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IT Skills Shortage?

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by tom_housden2k8

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Let me start by listing my professional IT qualifications:

NVQ in IT Levels 1 and 2
NVQ in Installing and Supporting IT Systems Level 3

Now, this may not seem a lot, but together with the 6 years experience working with the IT Technicians in the IT department of West Kent College, and years of supporting private clients doing computer maintenance, this makes up for doing an MCSE or an MCP, and, this is bold, but I believe I know more than some people who have done MCSE's know.

I am also disabled, which restricts me in a minor way (on the fitting hardware side) but am fine in other aspects of the job.

So I am fed up with the stories in the media about an 'IT Skills Shortage', when I believe I have got the skills and experience to do the job as well, if not better, than some of the people with higher qualifications.

When it comes down to doing an IT job, if you haven't done it 'hands-on' yet, or if you haven't learnt about it in an MCSE, you're probably going to get blamed for maybe doing it wrongly.

So, having an MCSE or an MCP maybe means that you've got more knowledge than others, but nothing can beat experience, and at the end of the day, thats what employers (supposedly) look for.

So, if there really is an IT skills shortage, why arent I employed?

33 replies

by tony hopkinson

Shortage of skilled people
Shortage of people with an acceptable qualification saying they are skilled.
Shortage of either of the above who'll accept a salary as crap as what's on offer.

Some things to take into account.
The people who initially judge your skill level ie recruiters and HR can only go on bits of paper, which is why anyone with a degree in IT (or flower arranging at some places) is going to look better than you. These people have no idea what your experience means and many of them operate under the nonsensical idea that it's much less important than your qualifications.
They'll nearly always choose a degree before a certificate, mind you so would I, if that was the only basis on which to judge your potential ability.
In short, unless you can get in through a goverment program for the disabled or some other backdoor , you need to get a degree. I'd be shocked if there isn't some program to get you 'qualified' given your status.

Just in case you think I'm some sort of academic nazi, I haven't got a degree or a certificate. Nearly twenty years of commercial experience gets me by. I've been knocked back for jobs as 'unskilled' just because of the lack of paper as well. Personally if any firm does that to me I don't feel they are worth working for anyway, got to be incompetent, by any measure.
The thing that has always stood me in good stead when getting a job is my ego being bigger than my head. I always walk in with the attitude that I'm doing an employer a favour by giving them an opportunity to employ me.
Some employers don't like it, but f'em, the truth can hurt.

by shellbot

i also suffer from lack of paper, but i accept that unless i get paper qualifications, it will take years to make the big money.
Now, when your looking at newbies just out of the starting gates, paper is sometimes all they have to judge you by, fair enough, but once you get a bit of expereince..

then i'm with you on that Tony, i take the attitude that if my ability does not matter to the prospective company then f'em as well. maybe its the attitude that helps give the air of "qualified" ?

"I always walk in with the attitude that I'm doing an employer a favour by giving them an opportunity to employ me." ....I take a similar attitude.. i'm a hard worker and i make it a point to learn to do a job perfectly, if you want me, make an offer, if not, quit wasting both our time. As i said last week to a co-worker "i do not grovel". I don't care 1 iota what some guy thinks of my lack of papers.

But..we all have bills to pay, i realise that some of us are not so lucky to be able to take that attitude.

by tony hopkinson

It's an attitude that works for me, and probably would for any highly experienced professional in their own field. A newbie would be mad to try it. Six years, though says experienced, unfortunately he has a lot of competition though as I understand the US market and lot's of them will have degrees. Short of getting in through a back door, I feel academia is his best chance.

by gardoglee

Several years ago and old, old IT guy explained to me some things which happened way back when he was a young programmer on HR systems for a large multi-national company whose name is irrelevant in this post. We were talking about how HR departments look for candidates, what they are supposed to do for hiring managers, and how that related to certification (CCP, CDP and CSP...and if you know what those are, you'll know how long ago this was). It explained everything in a wonderful cause and effect way.

