Why Go To University to Study IT ?

By Irshaad Desai (IT Business Campus CAPE TOWN)

If you are a school-leaver and intend to pursue a career in the IT industry, the benets of certications far outweigh that of degree-holders for entry level staff. With the current state of the economy, IT managers are hard pressed to deliver on IT projects as well as day-to-day operational requirements with ever decreasing amounts of resources and tougher time constraints. In order to keep up with high turn-around and short delivery times, industry certied candidates offer far more value than university graduates. Certicationassures a recruiting IT manager that the candidate has a thorough understanding of the technology platform and that he or she is already trained on how to use them. This allows the candidate to get up to speed and start offering value to the IT team and the organization in a relatively quick/short space of time. IT Graduates.Please note that ITBC CAPE TOWN is in no way saying that you should not/never pursue IT related degrees and diplomas. What we are however highlighting is that within the context of the shrinking job market as a result of our recent economic challenges, far higher numbers of candidates are chasing far fewer jobs. On the recruitment side, criteria that employers should be looking at when choosing from a large pool of candidates for entry level jobs are:
Qualied and experienced IT professionals Experienced non-IT candidates from within the organization who know the business processes and who have an aptitude for picking-up the IT skills (possibly through undergoing a

certication program).
Experienced non-IT candidates from within the industry who know the business processes and who have an aptitude for picking-up the IT skills (possibly by undergoing a certication

program).
New to the job market IT certied candidates New to the job market IT graduates

IT Graduates need to note that in order to be competitive in the job market, they will have to invest 3 years or more in time and money to be considered for a job. Whilst an IT certication candidate will be investing 6 months to 1 year in time and money for the same level of competitiveness for an entry-level job. At this point in time, the IT industry certied candidate has recognizable and certiable skills when looking at a particular technology platform and can add virtually immediate value to the organization. IT graduates will rst have to be trained to use industry specic tools. This is as a result of universities distancing themselves from any one particular technology vendor and focusing heavily and excessively on subject matter theory. The bulk of which (70+%) the graduate will never apply in the work-place. The focus of university programs is still too deeply rooted in creating researchers as opposed to individuals who can take-up and add corporate value in a relatively short period of time. IT industry certication courses on the other hand are designed to do just this. They present candidates with just the right amount of theory to effectively grasp the concepts and then focus on application. In some instances separate modules are dedicated to applied theory and application in a relevant industry-oriented setting. Again we stress that the focus of this article is on providing potential candidates with the tools to effectively gain a foothold in the IT industry as the market stands today (2012). When we talk aboutcareer progression, this is a totally different discussion altogether. IT experienced, non-graduates will nd that their career progression is hampered in the long-term by not having a degree, hence it would make sense to pursue an IT-related degree on a part-time basis whilst working. After a number of years, when graduated they would have the qualications as well as several years of experience. An added unforeseen plus is the company-exposure received as a result of doing work-based assignments spanning multiple departments that the employee would otherwise not be exposed to. Experienced IT graduates on the other may nd themselves spending these same evenings seeking technical skills through studying relevant IT certications. So in the long run things eventually even out. It is in the immediate term that the advantage swings markedly in favour of IT certied candidates as opposed to degree candidates in the entry-level job market. In conclusion, it should be noted that I was a degree-holder when I entered the job market almost 2 decades ago, however the circumstances were totally different. There was a global shortage of IT skills. This was the pre-Y2K era and the Internet was just coming online. The certications industry was very much still in its infancy and the costs to be certied (where possible) was high. As with any new product, students need to factor in the time and cost to market. This will be a key competitive criteria. This is what the actual total cost of undertaking a study program over and above the course fees are. Included should be the opportunity cost of the additional months/years of forgone income, experience, etc; when comparing between programs/options.

At ITBC CAPE TOWN our advice is to grab as many sought after IT certications as is practical, get into the job market, study further for a degree, etc whilst working and hence securing your future career growth and along the way rack up as much industry experience as you can. This is the most effective and cost efcient way to invest in the rst 5 to 10 years of your career.

IT Business Campus CAPE TOWN

Campus notes... Ideally situated in the heart of the citys CBD, were easily accessible by public transport for those friends of the environment who want to journey with a light carbon footprint. Our beautiful campus is primed for learning and we pride ourselves on promoting a holistic approach to education. The colour blue is used in the Transformation Room to enhance students mental clarity. All work and no play makes for very tired and uninspired students, so our Chill Room is available for self-regeneration activities...snacking, chatting, chilling... We specialize in industrystandard IT training to prepare you for internationally recognized certication exams. And whats more, our Practical Lab and Internship programmes will enable you to put theory into practice. Both full-time and part-time study is possible. Call/email, or better yet, pop-in to book your free consultation.

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