Where are all the tech jobs

An Article from Fortune Magazine...By Anne Fisher, contributor

Where the tech jobs are now
At least 400,000 tech jobs are going begging, even in this economy. Here are the skills employers are looking for most.

NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Dear Annie: My son is going to graduate from college in December with a B.S. in computer science, and I am just wondering about the IT job market. On the one hand, we keep hearing about layoffs and outsourcing, but on the other hand, everything runs on computers now, so surely there must be some good tech jobs in this country, especially at the (relatively cheap) entry level. Is there anything he can do to increase his chances of getting hired six months from now? -Pasadena Papa

Dear Pasadena: Funny you should ask. CompTIA, the biggest trade association for IT folks and their employers, recently launched a new recruiting campaign aimed at filling an estimated 400,000 tech job openings.

Still, "before the recession, it was 700,000," says Todd Thibodeaux, CompTIA's CEO.
With so many people looking for work, why are so many jobs going begging? The short answer: A scarcity of candidates with the skills, or combinations of skills and credentials, that employers want. Even people with years of tech experience may find they need to upgrade their certifications and venture into new territory in order to retool their careers in today's job market.

"I've had jobs go unfilled for weeks or months because people with the right combinations of skills just aren't available," says Scott Dunlop, managing partner of Boston-area tech recruiters Bivium Group.

Candidates don't necessarily need to be programmers or systems analysts, or have worked for a tech company to get hired, says Todd Thibodeaux, CompTIA's CEO. "Most IT jobs are in tech support in a wide range of businesses like hotels, hospitals, and factories," he says.

"These days, employers are looking for people who can do hardware-and-software integration and data security," Thibodeaux adds. "One category in big demand now is basic computer skills, which will get you hired at the entry level. Then you can add certifications from specific vendors like Cisco (CSCO, Fortune 500) and HP (HPQ, Fortune 500), and other more advanced certifications as you move up in the organization."

You don't even have to live in Silicon Valley. "We're seeing tech openings in Des Moines, Boise, Louisville, all over the map," says Gretchen Koch, a director of skills development at CompTIA.
"There are tech jobs available even here in Detroit, many of them in hospitals," says Mark McManus, CEO of New Horizons Computer Learning Centers of Michigan, Chicago & Cleveland. In general, "tech jobs that require continual collaboration with other departments don't get outsourced," he adds.

And even with outsourcing, "the fastest-growing demand here in the U.S. is still for help desk and desktop support people," notes Koch. A recent survey by staffing company Robert Half International shows that 51% of employers plan to add IT staff over the coming year, many of which will be help-desk jobs. These can be a good way to get a foot in the door.

"Usually entry-level people do that for six months or a year before getting additional training and certifications and moving on to network administration, security, database management, or some other specialty," she says.

Another area to consider: As the health-care industry continues to grow, your son might be smart to focus his job search on medical providers and work on acquiring the skills specific to them.

Unemployment among tech workers stands at about 4.9%, far lower than the 9.6% overall U.S. jobless rate, "so IT is still faring better than most fields," says Tom Silver, CEO of tech job board Dice.com. Yet, he says, "there is a lot of frustration among job seekers now, however, because employers are hiring very slowly and looking for the exact right fit."

Dice.com recently compiled a list of the skill sets most in demand among employers.The top 5:

Security. Employers often want to hire people who have earned the CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) designation (see http://www.isc2.org/). Candidates need 5 years of hands-on experience before taking the exam.

Virtualization. The term refers to the practice of running multiple servers on a single piece of hardware, increasing efficiency and conserving energy.

Java EE. Sun Microsystems' (JAVA, Fortune 500) Java and its enterprise edition, until recently called J2EE, are the industry standards for developing online applications, so the Sun Certified Java Programmer (SCJP) designation is in widespread demand.

SAP. Most employers prefer candidates who have direct on-the-job experience with SAP (SAP), but "having the right credentials can make even experienced candidates stand out," the Dice.com report says.

.NET. Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) has a variety of certifications, Dice.com notes, but "the most bang for the buck comes from the Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD)" designation, which covers Microsoft Visual Studio and the Microsoft .NET framework.

With a spanking-new degree in computer science, your son will already have an edge, but he'd do well to earn a certification or two. People who want to upgrade their skills or switch into IT from other fields who want to switch to IT can get training at local community colleges, computer-training centers and other specialty schools.

Many schools offer some form of financial aid. What's more, for unemployed adults looking to change fields, state and federal funding may be available to cover tuition costs. (New college grads are not usually eligible for these programs.)

Certifications vs. Degrees?

Frankly, it would be easier to solve the age-old question “Which came first the chicken or the egg?” than to ever reach a consensus on the question of whether it’s better for an IT pro to have a technical degree or certifications.

It may be one of the oldest, yet most hotly debated, issues ever to post on TechRepublic.
It’s constantly debated because there are no clear-cut answers. So I’m not going to throw out any concrete facts and I can’t hope to change anyone’s mind on the matter, but here are a few things to consider when weighing the benefits of a degree vs. a cert.

