The significance of education in the recruitment of IT professionals is evolving, not in the conventional sense you might expect. The appeal of traditional IT higher education is diminishing, making room for a dynamic approach to continuous learning, with companies increasingly assuming the educational role traditionally held by universities, and this shift is proving to be beneficial. Andrey Ivashin, CIO, Dyninno Group, explains why.
I believe we are witnessing a firsthand change in IT talent’s attitude towards work. It is yet another paradigm shift in the world of tech, which we are seeing more and more these days, but it is vital to identify and learn from these on-going changes, as the ability to adapt is vital to attracting top talent and ultimately staying competitive.
Here’s the gist of it: IT talent increasingly view their employment not just as a job or a source of salary (still very important, though, of course), but primarily as a place to learn and try out new things, new opportunities, and by proxy – develop themselves and their careers. They are looking for growth, they are looking for a chance to learn, and I am seeing this more and more in their interviews.
Experience over degrees
This correlates with the current way IT talent is educated. Consider a freshly graduated IT student. To be frank, most of the time, they are not able to do anything useful straight out of university. The education they receive there is rather limited and very often outdated by the time they graduate. Their degree hopefully has taught them the basics, the way to troubleshoot problems, work in groups, but most importantly – it hopefully has shown them that learning is a lifelong process, especially in the world of IT.
By the time these specialists have gained enough experience to be considered IT talent, they are well aware, that in order to advance in their careers, their places of employment must provide them with the necessary challenges and opportunities to become better at what they do. They know that the years they spent at their respective unis is nothing when compared to the years they will be spending employed, and they quite naturally want to make them count.
Because progress is not about reproducing the things you already know, but rather – introducing new things, figuring them out and making them work. Even more so in IT. At the current rate the industry is changing, it is no wonder that IT talent realise – staying put is as good as moving backwards.
I myself commit at least an hour a day just to stay updated on the latest trends, technologies and breakthroughs. Doing so not only keeps me on my toes, but also allows me to connect better with the IT talent I’m interviewing, working with or managing.
Corporate classrooms
Companies worldwide are now developing their own mini versions of structured education – from local IT boot camps to organising internal courses about specific technologies inviting experts from different cloud providers. This approach allows companies to develop their talent internally, improve brand loyalty and enhance their competitive edge. These programs are very focused and as such – very practical, which is a quality IT talent tend to value immensely. Meanwhile the company in return gets a workforce that has hands-on experience in solving concrete business problems by using their respective solutions or technology.
Universities will remain important for research, scientific specialties, and so on, but they will increasingly lose their relevance when it comes to preparing actual students for actual jobs. The way people learn, especially about technology, has changed, and it’s time the academia and employers admitted it. Anyone can now learn the most current, cutting-edge solutions, programming languages etc. on-line, without the need to spend their money or three to five years at a university. So with the talent becoming increasingly demanding from their employers, their respective resumes and experiences have changed accordingly.
Lifelong learning and job mobility – the New Norm
Five years ago, I paid close attention to how long candidates spent at each company. And short tenures of a year here, half a year there would normally have been a red flag for me – a warning about the loyalty of the candidate towards their employers. A sign that they would be spending their time, always looking for something better. I would always investigate this during interviews and ask clarifying questions – why they jumped ships so often – it was important for me.
Now I see it as an ever-increasing trend because people in IT are more interested in their professional growth. They cite the lack of opportunities for growth as the main reason they are leaving their companies. IT and tech in general are still very competitive fields, with a well-documented lack of qualified workforce. Talent are now more sought-after and more mobile than ever, so they rightfully can afford to be picky.
On the other hand, it also arms us, employers, with valuable knowledge on how to attract top IT talent. Whilst salary and perks, of course, still play a significant role, if you truly want to win IT talent over, tell them about the exciting tech stack they will work with and have the chance to learn about, tell them how your company is ahead of the curve in implementing a certain technology or platform, and they will have a chance to be part of it, but most importantly – emphasise how their skills and experience could grow while making an actual impact on their careers.
People naturally seek excitement in their jobs, and this is especially true for tech professionals, who often witness their peers making significant impacts with their innovative products. The current state of technology demands adaptability and a commitment to lifelong learning, not only from individuals but also from employers. Summarising, in 2024, continuous growth is synonymous with continuous learning – this applies to both IT talent aiming to advance their careers and IT employers striving to develop their businesses.
