Todd Lewis was recently interviewed by ETV Carolina Money. Read what he had to say about a minor in applied computing (offered at nine South Carolina universities and colleges).<\/b><\/p>\n
Research shows that South Carolina will experience a shortfall in tech talent in the next decade. This comes at a time when technology jobs are expected to grow significantly.<\/p>\n
According to CoursePower.org, the Midlands of South Carolina will need 3,000 IT professionals over the next decade and is on track to produce only 1,650.<\/p>\n
How do we fill this gap? Initiatives like CoursePower aim to do just that.<\/p>\n
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Q: What is CoursePower?<\/b><\/p>\n
A:\u00a0 CoursePower is a minor or certificate in Applied Computing available at nine colleges and universities statewide, including four in the Midlands \u2013 USC, Midlands Tech, Columbia College, and Benedict.\u00a0 The program at each school generally includes six –\u00a0 three credit hour courses, for a total of 18 credit hours.\u00a0 Of those six courses, two are foundational and required of everyone and the remaining four are on various \u201ctracks\u201d that allow students to specialize in a specific area.\u00a0 The overall purpose is to ensure students have basic foundational technology skills when they graduate and enter the workforce, regardless of major.\u00a0 The end result is a job candidate more technologically savvy and better prepared for today\u2019s jobs in South Carolina.<\/p>\n
Q: So does CoursePower offer extra-curricular courses or is the program directly related to schools? <\/b><\/p>\n
A:\u00a0 The program is directly related to the schools themselves.\u00a0 Meaning, each school creates and delivers all curriculum comprising the minor or certificate.\u00a0 In addition, the curriculum, and what tracks are offered, differs by institution as available resources and subject matter expertise varies.<\/p>\n
Q: Which schools are involved in Richland and Lexington counties? What are they doing?<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b>A:\u00a0 Four schools currently offer the minor\/certificate in Applied Computing in the Midlands, including USC, Midlands Tech, Benedict, and Columbia College.\u00a0 All have curriculum in place, are teaching classes, and are marketing the program to prospective students and parents both on campus and in the community.<\/p>\n
Q: What type of classes do students have to take to complete a major or minor in Applied Computing? Give us some examples.<\/b><\/p>\n
A:\u00a0 Every student, regardless of school, must take and pass the two foundational courses that comprise the minor\/certificate.\u00a0 These courses are introductory in nature, such as Introduction to Computing Concepts or Introduction to Application Programming.\u00a0 After successfully completing the two foundational courses, students then take classes specific to a track.\u00a0 A variety of tracks are available at each school and include focus areas such as security, database administration, web development (front-end and back-end), GIS, project management, music, and many others.<\/p>\n
Q: As a student, how will this program offer me a competitive advantage?<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b>A:\u00a0 The bottom line is this \u2013 nearly every single job in the future will require a basic understanding of technology and basic skills, at a minimum, and the level of understanding and skill required will only increase in the future.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the majority of students graduating today do not have applicable technology skills.\u00a0 They consume <\/i>technology, and a lot of it, but they do not have the skills needed by employers in the workplace.\u00a0 Any student with these baseline skills immediately \u201crises to the top\u201d and is more marketable when interviewing.\u00a0 We hear this all the time from employers from all over South Carolina and the country in general on a very consistent basis.<\/p>\n
<\/b>Q: How has been the response of the community to CoursePower? Could you give us some numbers related to how many students have taken advantage of the program in the Midlands? Or maybe in SC in general?<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b>A:\u00a0 The response from the community has overall been very good.\u00a0 We\u2019ve got work still to do but we\u2019ve come a long way in a short period of time.\u00a0 To date thousands of students have taken one or both of the foundational courses at schools in the Midlands and throughout the state and we\u2019ve seen the number of students outright declaring the minor increase by approximately 100% year-over-year.\u00a0 In addition, we are seeing enrollment in technology related majors increase significantly as well.\u00a0 While we can\u2019t take all the credit, we are exposing students to technology for the first time that never would have otherwise given technology a chance, and many are switching majors and choosing the technology field.\u00a0 This is a secondary benefit of the program but one we thought would occur.\u00a0 It\u2019s a positive development and one that will benefit the state for many years in the future.<\/p>\n
Q: What is most rewarding thing about having a career in technology for you?<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b>A:\u00a0 The most rewarding thing would have to be the endless possibilities.\u00a0 In the grand, long-term view of things we\u2019re still in the very early stages of technology.\u00a0 As a result, the opportunity to contribute and have an impact is extremely high.\u00a0 In addition, technology is the least regulated area of the economy, so we\u2019re seeing incredible innovation and creativity because of it.\u00a0 Every day is full of possibility and hope.<\/p>\n
Q: What is the best advice you can give to someone looking for a career in technology?<\/b><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/b>A:\u00a0 Get applicable skills, and do whatever it takes to get them, now!\u00a0 I repeat this often but it is so true.\u00a0 Technology skills and understanding will help you regardless of the industry you happen to work in, or plan to work in, and will result in more opportunities, higher pay, and more leverage.\u00a0 I advise everyone to seek out opportunities like the Minor in Applied Computing, workshops like the ones offered by IT-oLogy, or the many other resources now available like Iron Yard, etc.\u00a0 But whatever you do, do it as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
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Todd Lewis was recently interviewed by ETV Carolina Money. Read what he had to say about a minor in applied computing (offered at nine South Carolina universities and colleges). Research shows that South Carolina will experience a shortfall in tech talent in the next decade. This comes at a time…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35,36,34,33,26,37],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n