technology | overview
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oor old IT. For years it has suffered from an image problem, with most people believing it is the refuge of sad souls with more affinity for computers than humans. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. According to the President’s Report 2008, from Intellect (the trade organisation for the IT sector): ‘The technology sector is not just an important sector in its own right, it is a key enabler of all other industries in the UK…. Recent research by the Department of Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR), shows that the competitiveness of the UK economy is underpinned by the presence of a strong technology sector. With the technology sector playing a significant role in the UK economy, generating over £35 billion of Gross Value Add (GVA), employing over five million people in the wider knowledge economy, and with over one in twenty of the UK workforce an IT professional, it is vital that we safeguard its future.’ Maggie Berry is the Director of Women in Technology (WIT) and she admits the image of IT has been a stumbling block in the past. ‘What people perceive as jobs in IT are actually far removed from the truth. We need to make people aware of the sheer breadth and range of jobs available in the sector and the amazing careers people can forge for themselves. Yes, sometimes it can be geeky, but it is also about working with technology that is absolutely cutting edge and has a huge impact on the success of a business. Why would you not want to be in a position where the work you do can generate income, help your company survive, and achieve a lot more in this recession?’ Maggie explains that although IT is an industry in itself, it also impacts on every other sector. ‘If you work in law, there will be IT systems that support all the solicitors, and if you work in medicine there will be IT systems there, especially in the NHS. So it’s not all about working for Microsoft or Sun, it is across all industries and you can be a technologist in any of them, which is great.’ This also happens to be a sector where good communication skills and logical thinking are just as
Women in Technology www.womenintechnology.co.uk British Computer Society www.bcs.org E-Skills www.e-skills.com Intellect www.intellectuk.org
a computer science degree -- language graduates are often good at technology because they have the right skill sets. Pay tends to be good with the average starting salary for a graduate being £24,000. Across the sector the average salary is £37,000, but you can significantly boost your earnings above that level. ‘If you specialise in a certain niche within technology then you can earn significant amounts by becoming a consultant – contractors can earn hundreds of pounds a day,’ explains Maggie. ‘I’d say to all technology students make sure you get some work experience before graduating (especially in web based stuff rather than the older mainframe technologies), so you’ll know which area you want to go into when you start your career. As a graduate coming in I would recommend they try a few different things and work out what it is they really like and then build from there. Many of the graduate schemes actually do placement rotations so you can work out where you fit in best.’ n
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important as having a technology-based degree. Many firms will train up bright candidates even if they don’t have
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