adam l beberg bebergmithralcom thought internet thing infinite capabilities basically fad came along missing article percentage foreign enrolement would bet numbers students asia china specificly gone quite bit thing keeping overall numbers plummiting cant get chicks anymore time us geeks outcasts getting sick hearing geeks breeding ending autistic children proving intelligence genetic defect breed flag adam l duncan beberg httpwwwmithralcombeberg bebergmithralcom techs major decline college students turning away bits bytes ellen mccarthy washington post staff writer tuesday august 27 2002 page e01 john yandziak entering college years ago might sought stake new economy might dreamed becoming ace codecracker cia national security agency imagined toppling empire revolutionary software maybe would tried use internet end world hunger yandziak attends first college classes week hes harboring different academic ambitions ashburn native says wants something social interesting working computers besides said packing charlottesville dormitory room cant get chicks anymore tech industrys financial problems enough bankrupt dreams fairweather students theres another consequence tech bust enrollment growth undergraduate computer science departments come halt number undergraduates majoring computer science fell 1 percent 2001 according report computing research association educators field say trend seems accelerating colleges seeing much greater drops new academic year begins word among department deans busts fallout trickled classroom said maria clavez president association computing machinery ive heard everything change modest decline dramatic declines said clavez become dean science engineering princeton university january hard see colleges number people want study computer science far exceeds available space going effect virginia tech enrollment undergraduates computer science department drop 25 percent year 300 george washington university number incoming freshmen plan study computer science fell half year interest undergraduate computer science programs grown rapidly past decade 1997 schools phd programs computer science computer engineering granted 8063 degrees according computing research association numbers rose 2001 17048 degrees awarded labor department projects software engineering fastestgrowing occupation 2000 2010 computerrelated industries trailing close behind short term growth may slow based changes among college students example 900 2000plus undergraduates studying information technology engineering george mason university computer science majors last year year enrollment major 800 although newly created general information technology major attracted 200 students ease bit relief said lloyd griffith dean george masons information technology engineering school particularly field dont want spend four years something get job freshman enrollment university marylands computer science major expected 167 fall 329 last year maryland decreased total freshman enrollment 11 percent alone account drop said steve halperin dean marylands college computer mathematical physical sciences seeing decrease number freshmen declaring interest pursuing computer science major halperin said thats factual statement would say point dont expect see decrease number graduates many kids longer expressing interest majoring cs would fallen yandziak began university virginia saturday convinced thats case graduated top 5 percent class 39 gradepoint average nailed highest possible score advancedplacement exam computer science classes easy math sciences always fun looked professions could use things yandziak said im sure want life immersed technology want something contribute practical world harris n miller president information technology association america said last time dearth computing professionals salaries skyrocketed workers benefited labor shortage tremendous imbalance late 90s potentially sort thing going right people saying dont need kind training right miller said concern industry begin see major declines enrollment road four years economy picks companies going find shortage situation economic potential weighs heavily many student career choices factors including program difficulty personal interests social influences also come play said judy hingle director professional development american college counseling association perception computer science isolating nerdy profession one many industry tried squelch stereotype went underground tech bubble reemerged bust hipness gone yandziak said thought internet thing infinite capabilities basically fad came along lamont thompson recent graduate calvin coolidge senior high school district headed morehouse college atlanta study business marketing intention going real estate development technology comes natural people age fascinating anymore thompson said honest think computer science think guy sitting behind computer day dark room necessity wouldnt take sun 1 sep 2002 194027 0700 pdt techs major decline