IT is a Life-Long Learning Career
Staying up-to-date is absolutely important in a technology career because things are always changing. We have always known this. What has evolved in the past 10 years is 1) the importance of industry certifications and 2) a better delineation of the IT specialties and roles. Many colleges are now designing their IT curricula around top industry certifications. Taking those courses provides a forum for studying for the associated certification exams. And there is less mistique surrounding the specialties and roles of IT (probably brought about by ITIL, SLAs, and other initiatives for better IT Management) making it easier for the individual to focus on the training that matters.
Today, training is better than education. Certifications notwithstanding, degrees are still a foundational job requirement but in todays competitive job market, you need to stack the deck as one of my instructors says. He says that the 5 things needed to succeed today in IT is 1) Education, 2) Skills, 3) Industry Certifications, 4) Experience, and 5) Who you know.
Then there is the current state of the economy. I recently received a rejecting e-mail thanking me for applying...that the response was so overwhelming that they had selected a candidate for the job before actually looking at my information. A recruiter friend said, "well, at least they were honest".
So, even with a razor sharp focus, up-to-date skills, the experience, the degrees, the certifications, being totally energized by doing IT work, having a creative and flexible outlook, you still may not get that job.
