IT courses still a good choice despite layoffs

JAKARTA (JP): Just in the past two weeks, we have read news after news about job losses in major IT companies.

"Nokia to cut jobs in networks unit," reported Reuters on June 28.

CNet News.com reported that Intel was in the process of cutting 5,000 jobs, several hundreds of which would be in Denmark as the chip giant had decided to stop selling its general-purpose routers and switches.

Another leading networking company, 3Com, has announced job cuts for the remaining months of the year.

Lucent Technologies announced it would reduce several thousands of jobs after it had completed its voluntary retirement program. Even IBM has to let thousands of its workers go.

And, as the Internet seems to be losing its credibility as the backbone of the New Economy, job cutting in Internet companies have also been taking place at a frightening pace.

Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas Inc. reported last month that the number of layoffs in U.S. dotcoms were close to 125,000, up 56 percent compared to the number in May. During the first half of this year, the firm said, almost 800,000 workers were displaced in this sector.

So, if jobs are so quickly disappearing from global IT industry leaders and Internet companies, has the end of the IT professionals' golden age finally arrived?

Does it still make sense to pursue skills in the information technology? Will you be able to earn a living with a good skill in XML or Java programming, for example?

Absolutely. What is happening now is a temporary setback, caused by a hiccup in the global economic expansion. It forces the IT leaders to streamline their operations and consolidate their businesses.

And, as John A. Challenger, CGC's CEO, said, "The good news for displaced workers as well as for the economy is that the jobs that are being affected the most by downsizing are still in demand."

So, if IT is your profession of choice, how can you prepare for it? The good thing about becoming an IT professional is that you do not need a university degree to become one.

All you need to have is proven skills in the latest technology and a willingness to learn new technologies as they come around.

That is why attending IT courses should still be in your list of daily activities, whether you are a student studying economics or a store manager working 50 hours a week.

Fortunately, there are a number of good IT courses around, many of which are international and follow international standard curricula. Two institutes in Jakarta where you can pursue IT courses are SSI and NIIT.

SSI, which focuses on providing IT professional training, is located in the Kebayoran area and has a branch location in West Jakarta.

Boasting qualified expatriate and local faculty, it offers courses for "high-end" professionals as well as high school and college students.

Professionals can take courses in e-commerce, Oracle, Java programming, networking, etc. Students and even beginners can take courses on how to use Microsoft Office as well as the Internet.

With course materials developed based on industry requirements, this IT course center provides an affordable avenue to IT job opportunities. Perhaps most notable of all is SSI's 24- hour computer lab facility which students can use seven days a week.

Like SSI, NIIT also has its origin in India, the Asian IT powerhouse. NIIT has been in Indonesia for much longer, and has also established an international presence.

NIIT, however, concentrates more on long-term programs -- up to two years. Students can choose to take one, two or four semesters and learn all the latest technologies in the industry.

During the semesters, they will learn SQL, Java programming, C++ programming, Visual BASIC programming, CGI, Active Server Pages (ASP), DHTML, XML, ARSDA, all the way to Web design, and programming and software quality assurance.

To really prepare the students for the real life at work, the last two semesters will feature case study presentations and professional practice in real industrial settings.

Both of these international IT institutes will issue certificates that are recognized in other countries. They can also help with job placement, too.

Just remember, the IT golden age is not over yet. Far from it.

Zatni Arbi