Findings

Single questions settled in public, with the working shown. Each one names the records it rests on, prints the grade of every figure, and says what it does not tell you.

They are reports, and they are listed with every other report under Reports. They are free, and they rest on the same graded evidence as everything else published here — the whole source bibliography and the gap register are published too.

• Professors are measured by rank. Software engineers by one occupation code.

  A salary site gives three unrelated jobs the same figure to the dollar. Looking for evidence at the grain people actually work at, across 46 computing careers, found measured pay for 16 and a measured time to enter for none.

• Is software development a fast-growing job in the United States?

  The widely quoted 15% bundles two occupations. Taken apart, software developers are projected at 15.8% and QA analysts and testers at 10.0%, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' own detailed table.

• What does a tech certification cost to hold for ten years?

  Between $165 and $2,225, computed from each issuer's own published exam fee and renewal terms. The advertised exam price is not the price, and there are only three renewal mechanisms in the whole market.

• Which computing certifications can an individual not buy?

  Duck Creek, Workday, Guidewire and Epic certify only the people who already work on their platforms. None publishes an exam price, because there is no purchase to make.

• One school advertised 86% job placement. Its own metrics said 30%.

  A placement rate is a fraction, and schools choose the bottom of it. A US regulator found BloomTech advertising 71% to 86% while internal metrics ran closer to 50%, on agreements capped at $30,000.