Abstract: Employers demand for skilled technology workers has never been higher. Opportunities for individuals interested in working in technology to acquire the requisite skills have expanded to meet the increased demand. The expansion of training offerings calls into question the quality of new ventures such as coding academies and the necessity of traditional academic pathways. This research addresses concerns by exploring how employers value different forms of skill acquisition within the information technology environment defined as: academic degrees, certifications, and work experience. IT executives and HR managers surveyed give insight into how they relatively value the various sources for their new and experienced employees. Using non-parametric methods and correspondence analysis, an overall picture of employers’ valuations were obtained. Additionally, subsections were analyzed across employer size and industry type. Results from the analysis identified expected general valuations by the employers. However, employer responses to the valuations identified unexpected actions that have potential negative impacts on institutions of higher education.

Keywords: Job skills, Employment skills, Work experience, Certifications, Academic degree

Download this article: JISE - Volume 29 Issue 4, Page 253.pdf

Recommended Citation: Wierschem, D. & Mediavilla, F. A. M. (2018). Entry Level Technology Positions: No Degree Required. Journal of Information Systems Education, 29(4), 253-268.