First of all, keep in mind that the degree/certification matter is only a part of what you should concern yourself with when you’re marketing yourself for a new job or a better position. Degrees and certifications may comprise the bulk of your “calling card,” but you should not depend on either to be the overall marketing strategy for what you’re selling to potential employers — yourself.

Once you get into a job, above anything else, your employer will want to see you as a person who can get the job done and do it in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. No one is going to temper your good results because you lack credentials.

However, this is IT, one of the most constantly changing industries there is. Keeping up with technology is important, and certifications demonstrate that.

Who’s going to see your resume?
Another variable in this equation is whether an HR person or an IT manager is the one looking at your resume. Unless specifically instructed otherwise, the chances are that an HR person is going to respond to the presence of a degree before a jumble of Microsoft acronyms. In this way, “Bachelor’s degree” is a universal language. Is that a reason against certs? Not at all, just something to keep in mind.

The flip side is that if you have an HR person who does a lot of tech hiring, you might get someone who knows all of the certifications and simply uses that as a criterion to filter candidates. For example, if you are applying for a job as a Windows administrator, you must have an MCSE to be seriously considered for the job.

If a technical person, however, is vetting the resumes, it helps if you have some certifications. It’s a language a technical person speaks.

And another possibility to consider is that if the person doing the hiring is an “academic” sort, he may be of the mindset that if he suffered through getting a degree, it’s the very least he would expect from you.

Like I said, there are really no hard-core facts here, just things to consider.

The perception
There are lots of good reasons to get a degree, both personal and professional. In the eyes of some employers, a completed four-year degree shows that you can finish what you start. It gives them an idea of your dedication and work ethic. And, as an article from DataStronghold.com says, “Through the courses covered in a four-year degree, students are given the opportunity to learn a variety of skills in different portions of the major they have chosen. Technical as well as analytical talents are developed and tested.”

On the other hand, degrees can become dated. Certifications have to be renewed as technology evolves. You may have earned a computer science degree 10 years ago, but that doesn’t ensure that you’ve demonstrated proficiency recently. A certification does.

The timeline
The timeline is a very important factor in the degree/cert question. Let’s say you’ve been in a job for five years and you haven’t been promoted because of a company policy requiring managers to have degrees. Then, by all means, you might want to explore the option of going back to school. But if there is no formal policy and you haven’t been promoted, it may be because of something that neither a degree nor certification would have any influence over. In other words, don’t waste money on a four-year degree if the problem is you’re a general pain in the butt or don’t show any initiative in other ways.

A solution may be to pursue a goal that could be achieved in a shorter time span to show your desire to better yourself. And that could take form in a certification.

The power of specificity
We’ve all heard stories like the guy who has a Masters degree in Computer Science but can’t figure out a simple problem that anyone with an A+ cert could. That could be an issue of specificity. Some IT shops only have the budget for a “Tech of all Trades” so to speak. But some have the luxury of being able to hire those with specialties and that’s where a cert does some talking.

I asked Ramon Padilla, an experienced IT manager, what he looks for in a job candidate — a degree or certs, and he said it depends:
“If I am looking at a highly technical position (DBA, network engineer, etc.) then I lean more heavily toward certification. Someone with experience and a CCNA or CCIE for Cisco equipment or Oracle certifications for database admin goes further with me than someone with a generic IT degree. However, if I’m looking at a managerial, administrative, or analyst type position, the degree is more valuable.”

Renewable knowledge
As I said, degrees can become dated. Certifications have to be renewed as technology evolves. Degrees can prepare the foundation for dealing with technology, but you can’t generalize everything. Let’s use a car analogy: You may be a mechanical person who is used to taking apart muscle car engines with your eyes closed. But that may not help much if the electronic sensors fail in your new car.

The answer to the age-old question of degrees vs. certifications is “it depends.” Depends on the specifics of the job, on the person doing the hiring, and on your capabilities in general.

Toni Bowers, Blogger, Tech Republic

Top 10 InDemand IT Jobs/Skill Sets

After reviewing many articles, reading many blogs and doing research based on the local IT job market Baseline Magazine is spot on with their edition of the Hottest IT Jobs for 2008. I have contacts ranging from Senior Account Executives working for the largest IT Placement Company in our local market, owners of IT Placement Agencies and IT Staffing Companies in the area all who would love to get their hands on IT Professionals with the Skill Sets mentioned here.

Even in tough economic times, employees with the right skills will always be in demand in the IT industry. Baseline analyzed recent employment studies and interviewed several technology recruiters and industry professionals to find the hottest IT positions today. Although there is still consistent demand for the “old-reliable” jobs such as network administration and help desk positions, these picks reflect the current gaps between supply and demand. Here is Baseline Magazines' list:

1. Senior Level Java/J2EE and .NET Developers - Most headhunters agree that finding lead developers with Java/J2EE or .NET proficiency and management experience can be a tall task in today’s market.
“If they're software developers and they have Java/J2EE or any of the .NET skills, they're very hot right now,” says Janet Miller, president of the recruiting firm Computer Management.