First, HR personnel are not suppopsed to find the best candidate for a job. They are supposed to screen out the candidates who might not be qualified. Not screen out the unqualified, but screen out the possibly unqualified. Anyone who gets by them is supposed to be at least minimally adequate to do the job. This saves hiring managers' valuable time, since they never have to talk to someone unqualified.

Second, HR personnel are supposed to set pay scales so that the company doesn't waste money by paying more than they absolutely have to.

Third, HR people really cannot know everything about every job for which they are hiring. If they knew that much they wouldn't have to work in HR, now would they.

And lastly, HR people are supposed to hire in such a way that everything looks objective, so the company doesn't get sued for discriminating against a protected group of people.

What do they do? First, they aren't supposed to ask you anything which might be 'personal'. They cannot ask you about your interests, hobbies, or so forth. All of that has become forbidden. At many companies they cannot ask you your name, gender, marital status or the like unless they have already offered you a job, lest you claim you didn't get a job offer because of one of the above protected factors. They can, however, ask you whether you ahve a degree. That is one of the things which has been ruled by the Federal government as a Bonafide Occupational Qualification (BOQ, for short). It has a very objective answer, is not too 'personal', and has relevance to many jobs. Not to all, just to many.

When HR is trying to figure out how much to offer a new employee in pay, they have the same restrictions on what they can use to decide. They don't know what your performance will be, and they are not supposed to ask other companies exactly what they pay for a similar job. Exchanging pay rates for specific jobs is a part of anti-competetive practices. However, exchanging some general guidelines about pay rates, based on surveys and such, at a confernec or something...well, that is legal and OK. And how much high or low you pay for a job qhich does or does not require a degree? Well, that is OK.

Now, all HR people know that paying someone more than some other manager in the company can get them in serious trouble. But, they also know that technical people are very expensive, compared with some of the line level managers they ahve. It takes more specialized skills to do good IT than to manage some things, but they cannot really say that to the low paid managers in question.

So, you need to have something legal to ask which will help to weed out the possibly unqualified, justify paying the qualified ones more than some other 'important' people, all while not really having much information to go on as to what the job actually requires.

In this situation, being able to automatically throw out anyone who doesn't have a degreee, while justifying the perceived to be high pay for the IT guy because they have a magical sheepskin talisman is a no brainer. Sure they know there are qualified candidates without a degree or a certification. Are they going to be fired for missing a diamond in the rough? Who will ever know? But, can they be fired for sending a brilliant non-degreed network engineer up to interview with a business application programming manager who is looking for Crystal Reports experience, but neglected to put that on the hiring request, and instead said something like 'experience with large scale systems for multiple locations'? Well, this isn't a hypothetical example, which pretty much answers the question, doesn't it.

So, do you deserve a job? Yes. Are you more deserving than many of the people who will be interviewed? Quite possibly. Can the HR clerk weeding through resumes take the risk of sending you along without an iron-clad, yes-no-answer, obejective, non-personal criteria, which might get them fired? Hell, no.

by tony hopkinson

When did anyone get a degree in crystal reports ?
Talk sense man if he missed the requirement how could anyone satisfy him, short of outright luck. I've done crystal reports as well, would n't even apply for a job that required it, unless it was to get rid of it.

I've been out of work for a grand total of three months since 1981, so I don't need to pander to academic nazis, incompetent HR and in my personal opinion ,management types who couldn't find their arse with a rear view mirror. If authority allows someone they know is incompetent to perform a task critical to the operation they are supposed to be managing, they are not doing their job.

Must try it some time.
Finished that design Tony ?
Got someone in HR doing it, I was busy.

Guesses on the response
Fairs fair do you think ?

by zlitocook

I went to a tech school in 1997 and graduated in 1999, there were TV and radio spots then saying that the IT field would need over 250,000 people to fill these openings. The adds are still there but the jobs are not, if you look at the IT industry yes there are jobs but only in a few fields. I have no problem with the H1 people coming over here to learn and build a career. But you need to provide jobs to people who live in your country first! Not people who take a job at a much lower rate and send our technology away from us.
Look at who built the Internet and the technology and what we have done with it. Now other countries want to control it and we just train our kids to be fast food workers and factory workers.
Well Mr. W says the country is doing great and there are jobs being made every day!
If you want a minimum wage jobs that goes no where, well that?s what he is talking about.

by andrew06

Personally I would say that their are very few shortages for jobs such as IT Technicians, that just work on General Hardware. I mean such as, PC Repairs, Hardware installation, etc.

