4 DIGITALIRELAND INSIGHT Thursday 10 February 2011 Core Skill Set


sector won’t remain static. There will be a need for new programming languages and a new understanding of changing platforms. “To complete a degree, you need


THE SKILLS TO SUCCEED T


LAURA O’BRIEN takes a look at the most in-demand skills in the IT industry today and at how tech professionals can take advantage of this in today’s job market


he changing nature of technology requires an IT worker to keep their skills as up to date as possible. As a result, the responsi- bilities of employees in this


to achieve a certain level of knowl- edge,” said Dr Waseem Akhtar, head of the Faculty of Computing Science in Griffith College. “And that knowl- edge will help you get into the in- dustry, but then the challenge is to perform well and retain that job.” Indeed, the skills required to succeed not only include technical understandings, but also an under- standing of how a business operates and how to work with others.


‘The skills that employers are looking for from graduates are as much to do with their ability to work in a professional environment


and to work as part of a team’


essential, today’s work environment needs people with good soft skills.” Both Sonya Curley, managing


Communication While a thorough knowledge of pro- gramming languages and tools are essential for any programmer, one of the biggest skills in demand for IT workers is the ability to commu- nicate and work with others. “The feedback that we have been


getting from employers suggests that most fresh graduates don’t have ‘soft skills’, such as the ability to work in teams, the ability to make good presentations and they lack good communication and interper- sonal skills,” continued Dr Ahktar. “A number of institutions have in- troduced modules and assignments and group projects to teach these skills. While being a good program- mer or a good software engineer is


director of recruitment agency harvey Nash, and Mark Deegan, in- dustrial placement coordinator, DIT School of Computing, agree that these skills are highly important if IT professionals want to succeed in the technology sector today. “The skills that employers are


looking for from graduates are as much to do with their ability to work in a professional environment and to work as part of a team. And crucially, their ability to communi- cate and to learn,” said Deegan. It certainly makes sense. While


many IT professionals focus on de- veloping their technical aptitude, in today’s working environment they need to be able to communicate their ideas in order to have valuable input in the company and to make themselves heard.


having strong communication


skills can help you land a job or get you promoted. It can also be an in- valuable asset if you wish to take an entrepreneurial route, particularly considering the direction of the apps market.


Java and .NET In terms of technical skills, both Java and the .NeT framework are still very strong assets for any IT worker today. “The skills that are in highest de-


mand are in the software develop- ment world,” said Curley. “And in that you have Java and Microsoft’s .NeT framework.” Deegan also finds that Java and


the Microsoft .NeT technologies are still very popular. Programmers can get Sun Certi-


fied on the Java Platform. Becom- ing a Sun Certified Java Associate shows you have a base knowledge of


the technology. You can also specia- lise further, to make yourself more valuable in specific job roles. Microsoft .NeT certificates work similarly, and qualifications include becoming a Microsoft Certified Pro- fessional Developer. You can move up to becoming a Microsoft Certi- fied Architect.


Virtualisation Cloud computing is an area that’s growing hugely, meaning such skills are in demand for employers. Cur- ley maintains that these capabilities are required for numerous types of organisations. These include smaller companies wishing to consolidate their local servers, and multinational organi- sations looking to centralise their systems to provide a single location for their global operations. Curley recommends gaining cer- tifications around products such as


‘Mobile software development is one that is coming to the fore with prevalence in recent years, particularly with the likes of the app store on the Apple platform’


VMWare and Microsoft’s hyper-V to meet the demands of the cloud. Cisco have new certifications in this area, she added.


Business intelligence While the technology industry hasn’t suffered as badly as many other sectors have in the recession, it still has to run a business in a challenging climate. Curley said that as a result, business analytics has become an area of growth, as companies look to their customer information and spending to find new revenue streams. having tools such as Brio Tech-


nology and SAP Business Objects can be attractive to employees look- ing to analyse their efficiencies, she said.


Mobile The enormous growth of the mobile market has paved the way for many new jobs in both software and web development. “Mobile software development is


one that is coming to the fore with prevalence in recent years, particu- larly with the likes of the app store on the Apple platform,” said Dee- gan. he emphasised that while knowl-


edge in developing mobile apps was much desired, “a strong, core abil- ity to program good software is as important as detailed knowledge of iOS and Android”. Curley has also seen the rise in demand for employees in this area and said that as it was still emerg- ing, formal certificates are not ma- ture yet. The main technology ven- dors, such as .NeT and Java, will have mobile modules as part of their certifications, she concluded.


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