InformationWeek

Being fairly fresh out of college, I still keep in touch with a majority of my friends who graduated with degrees in computer science, information technology, and programming. There also are the adventurous types who’ve mixed computer science with business because they were interested in understanding the fundamentals of their future employers in addition to their IT infrastructures. Come graduation time, they threw off their hats with the enthusiasm and passion of becoming an important addition to some company out there looking for fresh ideas.

Unfortunately, the enthusiasm has died down and the passion wore off for many once they became “just another tech-support guy” or “the guy behind the firewall.” This has to do with the common perception employers share that young minds are undeveloped minds.

One of my close friends got his wish after graduation when he landed an IT job at a major international bank. At age 22, he was already a skilled programmer and knew the business side of things well enough to serve as a liaison between the company’s IT and business departments. But to his disappointment, he became the guy behind the firewall. Caught up in the daily routine of tech support—helping people reboot their computers and guiding their hands through basic mouse-clicking exercises—he lost the motivation he once had to serve as an important driving force of the company. In a recent conversation, he told me that after two years at the company, he knows its systems in and out. He has completely automated his daily work and doesn’t feel challenged because the company is not using him for his full potential. No matter how many times he tried to show that he is more than just a technologist, he has remained invisible to his managers. Like many recent grads, he is trapped in a vicious cycle: He is young, multiskilled, and wants to be utilized better, but because he is young, he is not being utilized better.

I'm not a computer scientist, but after talking to quite a few people who are, I’ve learned that they are far from one-dimensional. IT is a competitive market, and every student entering the field is aware of the challenges. In fact, entire courses at universities are being devoted to preparing computer science students for a post-dot-com world where offshore outsourcing is increasingly gaining popularity. Students realize it’s not enough to just know technology anymore. Business, communications, finance, and much more has to be added to the mix and that’s exactly what universities are doing.

Some employers are also stating to see the value in hiring these young individuals with broad skills. “We’ve had a few ETC graduates come to Electronic Arts and set high expectations,” said Jon-Paul Dumont, a game designer at Electronic Arts and a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center, in a recent interview. In the past, Electronic Arts used to hire people from other game companies, but it's beginning to hire more college grads. “They realize that in order to keep growing they need to hire more people coming out straight from school. These are the people they can immediately place into creative leadership positions,” he said.

Other companies who have already hired college grads should take a moment to get to know them closely and evaluate their “hidden” skills. Or in Mr. Charan’s words: Give the younger generation a chance and get their feet wet in the business side of things. After all, these are the people who will one day run the company.