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Computer & math

Computer user support specialists

Typically requires Some college, no degree

What is this page & how do I use it?

This is a research report for one career — the kind an analyst would write for a stock. The rating at the top is the neutral baseline (same for everyone); below it come the cases for and against, how the last official forecast for this career actually aged, and what the education path costs and pays.

How to use it: read the bulls-vs-bears case, then hit Score this career to weigh it against your other options with your own interests factored in.

CareerStar rating
RiskyMedium uncertainty

Analyst take: Softer prospects — -3.7% projected growth, moderate AI exposure (61/100).

30
/ 100
low riskhigh
top row = high reward

Moat (borrowed from investing — the water that defends a castle): how shielded this career is from AI. None = broadly exposed — many of its tasks are automatable and its skills are widely shared. (Exposure ≠ job loss; see the bears below.)

The small grid is a style box (borrowed from Morningstar’s fund reports): the blue square places this career on reward (top row = high) versus risk (left column = low), against all 730 careers. Medium uncertainty means the score leans partly on forward-looking bets like AI exposure, so treat the exact number loosely.

🐂 Bulls say
  • +Its brightest spot: pay tops 52% of careers ($60,340).
🐻 Bears say
  • Projected to shrink (-3.7%).
  • High AI exposure — 61% of tasks are model-touchable (exposure ≠ job loss).
Was this rating fair?
Projected growth
-3.7%
Median pay
$60,340
AI exposure
61/100
share of tasks exposed to AI — not job loss

Education & ROI — how to get here

Real outcomes for the college majors that feed this occupation, across 1,243 bachelor’s programs.

Median earnings
$41,088
1 year after graduating
Typical debt
$27,000
median federal debt
Pay-to-debt
1.5×
first-year pay ÷ debt
Feeder majors
Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical SecretaryComputer/Information Technology Services Administration and ManagementAgricultural Business and Management
Selective schools offering these majors
Harvard University
MA · 4% admit rate
$85,540/yr
$101,817 grad pay
Northeastern University
MA · 5% admit rate
$84,641/yr
$92,538 grad pay
University of Pennsylvania
PA · 5% admit rate
$89,028/yr
$111,371 grad pay
Cornell University
NY · 9% admit rate
$88,140/yr
$104,043 grad pay
New York University
NY · 9% admit rate
$84,374/yr
$82,509 grad pay
Stanbridge University
CA · 10% admit rate
$62,144 grad pay

Earnings & debt from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard; majors mapped to this occupation via the NCES CIP→SOC crosswalk. A grounded ROI snapshot, not a guarantee — pay varies widely by school and specialty.

What this work involves

technologydatamathprogramming