President, Stratford University
One
year ago, the job market in the IT sector was white hot. Now--facing
layoffs, cancelled IPO's and plummeting stock prices--one might think it's
suddenly going down the tubes. You're probably wondering if it's still worth
your time, money and effort to take training and learn new IT skills.
The fundamentals of the career development market are the same that they have always been with employers demanding the competencies that are needed to perform the required tasks. During this last period of high demand, many employers simply over hired and waited to see who could perform -- the old sink or swim method. During that time period, simple certifications would get you the job, but only real skills would keep you there.
In the new job market, it takes real skills to get into the door. In this new job market, the aspiring IT professional must develop real competencies. If they are entering the computer networking area, they must be able to install, maintain, troubleshoot, and secure a wide area network. If they are entering the computer programming area, they must be able to write properly documented code, converse with the client, and deliver on time. In both cases, the student must be able to do more than simply pass a certification test. In order to ensure the presence of those skills, employers now are seeking employees with 2 to 3 years experience, plus the certifications.
This new "challenging" job market has been good for Stratford University. Our enrollments continue to increase, driven primarily by a high referral rate. Schools that concentrated primarily on "teaching the test" have not fared so well. Those that have survived, and continue to grow, have retooled themselves to teach a high tech skill set that has a heavy dose of critical thinking and problem solving exercises. The curriculum at Stratford has evolved higher-level Cisco, wide area network technology, database driven website development, wireless telecommunications technology, Oracle, Windows 2000, and much more.
The new "challenging" job market has also been good for the aspiring IT employee. Real abilities and competencies now count. Students no longer have to compete with pretenders who are only certified. However, they must be able to demonstrate their competence with actual projects and accomplishments (in lieu of paid experience). Thus the successful Stratford graduate has a portfolio and projects and experiences, has joined user groups, subscribes to industry IT magazines, and has really become a member of the IT community. And, of course, passed the relevant certification exams.
What will the future bring? More predictability and sanity in the job market, which should allow future employees to more effectively plan their career strategies. Just as the stock prices have now dropped to match "real" revenue and growth performance, the job market has adjusted to match "real" job performance. And in the long run, that can only be healthy.