WOMEN SET ON THE PATH TO SUCCESS WITH A CAREER IN IT

Transcription

1 WOMEN SET ON THE PATH TO SUCCESS WITH A CAREER IN IT RESEARCH BRIEF RESEARCH FEBRUARY

2 ForanyoneconsideringacareerinIT,jobopportunitiesandpathsabound.Considerafewfactorssuchas the: LowerunemploymentrateforITprofessionalsat3.7%versustheoverallrateof6.7%reportedby theu.s.bureauoflaborstatisticsfordecember2013. TotalnumberofcoreITjobopeningsintheU.S.reachedover500,000forQ42013,accordingto BurningGlassTechnologiesLaborInsights. BrightoutlookforfutureemploymentgrowthincoreIToccupationsRRover20%inseveralcasesfrom 2010to2020accordingtotheBureauofLaborStatisticsRRsuchassoftwaredevelopers,database administrators,networkandsystemsadministrators,systemsanalysts,andothersincluding informationsecurityanalysts,webdevelopers,andnetworkarchitects. Average(median)salaryforIToccupations(over$76,000)ismorethandoubletheaverageforall occupationscombined(nearly$35,000),alsoaccordingtothebureauoflaborstatistics.for example,theaveragesalaryfornetworkarchitectsis$91,000. Numeroustracksandareasofstudywithinthequitegeneric ITfield. AcareerinIToffers somethingforeveryonefromprogramming/codingtobusinessintelligence/analysis,troubleshooting tosecurity,techsupporttomanagement,andsoon. Theopportunitiesareendless,butunfortunatelysuchacareerinITremainselusiveformany.CompTIA researchcontinuestoshowthatyoungpeopleneedabetterunderstandingofthemorespecificitjobssuch asdevelopingmobileappsanddesigningwebpages(seecomptia syouth&opinions&of&careers&in&it&study).it professionalswhoarecurrentlyemployedcouldusemoreorimprovedcareerpathdetailsfromtheir employers(seethecomptia&state&of&the&it&skills&gap&study).meanwhile,anothergroupremainslargely unrepresentedintheitfield women.slightlylessthanonerquarterofitprofessionalsarefemale(24%) accordingtoboththebureauoflaborstatisticsandthe2013&it&skills&and&salary&reportfromglobal KnowledgeandWindowsITPro. CompTIAconducteditsinternal2 nd &Annual&IT&Career&Insightsstudymainlytogainabetterunderstandingof itscertificationaudience.asabyproductofthestudy,somecommonalitiesacrossmenandwomenit professionalswerefound,aswellasmanyinterestingdifferencesbetweenthetwo.infact,thestudy confirmsthatsignificantlymoremale (69%)ITprofessionalsweredefinitely suretheywantedacareerintheitfield priortobeginningtheirprofessionallives comparedto62%offemales.(see& Appendix.) Overall,amajorityofITprofessionalsin theu.s.reportbeingveryormostly satisfied(net76%)withtheirjob,similar tolastyear.only5%ofitprofessionals ratetheircurrentpositionasmostlyor verydissatisfactory,withtheremaining segmentfallinginthemiddleofthe continuum.interestingly,womenit professionalsreportsignificantlyhigher satisfactionas41%areverysatisfied(net 84%)versus30%ofmenwhoarehighly satisfied(net74%). Majority)of)IT)Professionals)Sa3sfied)with)Their)Job) 19%# 21%# Women# 2%# 13%# At#Least# Somewhat# Dissa7sfied# 43%# Mostly# Sa7sfied# 4 4 Very# Sa7sfied# 41%# 32%# NET#Job# Sa7sfac7on# 76%# 7 8 Source:)2 nd $Annual$IT$Career$Insights$ ) Base:)1,257)U.S.)employed)IT)professionals) )1,008)Men)and)249)Women)) CompTIAMemberServices,LLC

