I was very happy to see this report come out yesterday about last year’s 8.1% rise in enrollment in Computer Science programs. Computer Science enrollment dropped by almost half after the dot-com bust, and this is the first sign of a turnaround. There are some great statistics in here about high employment rates of graduates and the competitive nature of the programs.

We’ve still got a lot of work to do. As some of you know, I’m chairing the Education Committee for CSIA (Colorado’s Technology Association) and serving on the board of the Exploring Program, focusing on IT career programs, to help address the gap in STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math) education. From talking with students, parents and educators, I think a lot of the problem is misinformation about the opportunities. I will never forget a CIO telling me a few years ago that she steered her college age children away from technical degrees for fear of all being outsourced to India. News like this makes me think we are making progress addressing the misconceptions about IT jobs moving offshore and touting the benefits of careers in IT. Let’s keep it up!