Topic: At school and university, fewer students are studying science, preferring instead to study computer-based subjects. Do you think this is a good or bad thing? Why is this the case?
There has been a noticeable shift among secondary and university students away from conventional sciences and toward IT-based topics in recent years. In this paper, I'll discuss the causes behind the shift and why I believe it's a bad thing.
Given the pervasiveness of computer technology in society, the rise in popularity of IT and comparable computer-based courses is unsurprising. Our lives have become so reliant on electronics and the Internet that it has become one of the largest industries on the planet. Furthermore, the media is awash in stories about digital start-ups that have turned their founders/inventors into millionaires or billionaires, so it's easy to see why young people might be drawn to the topic as a field of study. It appears to be a safer choice than a job in science, which normally takes a larger time commitment and, at first look, offers fewer financial and social benefits.
However, both academia and society as a whole rely on a steady stream of brilliant scientists who are constantly pushing the envelope of what is feasible. These are the folks who develop our medicines, design our cars, enhance our manufacturing processes, invent new materials — the list goes on and on, and their work is critical to preserving and improving our quality of life. As a result, a decrease in science students equals a decrease in the amount of competent people undertaking such important work.
To summarize, considering the importance of the computing industry in today's society, the shift toward computer-based disciplines and vocations is understandable. However, if this is done at the price of recruiting fresh scientists and engineers, it might be disastrous. The world would be a very different place if scientists did not innovate.