3 SomeadditionalITjobRrelatedareaswherewomenreportnotablyhigher(netagree)ratingsthantheirmale counterparts: 79%ofwomenITprofessionalsbelievethattheirjobprovidesthemwithasenseofpersonal accomplishment;versus70%ofmen. 73%ofwomenITprofessionalsbelievethattheirjobmakesgooduseoftheirtalent/skills;much higherthanmen(65%). 73%ofwomenITprofessionalssaythattheiremployeradequatelysupportstheirprofessional developmentefforts;comparedto64%ofmen. 72%ofwomenITprofessionalsbelievethattheirjobprovidesthemtheopportunitytogrowand develop;comparedto61%men. 72%ofwomenITprofessionalssaythattheyhavetheresourcesandtoolsnecessarytodotheirjobs well;considerablyhigherthanmen,at68%. 71%ofwomenITprofessionalsbelievetheyareadequatelyrecognizedfortheircontributionsat work;morethanmen(61%). 71%ofwomenITprofessionalsaresatisfiedwiththeircompensation/benefits;versus60%ofmen. Ontheotherhand,therearesomeareaswherewomenandmenfeelmoresimilarly,forinstance: 82%ofwomenITprofessionalsbelievetheyplayavaluableroleintheirorganization;virtuallythe sameas79%ofmen. 70%ofwomenITprofessionalsbelievetheywillplayavaluableroleintheirorganizationoneyear fromnow;notsignificantlydifferentfrommen(65%). 31%ofwomenITprofessionalsareconcernedaboutthelackofresourcestodotheirjobeffectively; thesameasmen(30%). Thelevelofone sjobsatisfactionislikelytheculminationofmanyelements.twokeypiecesinaddressing employeesatisfactionareidentifying:1)whatconcernsworkershave,and2)whatresourcesorsupport wouldhelpthemtoperformtheirjobmoreefficientlyoreffectively. Lackofresources,layRoffs,andskills becomingobsoletetopthelistof concernsamongitprofessionalsoverall. Somewhatsurprising,thesame percentageofwomenasmenit professionalscitethelackofa workrlife balance asajobconcern(24%each). AccordingtotheAccentureInternational Women sday2013,defining&success:& 2013&Global&Research&Results&study, workrlifebalancetopsrespondents (bothmaleandfemale)definitionsof careersuccess(56%),aheadofmoney (46%),recognition(42%)andautonomy (42%).Also,morethanhalf(52%)say theyhaveturneddownajobdueto concernsaboutitsimpactonworkrlife balance. IT%Professionals%Wish%List%for%Improving%Their%Job% Access%to%more%tools%/%technologies%/%applica)ons% More%resources%for%training%/%professional% development% Budget%for%new%technology%ini)a)ves% Time%to%work%on%new%technology%ini)a)ves%instead% of%rou)ne%maintenance%tasks% More%career%advancement%opportuni)es% More%staff%/%headcount% More%recogni)on%for%accomplishments% More%/%be8er%career%path%informa)on% More%execu)ve%support%for%technology%ini)a)ves% 19%# 19%# 22%# 31%# 36%# 31%# 26%# 27%# 23%# 46%# 49%# 41%# 40%# 47%# 52%# 51%# 58%# 52%# 51%# 55%# Women# Source:%2 nd $Annual$IT$Career$Insights$ % Base:%1,237%U.S.%employed%IT%professionals %953%Men%and%244%Women%% CompTIAMemberServices,LLC

