IT Professionals Most Grateful for Colleague Relationships, Bosses Not So Much

Dec 10, 2013 | HANOVER, MD | For media inquiries, please contact us at media@TEKsystems.com.

Hanover, Md. – December 10, 2013 – TEKsystems® today announced results of a survey exploring what IT professionals are most grateful for this holiday season, as well as their reflections upon past career choices and goals for 2014. The survey shows that team dynamics, specifically the relationships with their colleagues, is the aspect IT professionals are most grateful for in their jobs. Other reflections include IT professionals’ desire to develop their skills and advance their careers in 2014.

Results from TEKsystems’ survey of 900 IT professionals include:

• IT professionals rank their relationship with their colleagues as the top aspect of their job for which they are most grateful, while their relationship with their boss ranks sixth. Moreover, only 11 percent are interested in improving their relationship with their boss.
• Compensation and work-life balance afforded by their company rank second and third, respectively. Challenging work ranks fourth, followed by achieving a sense of accomplishment which ranks fifth.

• If they could start their careers over, 22 percent of IT professionals would change their college major. Of these respondents, while 40 percent would choose a major related to technology and 28 percent named science-related fields, 32 percent would select arts and humanities.
• Forty-four percent of IT professionals believe their careers could have been enabled further if they had pursued more education and certifications. The majority of the certifications they wish they had pursued are more technical in nature and less focused on improving all-around skills. The top five certifications they would have pursued are:

1. Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
2. Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)
3. CompTIA Server+
4. Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD)
5. Project Management Professional (PMP®

• More than three times as many IT professionals say they would have changed jobs fewer times during their career than those who wish they would have changed jobs more often.

• The top two goals IT professionals have for 2014 are related to learning new skills, with technical skills ranking much higher than business skills. Seventy percent of IT professionals want to learn new technical skills in 2014 compared to just 45 percent who want to learn new business skills.
• Ranking third, 44 percent identify changing jobs as a goal for 2014, either by staying within their current organization or taking their talents elsewhere. 

TEKsystems Market Research Manager Jason Hayman is available for additional commentary. For more information about the survey or to schedule an interview, please contact Rick McLaughlin (TEKsystems@daviesmurphy.com).

About TEKsystems

People are at the heart of every successful business initiative. At TEKsystems, an Allegis Group company, we understand people. Every year we deploy more than 80,000 IT professionals at 6,000 client sites across North America, Europe and Asia. Our deep insights into IT human capital management enable us to help our clients achieve their business goals–while optimizing their IT workforce strategies. We provide IT staffing solutions and IT services to help our clients plan, build and run their critical business initiatives. Through our range of quality-focused delivery models, we meet our clients where they are, and take them where they want to go, the way they want to get there.