Technology jobs increasingly attract professionals from other areas of study

“Today I drive in the technology business, but I’m not an engineer,” says Elango R, president of New Customer Acquisitions at Mphasis, a provider of cloud technology solutions. The executive is an example of how this sector arouses interest among graduates from other fields of study. A survey carried out by the company among Mexican students identified that 71% of students in areas such as history, arts or literature have a desire to be employed in this industry.

The interest in technology industry shown by students of arts and literature, for example, exceeds the proportion of young people who study careers related to science and mathematics with the intention of looking for a job in said sector, which is 69 percent.

“We all know that technology is where there are more opportunities, it is where more money is made and I think these are two important points that arouse interest. Thirdly, this too ties in with something aspirational. When a person says that he works in a certain technology, that has a social impact. We see more and more that there is a status when working in technology”, says Elango in an interview.

The Mphasis survey also highlights that 69% of social sciences and humanities students are considering seeking a job opportunity in the field of technology and young people who study law are not far behind either, as the proportion rises to 75% among those who already see this sector as an option.

However, explains Elango R, the entry of people trained in other careers to a technology company is not exactly like data scientists or engineers. Graduates from other fields are often hired for support, operations, or business analysis departments.

Although this does not mean that people cannot be developed in a technical position. “We’ve seen data scientists who have a background in commerce, but these are people who are good with numbers, get trained, and then go on to become data scientists. It all depends on your qualifications and being very clear on the role you’re choosing,” she explains.

In addition to the salaries and professional development offered by technology companies, students from other majors are attracted to the industry by work environmentsthe possibility of expressing personality without taboos and the social responsibility of companies.

“It doesn’t matter if you come from commerce or literature, what is needed is curiosity, willingness to learn or learning agility. When we recruit people we ask them if they are ready to accept failure and no as an answer, these are the interpersonal skills that are being sought outside of the STEM core”, says Elango.

No matter the race, you have to understand the technology

For the executive, the interest shown by students in careers outside the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) emphasizes the need to train talent that is not one-way; for example, who knows literature, but who understands technology.

“You can study arts or humanities, but there should also be technology credits. Universities could have a certain introduction or tendency to technologies, it does not have to be teaching decoding, but it does have to teach basic concepts, ”she points out.

In Fintech alone, according to a PageGroup study, the IT talent shortage in Latin America amounts to 48% of jobs. The most difficult profiles to find are:

• Full Stack Developer
• Scrum Master
• Mobile Engineers Developers
• Software Architect

The talent shortage specialized for these positions is so extensive that the highest average tenure is two years and only for the position as Software Architect.

From Elango’s perspective, it is important to see the job opportunities that technology offers, because it is an industry that will not stop growing and will create new jobs, even for areas of study that currently do not have such a direct link with this sector. “If you are scared of technology, you are likely to be left behind, because a lot of work is growing rapidly. online”.