But I would say that there will never be a shortage for specialist areas such as LAN/WAN Administration, Communications, Security analysists, Hardware Engineers and Server Engineers.

What do you think?

by cheesel

I think it depends on where you are, too. I live near Boston, so it is harder here to make a living in IT. There are all ready lots of IT people here. However, I manage...

by rickky

The problem is that the HR people find it easier to qualify people for jobs by certificates because it is easier for them to understand. I am currently unemployed and looking. I have been rejected for consideration for some because I don't have an up to date MCSE or MCSA (I'm working on it) even though I have been doing the work and know I can do the job. It is also a problem that HR people may not even know what the certificate means.

It seems most employers are looking for specialists as opposed to well rounded experience.

by cheesel

Presidents don't have control over everything. Would you prefer the government to be able to tell private industries that they CAN'T go overseas? I would not.

Look at healthcare--There are lots of jobs for healthcare workers. There were even when the economy was soft.

Even in the best of times, the unemployment rate is always going to be at around 4-5% because there are people who get fired, people who are in between jobs for some other reason and those that just can't work for some reason or other; then, too, the employment population itself varies from month to month as well. People go back to work; other people get laid off. It is not static; it is dynamic. The jobless rate is about 4.9% now, just slightly higher than it was in 99 (4.5%).

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/06/news/usecon.php

http://www.businessweek.com/1999/99_04/b3613046.htm

I prefer the economy now than the economy 6 years ago, that's for sure. Give me brick and mortars anyday.

by jesc

The issue at had is the question of whether their is an IT skills shortage. Just becuase the overall unemployment rate is low does not mean that IT skils are short, or that they are abundant. Many of my friends used to be in IT but have taken less skilled jobs outside the field, waiting for an opportunity to rejoin the IT workforce.

You can't count a IT Professional that is now working at Wallmart as a stocking clerk as being employed. For all practical purposes that person is unemployed and counting time until he or she can find a real job in his or her profession again.

No slight intended on career stocking clerks.

by jamesrl

Supply and demand works in the IT job economy as it does anywhere else.

When everyone is implementing SAP, there will be a strong demand for those with SAP implementation experience. Once the wave is over, SAP maintenance programmers and DB tuners will have high demand. Then the next great thing will come along and the cycle starts again.

I've been an expert in Mac hardware, an expert in desktop publishing (including database publishing methods), DOS scripting, Kiosks, security software - but all of my knowledge in those fields is obselete and I have forgotten most of it anyway.

You want to stay employed - keep your ears open, and learn new skills.

James

by rkuhn040172

I think a lot of what the media is also talking about is simply that the Baby Boomer generation will be retiring in mass soon.

Being the largest generation ever, their retirement will leave huge holes in the workforce.

Couple that with the fact that my generation really could care less about certain areas that the Baby Boomer generation knows and grew up on.

For example, Unix skills, mainframes, etc.

The Baby Boomer generation is going to create numerous issues, one of which is the massive exodus of workers from the workforce in years to come.

by tink!

Because experience is so hard to convert into calculatable terms, I think many HR people lean toward the degrees or certs. Simply because a degree/cert says that you were taught to do specific things and therefore SHOULD have the skills or knowledge necessary to get the job done.

However it all depends on the HR person(s). It also depends on the position you are trying to acquire. I think the higher the title/position the more they are going to look at your degrees/certs because they believe that they show better qualifications.

As much as we all don't want to start at the bottom (or in the middle), sometimes it's the best way to acquire your desired position at the top.

As for me, when I looked for jobs I searched for the Admin. Asst. positions as these are an all-around position requiring many different skills in a variety of areas. Then, because of my knack in the technological area, I usually get moved into an IT position. And, because I usually work for smaller companies, I end up as the head of the IT "department".

