Can IT ever be a profession along traditional lines such
as the law?
75% Yes
25% No
Three-quarters of IT professionals surveyed for this week’s Big
Question believe IT has the potential to become an established
profession comparable to the law or medicine.
The positive response will come as a fillip to the IT industry’s
efforts to promote professionalism, most notably in the British
Computer Society’s joint IT Professionalism project with E-Skills
UK, Intellect and the National Computing Centre to formulate a core
body of knowledge for everyone working in IT. The project is due to
produce its first report in October.
IT contractor Nigel Claymoss said IT still needed to improve its
image, but should be viewed as a profession.
“IT is still seen as an industry for geeks, even though salaries
can rival those of lawyers, accountants or doctors. IT has become a
necessity for the majority of people so it should be classed as a
profession.”
Others said that until IT had a professional trade body that
could ban individuals from working within it, it would not have the
status of professions such as medicine, accountancy and law.
Robert Parker-Smith, IT director at consultancy Computer
Solutions, said qualifications held the key to IT’s future
status.
“Accountants, doctors and lawyers have to study for years on end
and only the most dedicated individuals really succeed. But in IT
individuals are often self-taught, lacking formal training or
qualifications, thereby making IT less than a profession,” he
said.
The Big Question is an initiative between Computer Weekly
and recruitment consultancy PSD. Each week we put the Big Question
to top IT professionals to get their take on a current talking
point.
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