A new research study says that freelancers and umbrella company contractors working in the IT sector need to do whatever it takes to keep their skills current.
There’s no rest for the weary, according to the latest Harvey Nash CIO Survey, as the research study found that IT contractors aer going to have to spend money on the educational materials needed to stay current on the newest developments in their field if they want to stay afloat. The survey found that skills gaps are widening at a steady clip – something that’s already had a deleterious effect on the market in general – and six out of every ten tech leaders in the UK say that it’s already affecting their ability to get work done.
In other words, there are shedloads of companies out there that are finally seeing their fortunes turn around from the doldrums following the recession only to find themselves held back from future growth because the IT infrastructure their firms need to expand is next to impossible to implement. For what it’s worth, the tragic thing is that there are plenty of IT professionals out there, but with the changing technological landscape their skills may not be up to snuff anymore thanks to advances in cloud computing and the like.
In other words, if you work in the information technology field, take some of those earnings and seek to develop your skills in the latest, most in-demand areas if you want to remain working steadily as the economy gets back on track. Think of it as a business investment in your future – one that will pay massive dividends when everyone who didn’t bother honing their skills and merely relied upon their existing skill sets end up having to change careers because no one wants or needs them any more. Honestly you don’t want to end up in the rubbish bin because you didn’t adapt to the new tech environment do you?
Worse yet, if firms don’t start finding IT professionals in their local employment market that can get the job done, they’re going to outsource these positions to anyone and anywhere they can. That’s bad for the overall British economy – especially if companies are paying overseas IT professionals instead of those living on British soil. So take some of that hard-earned cash and learn something new!
