IT Skills & Talent In Canada – Myths and Realities - Part 1

Working in today’s IT industry comes with a variety of challenges, especially in these tough economic times.  Jobs are becoming more complex, employers expectations are high and employees need more than just technical skills to grow their careers.  I had a chance to sit down with Shane Schick from itWorldCanada to discuss the state of the IT Profession in Canada.  We discussed several “myths” and industry perceptions on the IT skills shortage and lack of IT talent in Canada.

We chatted about what the IT industry as a whole can do to help close the gap between employers and employees expectations.  The key is driving the right demand for IT skills, while meeting this demand with the right supply of talent.  We also highlighted some of the things that Microsoft Canada is doing to address these issues – such as Techdays, EnergizeIT and the Ignite Your Career Series.

Shane and I divided our chat into the discussion of 4 “IT profession myths”.  Shane even had actual comments from his readers that we used as the focal point of the discussion.

Here is the first part of the series, titled “IT Doesn’t Matter” (in Silverlight).  Check it out, let me know what your thoughts on the topic are.

 

I will post parts 2, 3 and 4 later this week.