Demand for UK computing degree courses has shot up yet again this year. According to UCAS - the body that deals with filing university courses - 11 per cent more people want to do computer-related courses this year than last - over 100,000 scruffy students.

Why? Apart from the obvious fact that knowing about computers is pretty much a statutory requirement these days, undergraduates choose it because getting a job afterwards is easier than virtually all other courses and they also get paid a shedload more. Sounds fair enough to us.

Computing courses will also take people from any background - about a quarter have studied arts subjects apparently. Then there's the job placements, often elsewhere in Europe. And the fact that you don't need high grades to get on a course is a help.

Unfortunately we don't have a breakdown of the male/female applicants. But we have our suspicions. ®