Campus Q&A: IT Careers

Name: Beverly Principal
Position: Employment Services
University: Stanford University

What trends are you seeing among graduates going into IT?
The demand has grown a lot the last year. Employers of all sizes are realizing that they have to do a better job structuring their internal communications with an intranet, as well as their ability to network their systems together. We did not have enough engineering students and students with technical backgrounds to go around for everybody.

What can students do while they’re in school to make themselves attractive candidates when they reach the job market?
One of the reasons employers really clamor to hire Stanford students is that most of the students have such a great combination of skills. Those majoring in technical fields have strong technical skills, but also tend to have strong business and communication skills. For an IT job, there are things like IT administrators, and those managing the network operations—you’ve got to be able to communicate extremely well with all levels of the company. Students can hone those skills so they’re even better.

What technical skills are most in demand?
Knowledge of MySQL servers, Linux, database administration, technical documentation, Web development, setting up intranet sites, and understanding virus and spam filter products.

How important are soft skills in this field?
If you think about it, when you have an IT position you’re effectively dealing with every single person in the company— that’s starting with whomever is paid the least all the way up to the CEO. You’ve got to be able to communicate at whatever level these people are. In addition to that, you have all the outside vendors you’re interacting with as well, for product information, for demos, for purchasing. It’s a pretty broad exposure kind of job. You’ve got to be able to come up with the best kind of system at the best kind of price, get it implemented, and get everybody to understand why you got it and how it works. Being able to write and speak clearly and train people are invaluable skills.

What are the most common obstacles that get in the way of successfully finding a job?
The most successful students are the ones that don’t just have the technical acumen, but the strategic business and operations planning skills. What stands in the way is when you’ve only got part of that equation.

What other advice do you have for students considering IT as a career?
Students who are thinking about it need to figure out why. What do they like to do? Do those skills apply to the IT field? A lot of times, it sounds like a fun thing and a lot of responsibility, but it’s still a demanding job. You go on vacation and you have your pager, your Palm—I don’t think you ever truly get away from that kind of a job.

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This article is excerpted from WetFeet's new Careers in IT Insider Guide.  Purchase the guide here.