2. Application Development Managers - Dan Martineau of Martineau Recruiting Technology says that the need for application development managers nips closely at the heels of Java/J2EE opportunities at the top of search lists from clients.
“There is a definite need for applications development managers with strong technical backgrounds, specifically within object-oriented and service-oriented architecture-based applications,” he says.
In the Robert Half Technology 2008 Salary Guide, lead applications developer was listed as the position predicted to see the largest increase in salary this year, with an increase of 7.6 percent.

3. Security Professionals - In spite of increased awareness about IT security in recent years, there is still a skills gap when it comes to this specialty. In fact, a recent CompTIA survey found that among all IT skills, security has the biggest disparity between demand and supply of proficient workers.
“Managers we talk to say that the reason skills are coming up short is because the security landscape changes so rapidly that it is very difficult for anyone to stay on top of all of the different threats that are out there,” says Steven Ostrowski, director of corporate communications for CompTIA.

4. Architects of All Stripes - All varieties of architects are in strong demand today, but there is a special need for those who can help organizations ramp up their burgeoning service-level architecture deployments, Martineau says.
“Architects of all stripes are big right now, but the hottest ones are applications architects,” says Martineau.
According to the Robert Half Technology 2008 Salary Guide, applications architects are expected this year to see the second-largest average pay raise among all of the positions it studied, with an expected bump of 7.5 percent.

5. Talented IT Managers - Pretty much all of the data and anecdotal evidence point to an acute need for talented IT managers. Businesses seek ideal candidates who not only have strong technical skills, but also proficiency in communication and business knowledge.
“All of those things that fall into the bucket of what seem to be 'soft skills' is something that most employers—if not all employers—want in addition to the technical skills that people need to have,” Ostrowski says.
A recent survey by Robert Half Technology backed Ostrowski up—more than 41 percent of CIOs questioned said that they are placing a greater emphasis on knowledge of business fundamentals when considering applicants for IT positions.
These fundamentals are especially important for those in management, Martineau says. He believes that there is a particular need for managers who are able to capably lead geographically dispersed teams and who can effectively manage outsourced labor.

6. Business Technology Professionals - The fact that there even are designated “business technology” roles should scare IT professionals because, as Martineau puts it, they exist only because IT isn’t doing what is expected of it.
“The difference between business technology and information technology roles is that IT delivers a particular service—whether it’s a shared service or an application or whatever,” he says, “while business technology workers accomplish the hybrid goals that live between the business and IT. These are strategic roles that are all about aligning the business needs with IT.”

7. Database Administrators and Managers - In its annual salary report, Robert Half Technology recently pinned database administration and management as one of the key growth niches in IT, particularly in light of Bureau of Labor Statistics predictions that this sector will outpace the growth of all other occupations through 2014.
This year Robert Half expects the biggest salary bumps in this category to benefit data modelers (7 percent) and business intelligence analysts (6.6 percent).

8. Infrastructure Pros with Strong Backgrounds in Virtualization - Most organizations these days are trying to find a way to leverage virtualization deployments into bottom-line savings.
“Virtualization is the biggest thing going on in the data center right now,” Martineau says. “It allows you to deliver the same number of applications with a quarter of the servers, saving space, money and power, so people with virtualization skills are in high demand.”

9. Web 2.0 Developers - As business finds more ways to utilize Web 2.0 and service-oriented architecture (SOA), the need for developers with appropriate skills will continue to rise, Ostrowski says.
“There's a lot of interest in the Web 2.0 type applications and development, so people who have some sort of ability in that arena certainly have a leg up,” he adds.

10. Wireless Networking Experts - Although wireless professionals may not be in very strong demand today, the need for their skills will soon outstrip the supply, many experts believe.
“Wireless IT skills are going to be critical in the not-too-distant future,” Ostrowski says.
A recent CompTIA survey of more than 3,500 IT managers found that wireless and radio frequency (RF) mobile technology is the skill set they expect to increase most in importance over the next five years.

Knoxville IT Network

I have recently made some excellent contacts within the Knoxville IT Community and have gotten some feedback about some of the applicants I am working with. According to the Powers that Be, people must really maintain their competency within their area of expertise. In order to do this people have to make an important decision to invest in updating and maintaining their skill sets to meet the demands of the industry. Updating your skill sets to meet these demands requires taking some courses, taking certification exams and remaining ahead of the curve.

One of the most interesting things I have learned(which I knew but seem to overlook because I try to conduct myself in a professional manner at all times) is the importance of soft skills. Definition of Soft Skills http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_skills according to Wikipedia. Having Soft Skills is important and very relevant which is why Comp TIA has made it a part of the A+ training in its 2006 objectives. The reason I am talking about this is because if you want a job in an IT Department you must be able to function as part of the IT team, consult with the AP Dept., Sales, Management, and most importantly Customers. Some advice to all of you who want a job as an IT Professional, take a look at the later part of that title and make any needed adjustments.