As new college grads start brushing up their LinkedIn profiles, employers are already asking themselves whether fresh-out-of-school applicants are actually up for the job.
A new Lumina Foundation-Gallup study puts a number on what a lot of hiring managers already suspect: while employers still prefer to hire candidates with degrees, only 54% say graduates are entering the workforce with the skills their organizations need. That’s a lot of diplomas hanging on walls next to a very real skills gap.
In most industries, that disconnect is frustrating. In IT and cybersecurity, where talent shortages are already chronic and the threat landscape changes faster than most curricula get updated, it’s a genuine problem. So what does a real education look like? What does “job-readiness” mean in the industry?
Where traditional higher education is falling short
More than half of organizations that experienced a data breach in 2024 had severe security staffing shortages, according to IBM. That number is a 26.2% increase from the previous year.
Organizations should be concerned. Of course, that means that their own companies are at risk, but companies should also be worried because it’s a sign that the way we currently train and hire cybersecurity talent isn’t working. Having a degree doesn’t mean you can meet the job market’s demands.
To be fair to colleges and universities, keeping pace with the IT and cybersecurity fields is genuinely hard. By the time a new course gets designed, approved, staffed, and added to a catalog, the technology it covers might already be outdated. Areas like ransomware tactics, cloud security frameworks, and AI-driven threats are evolving quickly, while academic institutions, by their nature, are slow.
The result is graduates who understand foundational concepts but have limited exposure to the tools, environments, and scenarios they will encounter on day one of an actual job. That is not entirely anyone’s fault, but it is everyone’s problem.
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But, degrees still give you an advantage in the job market
Of course, degrees still matter. Employers use them as a screening tool because they signal baseline competency, the ability to commit to something long-term, and at least some exposure to structured learning. Nobody is throwing their bachelor’s degree in the trash.
But a degree has never been a guarantee of job readiness, and the gap between “graduated” and “can do this job” has never been more visible than it is right now in tech. Hiring managers in cybersecurity and IT aren’t just looking for someone who took a networking course three years ago. They want people who can respond to an incident, identify a vulnerability, configure a system, and think on their feet when something breaks at 2:00 a.m. A transcript doesn’t tell them that.
Why more employers are leaning into skills-based hiring
To remedy the shortage, a growing number of employers are quietly reworking how they evaluate candidates, putting more weight on demonstrated skills and less on pedigree. In cybersecurity especially, this shift makes a lot of sense. The field is too fast-moving and too high-stakes to hire on credentials alone.
What does skills-based hiring actually look like? Think technical assessments, portfolio reviews, capture-the-flag competitions, and yes, certifications. Companies want to see that you can do the thing, not just that you sat in a room where someone talked about the thing.
This is good news for candidates who have taken non-traditional paths. It also puts pressure on traditional degree programs to get more serious about practical, hands-on preparation.
What are employers really looking for?
In IT and cybersecurity, job-ready means you can walk in the door and be useful. It means you have worked in a lab environment, practiced real scenarios, and built some familiarity with the tools your employer is actually using. It means you know how to troubleshoot, how to communicate a technical issue to a non-technical stakeholder, and understand the importance of continued learning once you are on the job because the field will absolutely require it.
Job-ready is not about having the perfect resume. It is about having the practical foundation to grow quickly once you are in the role.
Creating job-ready IT and cybersecurity professionals
This gap is where certifications, bootcamps, and IT trade programs are earning serious credibility. CompTIA Security+, Certified Ethical Hacker, Google’s cybersecurity certificate, Cisco’s networking programs: these are not consolation prizes for people who skipped college. They are targeted, practical, and increasingly respected by employers who care more about what you can do than where you went to school.
Trade programs and technical colleges are also stepping up, offering accelerated pathways into IT roles that combine foundational coursework with real hands-on labs and industry certifications baked right into the curriculum.
The message is pretty simple. If you are pursuing a career in IT or cybersecurity, your degree or diploma gets you in the door. Your skills are what keep you there. Stack certifications, seek out hands-on experience, build a portfolio, and do not wait for a classroom to catch up to the industry.
The talent shortage is real. Employers are looking. Show up ready to actually do the work.
About MyComputerCareer
MyComputerCareer is an I.T. school that specializes in helping people make a career change to the computer industry, regardless of their previous education or work experience.
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