Current IT solutions cannot be developed by a single person "in a quiet room" - the following areas of responsibility show that communication and the ability to work in a team play an important role in many of the job profiles, for example in communication between Computing Science specialists and customers in customer advice and support or in the joint development of a product from the determination of requirements through to delivery to the customer. It is also important that Computing Scientists are able to work in an interdisciplinary manner, i.e. with specialists from electrical engineering, physics, psychology, medicine, economics,... to work together.

In order to design a good software solution, you first need to understand and analyse the customer's problems well.
IT consultants familiarise themselves with the customer's requirements and support them in their search for an appropriate IT structure. They form the interface between the customer and the software developer and ensure that a customised solution is designed.

However, analysing problems also plays a major role outside of advising customers - be it in research-oriented fields or in solving technical tasks.

Once a customer's requirements are known (and well understood), there are different ways to implement them in software solutions. Before the actual programming begins, the software design must first thoroughly consider how the software should generally be structured so that it not only fulfils the functional requirements, but also so-called non-functional requirements. The question of which hardware is best suited must also be clarified. Non-functional requirements can be, for example, that the solutions must be easily expandable or customisable for future requirements. When designing a software solution, it is often necessary to take into account that the customer already has software systems that will continue to be used.
When developing new software or hardware, many problems can also arise - therefore, an important task is to develop procedures and design methodologies that can support computer scientists in their tasks.

Only when the requirements have been established and the software design is available can the actual software development begin. Many Computing Science specialists work as software developers, but there are also different job profiles in software development: Working in a team, there is a project leader who keeps track of the project's progress and costs, and the developers who programme the required functions. The fact that clients often notice additional or changed requirements in the middle of the project also makes the software development process a phase in which a lot of communication with the subsequent users is useful. The area of quality assurance can also characterise a Computing Science profession in its own right: Before a programme can be tested, it is very important to think thoroughly about sensible test cases so that as much of the software as possible can be tested for compliance with the requirements with a minimum of testing effort.

Embedded systems control many technical devices. Washing machines, televisions, cars ... However, washing machines, televisions, cars ... do not contain a complete computer, but specialised processors that have been developed for the intended task. In the automotive sector, for example, computer scientists work on the development and improvement of electronic control, safety and assistance systems for cars; in medicine, electronically controlled assistance systems are used in surgery, and so on. These systems often have to fulfil very high requirements in terms of responsiveness and reliability and also have to be easy and error-free for the user to operate.

When a company introduces new software, employees need to be trained in how to use the system. Such a service is part of the successful introduction of a new product. In addition, questions always arise during operation for which the customer requires support. In some cases, such questions can also lead to further development of the software product. Computer scientists are therefore in demand for training, consulting and support.

TV-on-demand, e-commerce, smartphones, 3D films, the availability of digital media content from music or video downloads to virtual worlds and online games are very popular applications in whose design and realisation computer scientists are significantly involved. Web design or multimedia design is therefore also a very interesting career field for computer scientists at telecommunications companies, television broadcasters or IT service providers.

In most large companies, operations now depend on the functioning of the IT infrastructure - its failure would lead to major financial losses. System administrators ensure that the computer systems used in a company and their networking function smoothly. They set up the networks, install and configure new devices, ensure that data is backed up, monitor operations, install updates, expand the system if necessary and thus ensure ongoing operations.

Hackers, Trojans, viruses, worms ... - increasing networking means that protecting the system against unauthorised access is becoming a challenging task. In larger companies, this task is performed by IT security experts who ensure that user-friendly systems are installed to protect the computer system and that these systems are always kept up to date.
In addition to protecting systems from unauthorised access, data and copyright protection is also becoming an increasingly important issue, and IT specialists are also employed to implement it.

The costs of developing a software product are very high. For a software company, this development often only pays off if the software product is suitable for a larger customer base. In order to convince a potential customer of a new product, you have to know it inside out: Due to the sound basic knowledge provided by a Computing Science degree, computer scientists find it relatively easy to familiarise themselves with new products and their special features. In addition to good communication skills, this is an important prerequisite for working in IT sales.

Basic research in Computing Science is concerned with the general properties of systems within Computing Science - it leads to results that are often not immediately and directly recognisable in products, but often form the basis for actual products. Basic research usually takes place in universities or specialised research institutes.
Application-oriented research deals with problems of application - it aims at new or better products. Both universities and research institutions as well as specialised research institutions in larger companies in the private sector conduct research in these fields.

Computing Science products have become an integral part of our present. Taking the current social challenges posed by climate change and the energy transition as an example, it is easy to see that the influence of IT will continue to grow in the future: In the field of energy informatics , Computing Science specialists are working and researching on designing a reliable energy supply from renewable energy sources through "intelligent" (=computer-aided) control of electricity networks, energy consumers and generators despite fluctuating feed-in from photovoltaics and wind energy. In the field of healthcare , research is being carried out into IT solutions for older people in everyday life that support independent living in old age, ...

and all this in very different fields of application, for example in