More than 75 teachers, administrators, business partners and state leaders convened at the University of Delaware on Thursday, March 23, for a daylong conference on computer science education.
In welcoming the attendees, State Rep. Paul Baumbach, who holds a degree in computer science from UD, acknowledged the importance of education in this field by pointing out that Delaware has more than 2,000 job openings for people who know how to code.
“My computer science courses taught me how to solve problems — that’s a skill that will be valuable to students in all of their classes,” he said. “You’re helping them build a base that they’ll be using for the rest of their lives.”
Kathy McCoy, chair of UD’s Department of Computer and Information Sciences, agreed.
“We need computer science in everything we do today, and the skills our students gain are needed everywhere,” she said. “Computer science is one of the most transferable occupations, offering limitless opportunities, high pay, and great job satisfaction.”