Many of the 40,000,000 Americans who want or need a career in technology believe it is too difficult to pursue. This is a problem that we need to fix, according to Todd Thibodeaux, CompTIA CEO. 40 million Americans want or need a job, but aren’t sure what to do or how to do it. Many people in this “career intent” group also feel that technology is too difficult to pursue. CompTIA CEO Todd Thibodeaux spoke during a keynote speech at the CompTIA ChannelCon conference in Chicago.
“People believe it is difficult to learn how to work in our field. They also think it costs a lot and takes a lot more time. Thibodeaux stated that there are five to six obstacles to overcome.
There are so many tech job openings that it is overwhelming that the entire industry, from vendors to MSPs and IT pros, must do more to remove any obstacles to pursuing a career as a technology professional.
“We’ve been so happy and fat. We need to do a better job of fighting for these people and advertising about this industry. We do amazing work for so many individuals and businesses. Thibodeaux stated that we need to tell the story. “All businesses and companies must step up and hire these people. There is no outcome if we don’t train people and don’t hire.
Tech ranks below many industries that are considered by career-intent people, behind sales, marketing and real estate, hospital and food, travel and tourist, healthcare/medical and business, financial, and accounting.
Thibodeaux says that the tech industry must find a way to attract these people. “We cannot assume that people will want to work in technology anymore. We need to tell more stories and show that tech careers are better and more accessible. This industry doesn’t require you to be a scientist or math guru to succeed. This is a huge problem we still have to overcome.
“Everyone is born to share”
CompTIA has launched a new initiative called Project Agora (the Greek term for marketplace). This multi-faceted program aims to attract people who are interested in a career in IT. It provides a variety of learning environments that will help them get started and advance in their career.
Thibodeaux stated that “our goal is to make the best place to start, build, and supercharge your technology career.” “We have identified 30 job roles that collectively account for about 90% of the tech role employment. We need 200 people who have done these jobs to talk to us about the challenges they face, how long it takes, and what they love about their job.
CompTIA will also need to engage around 100 instructors to train the next generation tech workers. There are also hundreds of guest lecturers who can create content explaining what tech is and how it can be done.
Thibodeaux said to the ChannelCon crowd, “You all have such amazing stories to share.” “Not everyone is born to teach, but everybody is born with the ability to share. There are hundreds of videos that can be made on any topic. If you have beaten a malware attack and are willing to spend 10 minutes on it, that’s great. It would be great to have a video of you upgrading to a new Wi Fi system. We want it as long as it is focused on the problems we face and has energy.
He said that additional tools and resources will also be created to assist those already in the tech workforce.
“It’s all about keeping people in the business and helping them grow. These tools will also benefit those already working in the industry. Thibodeaux stated that we want to offer a richer set of materials to them as well. “We want tech-specific resources that focus on positive mental health, navigating diverse workforces, continuing education, and emotional intelligence. Project Agora is about unlocking the potential of the industry and the millions of people who work in it.
Are you interested in Project Agora’s assistance? Contact us at the email addresses below:Job Profiles: [email protected]Instructors: [email protected]Guest Lecturers: [email protected]Case Studies: [email protected]Career Resources: [email protected]
