 Software Developer, Computer Programmer 5123 Journalist/Editor 2175 Webmaster, Web Designer 5241 Computer Graphic Designer and Illustrator 2241 Electric/Electronics Engineering Technologist 6221 Technical Support Specialist

Occupational Research Links

The two excellent occupational databases below provide you with details about job prospects, nature of work, educational requirements, working conditions, pay and related occupations: Career Cruising: www.careercruising.com (Access our subscription through your Career Centre Online account) ONet: http://online.onetcenter.org (U.S. site)
Academic Advising & Career Centre: A team of professionals who advise, counsel and coach individuals with their learning and career development. September 2010, source; rl. Academic Advising & Career Centre. All Rights Reserved.

Career Options: Computer Science

Industry Research
The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is a hierarchical industry structure that divides the economy into 20 broad sectors of activity listed in Table 3. Table 4 provides examples of specific industry groups relevant to Computer Science graduates. Table 3: NAICS Industry Sectors (www.statcan.gc.ca/subjects-sujets/standard-norme/naics-scian/2007/list-liste-eng.htm)
11 Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 21 Mining and Oil and Gas Extraction 22 Utilities 23 Construction 31-33 Manufacturing 41 Wholesale Trade 44-45 Retail Trade 48-49 Transportation and Warehousing 51 Information and Cultural Industries 52 Finance and Insurance 53 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 54 Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 55 Management of Companies and Enterprises 56 Administrative, Support, Waste Management, Remediation 61 Educational Services 62 Health Care and Social Assistance 71 Arts, Entertainment and Recreation 72 Accommodation and Food Services 81 Other Services (except Public Administration) 91 Public Administration (= Government)

Table 4: Sample Industry Groups Relevant to Computer Science Graduates 3341 Computer Manufacturing Firms 6111 Boards of Education 5112 Computer Software Publishing Companies 6113 Universities 5411 Law Firms 6114 Computer Software Training 5415 Systems Analysis and Design Services 9111 Federal Defense Research Board 5416 Consulting Firms 9129 Provincial Municipal Affairs 5417 Computer Research and Development Labs

Industry Research Links

To learn more about job prospects in your sectors of interest, visit: Industry Canada: www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/company-entreprises.nsf/eng/home

Career Links Related to Computer Science

Professional Associations Computing Research Association Canadian Information Processing Society Association for Computing Machinery Information Technology Association of Canada Computing Technology Industry Association TechServe Alliance Other Resources Canadian Technology Network Project Management Institute CanadaIT Gateway to the Canadian IT Industry Information and Communications Technology Council American Association for Artificial Intelligence National Research Institute for Information Technology Algorithmica Computational Complexity Computational Optimization & Application www.cra.org www.cips.ca www.acm.org www.itac.ca www.comptia.org www.techservealliance.org www.rcti-ticn.ca/en www.pmi.org www.canadait.com www.ictc-ctic.ca www.aaai.org www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca Distributed Computing Machine Learning Research Multimedia Systems

E-Journals Available through the University of Toronto Library (www.library.utoronto.ca/utsc)

Computer Standards & Interfaces Computing Database & Network Journal

Resources Available at the Academic Advising & Career Centre

Not sure how your skills, values, personality and interests fit your career options? Book an appointment with a Career Counsellor or sign-up for the Discover Your Skills and Career Options workshop via the Intranet. The Academic Advising & Career Centre has a very good collection of books related to career planning and job search.
For more information, please visit the Academic Advising & Career Centre AC213 aacc@utsc.utoronto.ca 416-287-7561 www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aacc Waiver: While every attempt was made to provide accurate information on this tipsheet, information may change at any time.