Now I know you "gentlemen" would not try for Admin Asst jobs, but the idea is the same. Look for a position that isn't so high and then use your skills to maneuver yourself into the higher position.

by tony hopkinson

adminstrative and development assistant, second most productive part of my career. The only time I learnt more is when I ended up as one man shop.
Aiming too high means you hit the ground harder when you fail. There's still a lot of expectation around an IT career, some people are still under the impression it's the late nineties and you could be an IT manager under thirty on mucho dinero, if you could see lightning,hear thunder and spell bite (tee hee) correctly. Not true any more, never should have been either which is part of the problem now.

by shellbot

i originally wanted to do web programming.
took a job with a marketing/ analysis company as data admin/ anylyst, they needed people & i was willing to learn and work hard.
Within 5 months was promoted to supervisor, and doing full time data analysis in MS FoxPro. in my spare time was learning the basics of VB and access. Within the year was doing small bit of application programming. The second year i was given my own department with "specialized" skills to deal with problem clients or clients which had such specific needs that the programs we had we not good enough. After the 3rd year i felt it was time to move on as my skills were becoming so specialised i realised that i woul dhave a tough time finding work, so had to diversify.
So i picked up a Database Admin/ Support job..which now involves a bit of web programming :)
Weird how life works isn't it? And all because I was willing to work hard, learn, and work my way up in the IT world..

by neil_essex

Here I am 45, MCSA,MCSE. But only recently. prior to 2005, I Had nothing in writing only 8 years hands on experiance in a local authority administrating school networks. who "LET ME GO" for a younger person with no experiance and a piece of paper saying he could do the job. ok I got a good payout, and I wanted to go. but after completing my MCSE/MCSA I am earning 4x more less hours with the gov ,there is shortage in the U.K and firms will pay you mega bucks for "THAT PIECE OF PAPER"

by rkuhn040172

That's great news.

Good for you. I get tired of hearing all the negatives. The positives aren't heard enough.

Thanks for sharing your story.

by jbach67

I am A+, Network+, Security+, and MCSE W2K. I also have a 2 year certifcate from DeVry. It took me 11 months to find a job. The job is for a 'depolyment company.' I box/unbox PC's. I don't even get to do 'break-fix.' But I am grateful to at least have a job.

by jodym1

I've got 6 years in IT but no paper to back me up either. The position I have now was filled by someone with a degree, then he left and they called me.

Hey, I'm not proud. I need a paycheck too. And I'm good at what I do.

by rkuhn040172

That's a good story, in the end at least.

I grow too tired of only hearing the negatives. Hey, we're all like any other industry. Adapt and change or else you will be obsolete.

And it just goes to show that other qualities are important like quality, reliability, stability, etc.

Maybe, just maybe, as an industry we asked to play a bigger role in the hiring decisions, we could collectively reverse some of these boneheaded HR people making terrible decisions.

by oadiohwo

Your attitude towards finding a job and your determination can help you go a long way in securing a job. I for one don't have a degree in I.T just some MCP's and a higher cert in business I.T was looking to break into the I.T job market for over two years and my break finally came.

Just get what you can for now to keep the bill paid and keep working hard and studying and knowing your stuff as technology of yesterday is obsolete today. Don't give up keep your head high and keep applying for roles even if you think your not qualified for the role and you'd be surprised one day when you'd get a job offer.

I don't believe in good luck just God's favour. Cheerio and be at peace as all would be well with you. What's your attitude towards looking for a job like?

by shellbot

my better half got sent a job spec that was posted by Microsoft.
75,000 Euros a year + car
Degree or relevent experince required. MCP,MCSE (etc, etc) desired but not essential.

Experience does matter, but theres a difference between 2 years and 12 years.
We all have to start at the bottom, degree or no degree, it just takes a bit longer to climb the ladder without the degrees.

Hey, now i know we all need paychecks, but why does everyone always go on about "big" money?

Ok, i'm not going to turn it down, but be honest, do you do what you do purely for the money?

