Experts say young Aussies with natural IT skills can earn big bucks without a uni degree

Research shows 8 in 10 young Australians are naturally wired to step into one sector with lucrative salaries - and they don’t need a higher education.

Young Aussies are wasting time and money on computer degrees when the skills they already have are enough to secure lucrative jobs in IT.

Research from WithYouWithMe shows more than 80 per cent of young people, aged 15 to 25 years, have intermediate or higher levels of tech skills and are naturally wired to step into in-demand roles.

It’s feared tertiary qualifications have become a barrier to the IT sector, with concerns that by the time a young person becomes qualified, the technology they trained in is already obsolete.

WYWM social value lead Cia Kouparitsas believes young people could easily fill the government’s pledge to create 1.2 million tech jobs by 2030 and says it “doesn’t make sense’’ that there are not more pathways for “digital natives’’ to get into IT careers without a degree.

WYWM social value lead Cia Kouparitsas believes young people could easily fill the government’s pledge to create 1.2 million tech jobs by 2030.

Her comments come as Australian employers are revealed to be the most demanding when it comes to recruiting for IT roles, with almost all local job ads requiring applicants to hold a bachelor’s degree-level qualification or higher.

In some instances, applicants are being told they need at least five years of experience using a particular technology that “probably hasn’t even been around for five years’’, Kouparitsas says.

NO DEGREE NECESSARY

Software engineering, software testing, cyber analysis, programming and data analysis are viable careers for those without a degree and all come with starting salaries of $70,000 a year, Kouparitsas says.

“When you’re looking at working in a role where you have no prior experience and no university degree, that’s very attractive,” she says.

She says young people often need no more than 150 hours of digital training to gain a broad range of key skills – offered free through WYWM’s platform or other online providers.

“We’re not against university,” Kouparitsas says.

“But it’s important to realise you do not necessarily need a university degree for a rewarding tech career. We’ve got thousands of individuals that we have placed into work that are proof of that.”

LIKE LEARNING A LANGUAGE

Aidan Stevens, 22, works as a junior software developer and is currently completing a Bachelor of IT, having previously completed a diploma in the same field.

While the qualifications are not necessary for his job, he hopes they will come in handy for his future plans to travel and find work overseas.

Aidan Stevens, 22, works as a junior software developer and is completing a Bachelor of IT to assist with travel and overseas work.

“If I never had that goal (to travel and work) I would probably drop out (of university) and just work – I don’t have any other driver to finish the qualification,” he says.

“The study has no effect on my (current) work position. It’s not like my job is on the line if I don’t get the degree.”

Stevens, whose salary allows a “comfortable” lifestyle, says the key to his work is being good at problem solving rather than having specific technical skills.

“It’s just knowing how to write lines of code, which is just like knowing a little bit of French, or something like that,” he says.

“Lots of people teach themselves languages – you don’t need a diploma or a degree to do that.”

A PROXY FOR SKILLS

Jo Dalvean, vice president of ACS, the professional association for the nation’s tech sector, agrees that degrees are not necessary to perform many IT roles but says employers increasingly demand formal qualifications as a “proxy to test that you’re an appropriate person” to hire.

ACS’ own research shows 97 per cent of Australian job ads require applicants to hold at least a bachelor’s degree qualification, compared with 90 per cent in the UK and 86 per cent in the US.

Writing code is like learning another language.

Dalvean stresses the research only considered formal job advertisements and notes many roles are unadvertised and filled through informal approaches to potential candidates, including those without degrees.

She believes most employers would rather workers demonstrate skills than produce documentation of study achievements and says communication and problem solving abilities are just as important as technical prowess.

“There’s a significant amount of work that can be done without a qualification,’’ Dalvean says. “Some of the sector’s best talent doesn’t come through traditional (university) career progression.”

A GOOD FIT

Why young people are well-suited to tech careers without a degree:

● More than 80 per cent have intermediate or above tech skills.

● They display above average levels of abstract reasoning, which directly relates to the problem-solving abilities required in many hard-to-fill tech roles.

● They have above average pattern recognition, positioning them to recognise patterns in past behaviour and to predict future problems and outcomes before issues arise.

● 40 per cent are “translators”, meaning they can bridge the gap between the “high-level creators” and the “doers” of the team.

● 40 per cent are “doers” (similar to adults), dispelling the myth about youth having lower conscientiousness.

● Two-thirds are actively looking for work, or are open to work.

Source: WithYouWithMe

Originally published as Experts say young Aussies with natural IT skills can earn big bucks without a uni degree