Software Technology
Idaho Software Technology industry has a new support organization called the Idaho Software Employers Alliance (ISEA) (http://www.idahosea.org/). The ISEA partners with higher education to expand the economic vitality of the state by increasing the availability of skilled software professionals and promoting the opportunities available in the state’s rapidly growing software industry.
The ISEA has begun the process of gathering data to measure the performance of the Idaho software industry, to identify their needs, and to help tell their story. The following is list of talking points that the ISEA has identified:
1. Idaho is home to over 800 software companies with nearly 400 software companies in the Boise metropolitan area. (Idaho Department of Commerce)
2. The software industry is the fastest growing technology sector in Idaho. (Idaho Department of Commerce)
3. Software companies make up one-fifth of the Idaho technology sector. (Idaho Department of Commerce)
4. Software employment in the U.S. is projected to grow by 44% over the next seven years.
5. The software industry has the highest projected employment growth rate of any other industrial sector, even higher than the medical sector.
6. In a survey of 26,000 workers Software Developers had the most satisfying jobs.
7. A Computer Science degree allows you to work in almost any organization.
8. Software Engineers are needed in virtually every part of the economy, making this one of the fastest growing job titles in the U.S. (Money Magazine and Salary.com survey)
9. You can pay off your student loans and have fun doing it.
10. Total payroll for Idaho software companies has increased at a rate almost four times that of the overall technology sector in Idaho. (Idaho Department of Commerce)
11. One hundred percent of BSU’s Computer Science graduates received job offers upon graduation.
12. The average starting salaries for BSU’s Computer Science graduates in 2006 were the highest of all undergraduate majors.
13. The average starting salary reported by BSU’s Computer Science graduates was $61,900 for BS graduates and $82,750 for MS graduates.
14. The Boise metropolitan area has the 2nd highest per capita number of engineers and IT professionals in the U.S., second only to the Silicon Valley. (Forbes report)
15. In 2005, the average Computer Science salary in the U.S. was $83,593.