Education Still Matters To Tech-Staff Recruiters

Skills may be in short supply, but companies hold out for college grads

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By Bronwyn Fryer
Issue date: May 26, 1997

Chris Ramos, a network support assistant for a trade association in New York, is angry. H e's bottomed out at his job, despite considerable drive and a few years' experience in network troubleshooting. But other companies won't consider hiring him, he says, without a college degree in hand-a degree that's tough to get with two children to support.

"They're always looking for people with more credentials," Ramos says. "If there's really such a need for technical people, why don't companies look at people who can't afford $75 an hour for a credit course at the college?"

Ramos' dilemma speaks volumes about the causes of the current talent shortage. According to an August 1996 survey conducted by InformationWeek, nearly all 300 CIO respondents said they had problems finding employees with specific skills. Meanwhile, the number of people armed with computer science undergraduate degrees appears to be shrinking ( IW, Dec. 2, 1996, p. 36 ).

The shortage of talented technical professionals has some companies questioning whether employees really need a four-year engineering or computer science degree. Many employers now require that developers and programmers hold a bachelor's degree. Similarly, other titles-such as database and systems administrator or even Webmaster-also require four-year degrees, according to Michael McBrierty, a recruiting manager with Eliassen Group, a IT placement firm in Wakefield, Mass.

But some IT workers point out that a great many technical jobs have little resemblance to the training most computer-science students receive. In fact, some IT workers say that college was a waste of time and money. "I've learned 99% of what I know since college," says Steve Magruder, a contract programmer in Louisville, Ky., who holds an engineering degree from the University of Louisville. "Just about everything about programming instruction that I learned in school wasn't necessary."

Companies that recruit on university campuses recognize the discrepancy and are primarily interested in students' technical instincts, say educators. "They're looking f or raw talent, the value this person brings, and a return on investment," says Ed Van Sickle, director of the computer career program at Boston University's Corpor- ate Education Center. Computer science and engineering programs increasingly offer co-op programs, which put students to work in paying jobs while they earn degrees.

But most companies still hire candidates with B.S. degrees, even as consultants. "Companies haven't loosened their requirements," says McBrierty. "They're still very particular about what they're looking for, and they don't mind waiting for a person who meets their requirements."

But for PC support, help-desk, and network specialists like Ramos, two-year degrees-especially if accompanied by extensive work experience or certification in Novell's NetWare or Microsoft's Windows NT-should be enough to get a foot in the door. "All things being equal, we'd probably prefer someone with a four-year degree," says a spokesman for pharmaceuticals firm SmithKline Beecham. "But someone wi th two years of school plus some experience might be perfection."

People with skills like Ramos' would do well to start over in an equivalent position with another company that will give them a better opportunity move up the ladder, suggests McBrierty. "Once you're in the door, most companies don't see the lack of a four-year degree as a block to promotion," he says.

But even Magruder admits that having the degree has paid off. "It lets me earn more money and has helped me get past doors I couldn't have otherwise," he notes. Still, not going with a talented person who lacks a degree, he argues, "seems like discrimination."

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