CMUQ graduate Ahmed Al Salama speaking to participants on the sidelines of the celebrations.
DOHA: Job opportunities are aplenty for computer science graduates, says a graduate from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMUQ).
Also, computer science-related jobs will increase in the next 10 years, Ahmed Al Salama said on the sidelines of CMUQ’s 10th anniversary celebrations.
He spoke about challenges and benefits of computer science education and said, he has a focus group of computer science students to gather insights into barriers and motivators.
“Jobs are plentiful, interesting, and flexible. Studies predict computer science-related jobs will be among the fastest growing and highest paying over the next decade. Job prospects have remained strong despite economically challenging times,” he said.
“I have received many job offers from companies in Qatar and in the US,” said Al Salama, who is working at Sidra.
Qatar is developing infrastructure with huge projects many of which are related directly or indirectly to information and computer technology (ICT).
“Computer scientists are producers of ICT. Hence, a large number of computer science graduates are needed to achieve Qatar’s mission and help it establish itself as a leader in computer technology in the region.”
CMUQ offers undergraduate programmes in biological sciences, business administration, computational biology, computer science and information systems.
Computer science and business administration were finely connected in the recent past.
“Over the last few years, technology jobs have shifted from the IT vendor community to firms using IT across various industries. People and enterprises are becoming heavily dependent on technology, and to compete in this market, one must acquire not only business skills, but also technology background that allows them to efficiently manage their enterprises,” he said.
However he added that computer science education has two main challenges in Qatar and the region: The way computer science is taught and common misconceptions about it. “Both spark long debates within the scientific community, and I will try to address them briefly,” he said.
There are institutions that have contributed to computer science education and research, including but not limited to Qatar Foundation, ICT Qatar and members and branches of Qatar Science and Technology Park such as Qatar Computing Research Institute and Qatar Robotic Surgery Centre and CMUQ. The Peninsula
