Opportunities will exist throughout the economy, but jobs for both systems and applications programmers should be particularly plentiful in data processing service firms, software houses, and computer consulting businesses. Because the number and quality of applicants have increased, employers have become more selective. Competition has increased for entry level positions, affecting even applicants with a bachelor's degree. Many observers expect opportunities for people without college degrees to diminish in coming years as programming tasks become more complex. Prospects should be good for college graduates who are familiar with a variety of programming languages, particularly newer languages that apply to computer networking, data base management, and artificial intelligence.
Many employers prefer to hire applicants with previous experience in the field.
Firms also desire programmers who develop a technical specialization in areas such as structured methodology programming, multimedia programming, graphic user interface, or 4th and 5th generation programming tools. Therefore, people who want to become programmers can enhance their chances by combining work experience with the appropriate formal training. Students can greatly improve their employment prospects by also taking courses such as accounting, management, engineering, or science allied fields in which applications programmers are in demand. On average, systems programmers earn more than applications programmers. Related Occupations Programmers must pay great attention to detail as they write and debug programs.