You Might Be More Suited to I.T. Than You Think
Nearly a third of young people claim they have never considered a career in I.T. And yet, they might be surprised just how many people are suited to working in the industry.
The problem is that ‘exciting’ is not a word which readily springs to mind when the I.T. sector is mentioned to people outside of the industry. In a survey of 1,000 students conducted by CompTIA, as many as 17% still hold on to the belief that a job in I.T. involves sitting in a backroom with little or no social contact. A further 36% assumed they needed an I.T. related degree, while 16% believe that I.T. would be too technical for them.
This is a shame. I.T. plays a fundamental role in all aspects of our lives. It touches on a huge number of industries which young people would like to work in, from sport and entertainment to music and technology. It involves building and fixing things, helping other people,working with the latest technology, and it provides opportunities for travel.
The real pity is that many of the young people currently struggling to find employment have exactly the right skills and interests to pursue a successful career in I.T. Around nine in ten students questioned said that they are hard-working, while over three quarters believe they are quick learners, good at problem solving and able to work as part of a team. In terms of what they expect from a career, a high salary, variety and ongoing development are the most important considerations. These are all things needed and offered by the I.T. profession.
However, the ‘I.T. Crowd’ myth of unsociable work puts a lot of people off applying. This is the problem for an industry that has a lot to offer, yet is struggling to attract the 110,400 new entrants it needs each year to keep up with the industry’s growth.
These misconceptions are not entirely the students’ fault. Few people at school or university have I.T., or indeed any career, properly explained to them. Our research shows that a staggering 41% of students do not feel well-informed about the range of careers available to them, and only 13% said that their education institutions fully-equipped them to make career decisions.
Students are clearly aware of this. Indeed, 51% think there should be better careers advice at school or university; 61% feel they need more information about careers other than those directly related to their field of study; and 55% want more information about the careers that different subjects can lead to. Education institutions can clearly be doing a lot more to explain different careers to students.
CompTIA calls this group of people - who have the interests and skills but not the information – MEMOs, because they are ‘Motivated, Educated and Missing Out’. Of the students surveyed, we believe around three quarters fit this category, many of whom would be well suited to I.T. if they knew a bit more about what it really offered.
The good news is that there are many routes into the I.T. industry. An I.T. degree is useful for coding or programming jobs, but most entry-level I.T. jobs don’t require this. Those with school qualifications or degrees in other areas will find they have many of the right skills to start a career in I.T.
Industry certifications, such as the ones offered by CompTIA, can quickly provide the technical knowhow. People who work in I.T. come from a wide variety of backgrounds, but they are generally intelligent people, hard workers, good problem solvers and have an enthusiasm for new technology.
It’s these people that will help shape the way the UK and the world operates in the coming decades. The I.T. industry offers far more than many people imagine. For those who have the education and the motivation, but are struggling to find the career for them, taking time to find out exactly what I.T. can offer may be the best decision of their life.