4 CompTIAMemberServices,LLC TheconcernsITprofessionalsexpresscertainlyalignwiththeirwishlistitems.Whenaskedtoconsiderways thatwouldhelpthemperformtheirjobmoreeffectivelyorefficiently,moreresourcesfor training/professionaldevelopment(55%ofwomenand51%ofmen)andmoretimetoworkonnew technologyemergeastopwants(58%ofwomen,significantlymorethanthe51%ofmen).furthermore, manyitprofessionalswanttheiremployertoprovidemorecareeradvancementopportunities(47%of womenand40%ofmen). ThesefindingsimplythatITprofessionalswanttotakeanactiveroleinmanagingtheircareers,buildingtheir skillsetsandstayingaheadofnewtechnologies.studyresultsalsosuggestthatwhilemanycompaniesstill underinvestintrainingandprofessionaldevelopment,itseemstheyhavemadeheadwayoverthepastyear. AtleastthisappearstobethecasewithITprofessionals.Whenstudyingamixofemployees(acrossall professions,agegroups,etc.)thetoptwoitemstheyindicatewouldenhancetheirjobsatisfactionaremore supportfortraining/professionaldevelopmentandmorecareeradvancementopportunities(especially amonggenyemployeesforthelatter).(seecomptia sgenerational&research&on&technology&and&its&impact& in&the&workplace&study.) MostITprofessionalsrecognizethecriticallyoftrainingfortheircurrentorwantedjobfunctions.Among thosewhohavebeguntheiritcareerpath,thegreatmajority(94%)plantofurtherprusuestudyinatleast oneareatoenhancetheiritskills.although,considerablymoremales(95%)haveplansforittrainingover thenexttwoyearsversus90%offemales.morethanhalfoverallexpecttopursuesecurity/cybersecurity, andaquarterormorewanttofocusonnetworks/infrastructure,cloudcomputing,servers,virtualization, techsupport. 23%$ 20%$ 27%$ 21%$ 17%$ 29%$ 27%$ 18%$ 21%$ 38%$ 29%$ 41%$ 14%$ 18%$ 17%$ 18%$ 17%$ 25%$ 34%$ 37%$ 35%$ 47%$ 56%$ 16%$ 20%$ 25%$ 31%$ 34%$ 36%$ 44%$ 53%$ Training'/'Teaching' Project'management' Database'management' Mobility' Storage'/'Data'back9up'/'Business'con=nuity' App'development'/'Programming' IT'support' Virtualiza=on' Servers' Cloud'compu=ng' Networks' Security'/'Cybersecurity' Overall$ Men$ Women$ Top'IT'Skills'IT'Professionals'Plan'to'Pursue' Source:'2 nd $Annual$IT$Career$Insights$ ' Base:'1,431'U.S.'IT'professionals' '1,157'Men'and'274'Women'' IT'knowledge'/'skills'IT'pros'would'like'to'further'develop'over'the'next'two'years''

5 ForanyonelookingtobeginoradvancetheirITcareer,certificationiscertainlyonevehicle.Accordingtothis study,nearlytworthirds(66%)ofitprofessionalsoverallwhoholdacomptiacertificationsaythat enhancingtheirresume/improvingjobopportunitiesisamajorreasonthatpromptedthemgettingthe certification(69%ofwomen,sameas65%ofmen).(see&appendix.) WomenespeciallyusedCompTIAcertificationtohelpgrowtheirITcareerandindicatebeingrewardedor recognizedforbecomingcertifiedmoreoftenthanmen: 66%ofwomenITprofessionalswhoholdaCompTIAcertificationsaythatbuildingnew skills/personaldevelopmentisamajorreasonthatpromptedthemgettingthecertification;versus 54%ofmen. 55%ofwomenITprofessionalswhoholdaCompTIAcertificationsaythatcareer advancement/opportunitytogetaraise/promotionisamajorreasonthatpromptedthemgetting thecertification,comparedtoonly42%ofmen. 52%ofwomenITprofessionalswhoholdaCompTIAcertificationsaypreparationforacareerorjob rolechangeisamajorreason thatpromptedthemgetting thecertification;versusonly 43%ofmen. 79%ofwomenIT professionalsbelievethat theircomptiacertification hasbeenvaluableforthem; higherthan69%ofmen. 50%ofwomenIT professionalswhoearneda CompTIAcertification(while employed)wererewarded withasalary/payincrease, bonusorrecognizedviasome othermethod;comparedto 27%ofmen. Professionaldevelopmentserves manyfunctions.businessesbenefit Reten5on$A#er$Cer5fica5on$ Majority$(84%)$of$IT$professionals$stay$with$employer$a#er$ge2ng$CompTIA$cer5fied$ Stayed$with$employer$a#er$cer5fica5on$ (None$of$the$below)$ Didn't$leave$a#er$cer5fica5on,$but$wanted$to$ or$hope$to$soon$ Le#$employer$to$work$somewhere$else$some$ 5me$(>6$months)$a#er$cer5fica5on$ Le#$employer$to$work$somewhere$else$ shortly$a#er$ge2ng$cer5fied$ asemployeesdevelopnew hard and soft skills.employeesbenefitfromincreasedknowledgeandcareer advancement.foranyjobintoday ssituation,onemuststayaheadofthecurveintheirfieldorruntherisk oftheirskillsbecomingobsolete.subsequently,whileprofessionaldevelopmentmayhelpanitemployeeto climbthecareerladder,italsoaidsinjobsecurity.someoftheconcernsitprofessionalshaveabouttheirjob andtheresources/supporttheycoulduseforimprovingtheirjobperformancebothrevolvearound professionaldevelopment.employerswhoinvestintheiremployees professionaldevelopmenteffortswill reaptherewards. CompTIA s2 nd &Annual&IT&Career&Insightsstudywasdevelopedwithinputfrom2,107ITprofessionalsinfour primarycountriesincludingcanada(n=187),southafrica(n=220),theuk(n=213),theus(n=1,463),and Othercountries(n=24).ThedatahighlightedaboveisU.S.onlyandwascollectedviaaquantitativeonline aboutcomptiaresearch,advancingwomeninitcommunity,orcreatingitfuturesfoundation. 10%# 10%# 8%# 7%# 7%# 7%# 21%# 20%# 23%# 63%# 63%# 62%# Women# Note:$Reten5on$is$likely$the$result$ of$many$other$factors$such$as$job$ sa5sfac5on,$age,$etc.$reten5on$ rates$do$appear$to$increase$as$age$ increases.$for$example,$74%$of$ 45_54$year$olds$stayed$with$their$ employer$a#er$cer5fica5on$vs.$39%$ of$those$<25.$ Source:$2 nd $Annual$IT$Career$Insights$ $ Base:$1,055$U.S.$IT$professionals$employed$at$5me$of$cer5fica5on$ $862$Men$and$193$Women$$ CompTIAMemberServices,LLC

