InformationWeek

In today's IT workplace, experience in database design, system analysis, and programming knowledge in Java, Visual Basic, C++, HTML, and general Web development are in the highest demand, whereas knowledge of Cobol and CICS are less important now, say most recruiters. However, it's not necessarily important for students to be highly trained in any one of those areas. "The best type of college courses are the ones that don't teach a specific type of software, but rather ones that teach concepts and transferable skills," says Carol Kaminski, human-resources corporate-recruiting manager for toy retailer Toys "R" Us Inc. in Paramus, N.J.

Graduates with bachelor of science degrees in computer science or electrical engineering tend to get programming jobs, such as software engineering or development. Graduates with bachelor of arts degrees in computer science may be hired for those jobs, but are typically viewed as having fewer technical skills. Recruiters say that those with an MBA are more likely to offer value in areas such as partnerships, business management, and strategic alliances, whereas those with a computer science or electrical engineering degree and an MBA can do those jobs and also handle product management and development.

However, at times a seemingly unrelated major will land a young graduate in a good IT job. For example, Timmester was hired for E-business, even though his degree is in aerospace engineering. "I was surprised by the fact that most companies are simply looking for motivated, intelligent people, regardless of major," says Timmester. "Having one of the most specialized degrees imaginable, this was a relief. All I had to do was convince recruiters that I was willing and able to learn whatever was necessary to do well in their company."

Despite the strong demand for hot, young talent, not everyone wants to hire only new grads. For example, of the 50 new hires Lands' End's DeKok hopes to add to the IT department in the next 12 months, he expects only three to five will be fresh out of college. "We need people who can hit the ground running," says DeKok. "We supplement our department with recent college graduates so we can build the bench behind the experienced IT team."

Although rumors abound among hiring managers of demands for princely perks from the fresh crop of cocky IT graduates, those scenarios are exceptions to the rule, say recruiters and professors. The most demanding graduates are those from top schools with high grade-point averages or MBA graduates who also have IT education or training. "Most of our students in IT and software engineering are humble," says Carnegie Mellon's Florida. "Those with core technical skills are self-described geeks. They are in it not for the money or the perks, but for the challenge."

Garretson says anyone with a prima-donna attitude "would get totally shot down" in California's Silicon Valley. "Industry experience and strong ideas count for everything," she says. "Unless a recent grad did significant work or had his or her own company, I can't imagine anyone taking this person seriously."

Because of the changes in IT in recent years, adjustment problems may come up between veteran IT workers and new hires. "The new economy is a young person's. It selects for energy and youth," says Florida. "The 24-by-7 economy means people are working all the time. If you are an older worker, the burden is on you to fit in. This is a young person's game."

However, a veteran IT worker can serve as a mentor and steer a new hire through the shoals of his or her first professional environment, making sure the underling is succeeding at and enjoying the work, and also helping to strengthen the department's IT team.

The IT-talent crunch is expected to last for at least the next five to 10 years, says ITAA's Miller, even though educational institutions are working to help alleviate the crunch. The University of California at Berkeley, which this spring graduated about 275 electrical engineering or computer science students with bachelor of science degrees and about 120 computer-science majors with bachelor of arts degrees, expects to expand annual graduate levels from its electrical engineering/computer science department by 300 to 400 students within the next 10 years.

Although typically slow-moving universities can certainly do more to ease the shortage, ITAA's Miller says the education system needs to be improved beginning at the grade-school level. That improvement then must continue, making sure that students graduating from high school have stronger math and science skills, thus "preparing them to become IT-knowledgeable."

In addition, sources such as community colleges, technical schools, and in-house training need to be better tapped, Miller says. "We have to look well beyond four-year colleges and universities to do the job."

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