Annual survey reveals nontechnical skills play a crucial role in advancing tech pros’ careers
SolarWinds, a leading provider of simple, powerful, and secure IT management software, announced the findings from its IT Pro Day 2021 survey: Bring IT On. Amidst ongoing pandemic-driven change at work and at home, this year’s survey seeks to understand how tech pros feel about their daily roles and responsibilities, the lessons they learned over the past year, and what they think of the primary technical and nontechnical skills needed to capitalize on opportunities for their future career growth.
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“This year’s IT Pro Day survey results showcase IT pros’ adaptability and dedication to expanding the more prominent roles they’ve taken on over the past year to support remote and hybrid work”
The survey supports IT Professionals Day, which is observed on the third Tuesday of every September (September 21, 2021) and aims to celebrate the invincible heroes of IT who rise to the challenge every day in navigating monumental and ever-shifting transformations across the globe.
After a year of unprecedented challenges and change, tech pros responding to this year’s survey report a positive perception of their roles and say they look forward to what lies ahead. Almost half (48%) of tech pro respondents say they’re proud of what they do, another 44% love what they do, and 41% believe this year has proven they’re more capable than they realized. As tech pros look to the future, 62% of respondents say they’re motivated to succeed in their roles and nearly all (81%) of the tech pro respondents agree there will be multiple opportunities to develop and enhance their careers in the next year.
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“This year’s IT Pro Day survey results showcase IT pros’ adaptability and dedication to expanding the more prominent roles they’ve taken on over the past year to support remote and hybrid work,” said Chrystal Taylor, Head Geek™, SolarWinds. “As more tech pros embrace the ‘Bring IT On’ mentality, reaching for more responsibility and a leading role in the digital transformations of their businesses—and setting goals to get there—we can certainly expect how the IT organization is viewed by the business to completely transform in the future.”
Tech pro respondents also agree a balance between nontechnical skills and more traditional technical certifications and experience will play a large role in enabling career advancement, though past surveys showed finding time to cultivate these skills is often limited. This year’s IT Pro Day survey shows life is an IT classroom, and many of the nontechnical skills key to advancement can be gained at home or through hobbies, reducing the barrier to advancement for tech pros seeking higher-level opportunities at work requiring those skills. Collaboration (teamwork, listening to others, networking; 66%), innovative or creative problem-solving (48%), and communication (public speaking, written documents; 46%) are the most important nontechnical skills necessary for advancement.
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These nontechnical skill sets will play a large role in enabling tech pros to achieve advanced responsibilities, such as project management and becoming part of the decision-making process, which 34% of tech pro respondents say is their biggest opportunity at work in the next year. Meanwhile, tech pros are also cautious of challenges on the horizon, like cybersecurity threats and burnout, but are confident the continued evolution of IT operations in the new normal—such as new tools and processes—will create positive change.
“As tech pros gear up for what lies ahead, SolarWinds will be by their side, providing the best tools, advice, and insight to help them tackle everything head on,” Taylor continues. “Whether it’s through our free THWACK® community of over 150,000 registered members, our affordable IT operations management solutions, or our Customer Success Center, we’ll be on hand to guide tech pros and make their lives easier.”
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