Is it important for a computer scientist to have people skills?

During school, a future computer scientist may want to take electives or extra classes related to building effective communication skills. An introductory class on communication may help, as well as courses on sociology, public speaking, written communication and management skills. Some computer science programs have communication classes built into the curriculum, but it can never hurt to expand upon those basic skills with additional advanced coursework.

Methods that computer scientists may need to learn how to use to network and find a job after graduation include connecting with alumni, speaking with old friends and maximizing social media applications such as LinkedIn. Valuable exercises also include communicating on job boards frequented by recruiters and companies who are looking for computer science graduates.

Additional information from the BLS on the information technology industry suggests that computer science professionals work in almost every aspect of today’s job market. From the essential services of custom computer programming to the IT jobs that deal with customer service and problem-solving, all computer scientists need to be able to communicate effectively while on the job. Building people skills while in school and after graduation is an essential part of obtaining a job in today’s dynamic world of information technology and computer science.