By taking the five actions outlined in this report, states can help more youth learn computer science and develop computational thinking skills, not just those students considering STEM careers. Computer science offers students much more than the knowledge of how computers work or the skills needed to build a device, write code or manage data.
In the global labor market, computational thinking skills and knowledge of computer science are required in nearly all career fields. What’s more, jobs in computer science, information technology (IT) and related fields represent a large and growing sector of the economy. By 2020, as many as 4.6 million out of 9.2 million jobs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields will be computer-related, according to the Association for Computing Machinery.