Hidden Gold for IT Professionals, Educators, and Students: Insights From Stack Overflow Survey

• Published in: IEEE transactions on computational social systems Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 795 - 806
• Main Authors: Dada, Oluwaseun Alexander, Obaido, George, Sanusi, Ismaila Temitayo, Aruleba, Kehinde, Yunusa, Abdullahi Abubakar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Piscataway IEEE 01.04.2023; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Collaborating tools; Data science; Decision making; Employment; Engineering profession; GitHub; Hardware; Industries; Information technology; information technology (IT); IT job roles; Programming languages; Skills; Software; software developer; Stack Overflow; Students; Visualization
• ISSN: 2329-924X; 2329-924X; 2373-7476
• DOI: 10.1109/TCSS.2022.3151130

It is undeniable that technological advancements have taken significant changes in the nature of work, resulting in the loss of many jobs and the emergence of new ones. As a result, information technology (IT) job seekers and professionals must be aware of changes required in their respective fields. This study identified and ranked the most-used technologies, such as programming languages, databases, operating systems (OSs), and collaborative tools, specific to twenty-three (23) different IT roles. Furthermore, this study advocates that individuals focus on critical skills required in various domains to achieve career success. Similarly, individuals with a set of valued technical skills may decide whether to change jobs or roles if they are interested in a position that requires their current competence. The findings of this study can be helpful to career counselors, instructors, students, professionals, recruiters, curriculum designers, and decision-makers.