The association of computing machinery (ASM) concludes its top ten reasons to read for a degree in computing by quoting the title of this article.  Future opportunities in computing are without boundaries.

With 700,000 unfilled job vacancies in information and communication technology according to the New Europe online article by Elena Ralli, and the European decline in competitiveness, the EU is encouraging action to provide Europeans with the necessary skills to enter digital careers.  Despite the financial crisis which has left the European Union reeling, the number of digital jobs is still growing by 3% every year.  According to Neelie Kroes is quoted as saying that the ICT sector is the new backbone of Europe’s economy.

This seems to bode well for the Maltese who generation after generation are taking to ICT as ducks take to water. The ICT industry is one which is ideal for Malta.  The industry is heavily dependent on investment in knowledge whilst saving on brick and mortar and space in general.  Companies based in Malta are involved both in the development of ICT systems for local consumption, with the larger portion of employees focused on export of ICT services, such as the online gaming (casinos), the digital game industry, financial services, health services, digital media content, animation and creativity, and many other facets of ICT.  The industry caters for circa seven per cent of Maltese GDP, yet has the potential to grow exponentially and participate further in the generation of wealth for this smallest of European nations.

Why would an individual want to read for a Computer Science Degree?

Computer science is integrated in everything that we do.  From the most basic household chore to the most sophisticated engine room, computers are integrated to facilitate the end user communication with the mechanics of the device.  And time is not standing still.  Every couple of years we are experiencing a new revolution of devices.  After we all thought the personal computer is here to stay, after netbooks were the most portable device we all thought we would use, after the awe of wireless mobile telephony, we got the smart phone and the tablet, which has already set an upheaval of the digital devices world and opened huge opportunities for new digital media industries to emerge and develop.

The computer scientist is an individual who seeks a challenging existence, seeking a career as a protagonist in the solving of complex problems.  A reader of a computer science degree is not a passive individual, since through the rigorous conditioning of mental processes ingrained during the academic and vocational development will gear the individual towards affecting a difference in the world.  People such as Mark Zugerberg, Jeff Bezoz, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates started from very humble beginnings yet managed to transform the world practically overnight through digital innovation.

The pessimists have a tendency to downplay the importance of ICT as a career.  Or if an economy is in the doldrums, people may think that the scale of careers in ICT has been downsized.  Probably this is the feeling in Malta today, maybe because people expected thousands of new jobs to miraculously materialise through the SMART CITY project.  The reality though is that in the Maltese ICT scene, we will not ever experience a company moving to Malta seeking the immediate employments of hundreds of computer engineers.  Our expertise is too refined.  Our graduates are very knowledgeable and exceptional generalists.  A company seeking low cost production will look at Countries such as India or China, where with a click of a mouse button they can employ hundreds of eager computer engineers at a fraction of the cost of a Maltese graduate.  The Maltese scene is different.  Companies in Malta seek the employment of a couple of software engineers every year, growing their business in an evolutionary manner, allowing for teams to build strong buttresses before making any further leaps or bounds.  Jobs in ICT are here to stay, and people who are ready and willing to work hard, have a collaborative mentality, yet willing to invest the hours will find the necessary rewards in their careers.

Technology is also deemed as the entrepreneurial playground of the 21st century.  Innovation and creativity today revolves around technology and what this can provide the adventurous.  There is therefore no question that a degree in computing will feature as an essential part of a well-rounded academic preparation for any profession.

St Martin’s Institute of Higher Education, an affiliate institution for the University of London International, and licensed by the National Commission for Further and Higher Education, has been a pioneer in offering academic and vocational programmes in ICT for the novice and expert professional.  The Institute was the very first to offer Maltese nationals the opportunities to read for a degree in Computing & Information Systems in the evening, conferred by one of the top three Universities in the UK.   St Martin’s was the initial instigator for the introduction of the Information Systems Auditor profession in Malta through the setting up of the ISACA (Malta) Chapter and the CISA school. Those who seek a career in business process reengineering have found St Martin’s degree in Information Systems and Management the right programme to open up career prospects in social media adaptation to marketing and sales, organisational processes based on ICT, and systems development and analysis of new systems.  Furthermore when in 2006 St Martin’s introduced the degree in Creative Computing, we were deemed to be superfluous but only five years later, every kid on the block started a ‘me too’ programme to tap into the recession busting computer games industry.  Today St Martin’s remains the primary provider of education for computer games, with St Martin’s Institute student teams winning the Gamezing 2011 and 2012 national games development competition. 

The Institute has developed a pedagogy which puts the student in the centre of the educational process.  We do not simply walk in a lecture room, say our bit and disappear.   All academics are empowered to work with the student in search of strengthening their potential and possibly acing their examinations.  The University of London, which is the conferring University to the students of St Martin’s is a people’s University, and professes that it examines upon the abilities of the student and not try to catch out the weaknesses.  Maybe that is why St Martin’s University of London alumni are making their mark in the ICT industry, both locally and overseas in far flung Countries such as Japan, Australia, the US, Canada, the UK, Holland and obviously Malta. 

St Martin’s Institute for Higher Education offers you ten good reasons to graduate in computing, and based upon our history, with over 50% of our graduates attaining a first class honours in computing, you will surely set your foundations on solid rock for your opportunities without boundary!

 

Charles Theuma is Principal and Founder of St Martin’s Institute of Higher Education