Tech learning survey: Current, new tech workers on IT skills
Pluralsight survey finds differing skill priorities between newcomers to tech careers and current technologists, but similar struggles in making time to learn.
Sep 24, 2024 • 5 Minute Read
There are many misconceptions when it comes to working in the tech industry. If software engineers and cybersecurity pros aren’t “hacking into the mainframe,” what are they up to all day? And what skills and experience got their foot in the proverbial tech industry door?
Pluralsight’s latest research surveyed both current technologists and those trying to break into the tech industry to understand how tech upskilling benefits their careers, obstacles to learning, and what skills they’re focusing on to stay competitive. Here are the key takeaways from our research.
AI is trendy, but fundamentals can’t be overlooked
The survey found that, while many (37%) of aspiring technologists believed that AI and machine learning skills were the most important to obtain a job in tech, software engineering skills came out on top for 30% of current technologists. So, while AI may be commanding a lion’s share of public focus, it’s the foundational tech skills that are crucial to making it in the tech industry.
AI upskilling is still top of mind for current tech workers, though. Technologists (34%) feel pressured to improve their AI/ML skills more than any other skill, followed by cybersecurity (27%).
85% of the time, upskilling in tech leads to a salary increase
Are you in the tech industry and wishing your take home pay was a bit larger? There’s a compelling solution: hone your skills. Nearly nine out of ten professionals managed to secure a raise, promotion, or switch to a better job as a result of upskilling, according to the survey.
Nearly half of all tech professionals who hit the books are trying to secure a better salary (47%), making it the number-one reason for upskilling. Leaders, take note: if you want your team to upskill, this is the carrot that works best—or should we say, the greens that get them moving.
But it’s not just current tech workers who are seeing green. People looking to break into tech are primarily doing so for a chance at a pay bump, with 41% surveyed expecting a ten- to twenty-thousand-dollar salary increase if they were to land a job in tech.
To learn about the best paying tech jobs right now, check out this article: “What are the best-paying tech jobs to have in 2024?”
Struggling to find time to upskill? Don’t beat yourself up.
Half of all tech professionals struggle to find a way to upskill swiftly or effectively. In fact, it’s the number-one obstacle for getting a job in the field, and 42% of professionals said they were “too busy” to upskill.
Time has long been the enemy of the modern tech professional. If you’re feeling bad for not finding a spare moment to squeeze in some study, and you’re squirming as someone posts how they got yet another industry cert, you’re not alone.
Of course, the best salve for that sting is just to find a way to learn fast and effectively. After all, skills turn into salary, and salary turns into nice vacations and less financial stress.
For tech industry hopefuls, the barriers to upskilling were a bit different. They fear there are too many resources available and are unsure where to start when approaching skills development (44%), followed by being unable to learn fast enough to keep pace with changes in technology (31%).
For both surveyed groups, a frictionless path to finding the right tools and regimen for upskilling is crucial.
Tech workers and tech hopefuls both have an appetite for focused, hands-on learning
82% of professionals find it essential to get hands on to learn something new, according to the survey, but just picking up a product, service, or language and doing your own research is a huge time sink, because you might not be learning efficiently.
That’s why hands-on, curated experiences—such as labs and simulations—are very popular. You’re getting that important experience in practice, but you’ve got an experienced practitioner giving you a task and some guardrails to use your time efficiently. You can also typically start and stop the lab at your leisure.
According to 63% of tech professionals and 46% of people looking to break into tech, this is the most useful way to learn. That said, if you find labs constraining and want to branch out, sandbox environments give you a safe space to jump in and wreck things without fear.
Additionally, since time is limited, one of the best ways to conserve it is to watch videos on professional education platforms. Of course, you can search around and see if there’s a free option, but there are a number of reasons this might result in a lot of lost time.
Many people don’t realize that professional authors who are paid to do these videos are benchmarked on being concise. There’s also someone who approves content for publication, so if it doesn’t meet the platform’s criteria, it doesn’t get published.
This is different from an instructional video on YouTube, where there’s no supervisor, and the video may not actually answer the question you came there for. By then, your time is already spent. You’ve also got to find said video in the first place, and depending on your Google-fu and the number of assets out there, this might take five minutes to thirty-five minutes per query.
Beyond saving existing tech professionals time, professional education platforms also address the biggest fear of aspiring tech workers: that there are too many resources available, and they don’t know where to start (44%).
For both current and aspiring technologists, the allure of having a concrete path to upskilling success was so strong that the vast majority (71% and 86% respectively) were interested in receiving a tech learning platform subscription as a gift.
Resources for upskilling in tech
Pluralsight is a tech skills platform with up-to-date, expert-led content made specifically for other professionals. It offers just-in-time learning resources that are short and to the point, helping you upskill in a fast, efficient way, so you can improve your skills and secure higher salaries.
Pluralsight offers an always free plan with no credit card required. There’s also a 10-day free trial to the wider library of 7,000+ expert-led courses, Skill IQ tests, hands-on content and coding projects, and certification prep courses.
If you want to keep reading, Pluralsight also offers a wide range of educational blogs to help you advance your career. Here are some worth checking out:
