Knowledge and skill requirements for entry-level IT workers: A longitudinal study

This paper provides an updated view of the importance of various skills and traits for entry-level IT workers, as perceived by the IT industry, based on a web-based survey administered to IT managers nationwide. The work presented in this paper is an extension of two previous studies based on a survey conducted in 2006. A new survey was conducted in 2010 that consisted of 48 skills and traits including personal and interpersonal skills, as well as technical skills. This study finds that the top 12 skills and traits for entry-level IT workers are personal and interpersonal skills with honesty and integrity ranked most highly. The top 5 technical skills have not changed considerably in the past five years. They are operating systems, security, hardware, networking, and database, which have been part of the IT core curriculum for many years. Based on the analysis of the survey, several recommendations for curricula for IT-related degree programs are provided.