6 Appendix IT$Career$Intent$Among$IT$Professionals$ Level$of$certainty$about$working$in$the$IT$field,$prior$to$professional$life$ 68%# Definitely$wanted$a$career$in$IT$ 62%# 69%# Unsure$about$a$career$in$IT$ 28%# 27%# 32%# Did$not$want$a$career$in$IT$ 6%# Women# Source:$2 nd $Annual$IT$Career$Insights$ $ Base:$1,273$U.S.$employed$IT$professionals$ $1,023$Men$and$250$Women$$ Top$Reasons$for$Pursuing$CompTIA$ Cer4fica4on$ Major&Reason&for&Pursuing&CompTIA& Cer6fica6on& Improve$employment$opportuni4es$/$ enhance$resume$ Personal$development$/$confirm$knowledge$ in$subject$majer$ Overall& Men& Gender& Women& Senior& Mgmt.&& Job&Level& Middle& Mgmt.&& Staff& Others*& 66%$ 65%$ 69%$ 61%$ 55%$ 60%$ 74%$ 58%$ 57%$ 61%$ 62%$ 53%$ 54%$ 66%$ Prove$my$skills$/$knowledge$$ 56%$ 55%$ 58%$ 53%$ 51%$ 53%$ 62%$ Build$new$skills$/$knowledge$ 56%$ 54%$ 66%$ 61%$ 55%$ 49%$ 63%$ Prepare$for$a$career$or$job$role$change$ 45%$ 43%$ 52%$ 47%$ 35%$ 38%$ 54%$ Career$advancement$/$opportunity$to$get$a$ raise$or$promo4on$ 44%$ 42%$ 55%$ 52%$ 38%$ 43%$ 46%$ Required$by$employer$ 34%$ 32%$ 43%$ 38%$ 39%$ 36%$ 33%$ Recommended$by$instructor$/$guidance$ counselor$ 20%$ 17%$ 31%$ 31%$ 15%$ 16%$ 25%$ Part$of$my$college$/$university$track$ 18%$ 16%$ 24%$ 36%$ 15%$ 14%$ 21%$ Source:$2 nd $Annual$IT$Career$Insights$ *Other$roles$such$as$consultant,$teacher/trainer,$etc.$$ $ Base:$1,319$U.S.$IT$professionals $1,090$Men$and$229$Women$$ CompTIAMemberServices,LLC