Many CIOs are getting rid of degree requirements when hiring IT workers, instead looking at their skill sets, CIO reported.
A 2022 study from the Burning Glass Institute found that 46 percent of middle-skill and 31 percent of high-skill occupations underwent degree "resets" between 2017 and 2019, opening an estimated 1.4 million jobs to people without college degrees over the next five years, according to the April 6 story.
"There are some who still prefer a college degree, seeing it — rightly or wrongly — as shorthand for showing that candidates have conscientiousness and the capacity to learn," Bob Dutile, a former CIO who is now chief commercial officer at digital transformation company UST, told the news outlet. "But we and others have not found that it's necessary."
CIOs said help desk roles, programmers, developers, designers, engineers, architects, analysts, and some management positions are more reliant on technical skills, according to the story.
However, degrees are still important for tech workers aiming to move up the corporate ladder. "Degrees do matter when looking for certain leadership roles in IT," Antonio Taylor, vice president of infrastructure, security and services at genotyping company Transnetyx, told CIO.