Am i just a big geek? I like working with database tables..i enjoy seeing my DB info displayed on a web page..i get a kick out of making it all work. I turned down a higher paying job when i took my current one, because i knew i woul denjoy this one more. I know not everyone is as fortuneate, but some people will take another job for an extra 500 a year..not worth it in the long run if you don't enjoy what you do.

by tink!

Otherwise your job will wear you down. If you work purely for the money, the satisfaction will not last. The perfect job is one that you enjoy doing, and don't dread going to everyday AND pays you well for what you do. I don't expect to be paid outrageously, but fairly. I'm happy with my current job, employer and wage. Heck, this is the wage that finally let me buy our first house!

by schreck.ryan

From my experience you just have to fight for what you want and not give up, I fought for this application developer position and I love programming! I am much happier than being in operations.

by neil_essex

I like what I do. and enjoy every minute of it, and even take work home with me, but come on we are not doing this job for free, with experience and that "piece of paper" comes the rewards and I will exploit that to the extreme. At the end of the day we all have morgages and cars to pay for and doing it on the cheap is not going to pay for them.

by jesc

I really like backpacking, but I work in IT. IT is fun too, and it pays the bills.

We all have to deal with the economic reality that just because we like to do a job does not garentee that it will remain profitable enough to pay the bills. Sometimes you have to move on.

by cheesel

I'm in Boston. There are is a glut of IT people here. I was out of regular work for 3 years (2002-05). I have family obligations so I can't move, but if I could have I would have done so.

I know someone who is a programmer that could not get a job around here, went out to Utah and had no problems landing one out there.

by ktucker72

I totally agree with you Tom on having that hands on experience. Nothing is better. My take on it is that the MCSE/MCP merely gets you in the door. Realistically the newer testing simply shows you can remember something and apply it unlike the old unadaptive testing that simply revealed that you could remember something. I would advise getting it to just get in the door. I agree that it says nothing of what you can do but only what you know and all of us out there knows that when it comes down to it ... it is what you can do and sometimes what you can do under pressure in any organization.

by dbab

Hi Tom,
there is no point trying to change the world. They don't know how good you are till you start working. One can have years of experience doing it wrong way all along or always the same way. By getting certified you prove that you are up to date with latest technology and best practices. Add experience to THAT and you'll see the difference. And there IS a shortage of REALLY SKILLED pros. A lots of poor pros out there.

by oded1

Your experience of over 2 years may frighten employers who themselves know very little. They may have passed MCSE but have limited hands on experience.
Also, they may consider you old, what a joke.
There are unfortunately thousands of out of work IT specialists.

Employers seem also to bring in people on work permits, in CW was mentioed 22000 last year, for lower wages or get the work done in India.
I do not think that even the EC 2006 directive about age will be of help.

Further, the first sift is done by personnel who do not have a clue about IT buzz words. The only way is to find the name of the IT person doing the recruiting.

Good luck,
Oded Szpiro C.Eng., CITP
What about these letters for being "over qualified"?

by adrianfoot

I agree with Tom, there is not shortage of IT staff or skills.
I have a degree in Electronic Engineering, and I am a member of the IEEE, Microsoft doesn't tell me that I am an engineer, nor does Cisco. If Microsoft or Cisco want to sell their products the State shouldn't train people in MCSE or Cisco what have you.
In my opinion the real problems are two:
1) Microsoft, Cisco, other suppliers and associates wanting to make money at both ends out of the people they sell their products to and the people who have to work with the products (with changes both become obsolete and have to be "replaced").
2)and then there is the other group: penny pinching employers using the "recruitment consultants" driven by crude and ignorant accountancy and thinking only of the next 5 pennies and the next 5 minutes. They want somebody to "hit the ground running" they say!! This daft concept leads to canibalising the industry, because a guy like that can only come from the competition.
Employers don't want to give a day's training it is one big and disgusting penny pinch by employers not committed to training.
Experience and / or proper and real qualifications are abundant out there, no shortage at all, and I think there are quite a lot of Mcxx and CCxx also looking for work too.
Every company uses their resources in a different way and what is needed is a commitment to free training and plenty of it by employers and suppliers to adapt all the plentiful skills to a particular need.

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