Over a quarter of adults regret not going into IT
However, a possible lack of skills is holding people back
By Antony Savvas | Computerworld UK | Published: 08:17, 16 November 2012
Over a quarter of UK adults (28 percent) wish they had pursued a career in technology, according to new research.
The study, which polled 1,000 adults across the UK, revealed that 44 percent would have liked to have worked in technology for the "expected money", 41 percent for the "intellectual challenge" and 30 percent because a career in technology would have "provided them with more job opportunities".
The study revealed that Brits see technology as an aspirational career choice, with 32 percent saying they wished they worked in the technology industry for the "opportunity to shape the future" and 16 percent because they thought it would enable them to work on things that would have "a real impact on society".
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However, a possible lack of skills is holding people back because 45 percent of those who would like to work in technology are not doing so because "they don’t have a degree in IT", 20 percent feel it is "too competitive", 41 percent feel that they are "too old" to change careers, and 13 percent feel the industry is "too male dominated".
The One Poll research was commissioned by Expedia group company Hotels.com.
Stuart Silberg, VP of technology at Hotels.com, said, "It’s important for people to understand that while a technology-related degree is important, it isn’t always essential.
“What’s more important is that a tech skill-set is combined with great communication skills, problem solving abilities and a real passion for the industry."
Comments
Opinion8 said: I have been in IT since the early 80s I have no degree but I do have some vocational qualifications - however I have picked every single one of those up along the way Admittedly it was easier to get into IT at that time without qualifications but all you have to do is prove you can do the job to get on the ladder The number of people in IT who started by copying programs from magazines into Spectrums and Ataris or BBCs is quite phenomenalThere are many many sites on the web from which people can learn one or more of the many aspects of IT no-one can know it all any more Find one youre comfortable with and then find a small company who need basic IT skills local colleges also offer inexpensive ECDL European Computer Driving License courses which cover all or most of the IT needs of a small companyBasic skills cover Word Processing Spreadsheets possibly databases and possibly web site authoring There is a huge skills gap in IT at the moment - so it would pay anyone to look into an IT career even without a degree