Insurance companies "Gjensidige" Daina Rutkauskienė, head of the analytical competencies group, shares her insights on IT market trends and opportunities for retrained employees in the IT field: I think that Vilnius Coding School graduates have enough motivation. It is very important that they do not stop learning after completing the training program, because the knowledge gained in three months is only the first step in their journey as specialists."
What is the current situation of the IT market? What is the ratio of supply and demand for programmers? Has the market situation changed during the pandemic?
In the IT sector, the market is currently competitive. We especially notice this when looking for experienced professionals with IT education, experience and a wide range of knowledge. Easier to find beginner programmers. During the pandemic, we were looking for both beginners and experienced professionals. We've noticed that entry-level professionals are currently in abundance and experienced professionals are in short supply, just like before the pandemic.
Is a university degree important when working as a programmer? Some big IT companies ask for a diploma, how is it valued in your company?
Education is not the most important requirement. We evaluate a diploma by making sure that a person has acquired a certain education. When hiring a new employee, we delve into each candidate's abilities and experience. If a future colleague has deep enough knowledge and skills in a specific field, education is no longer the most important factor in accepting him or her into the team.
Why did you agree to cooperate with Vilnius Coding School? What opportunities did you see?
We were looking for entry-level IT specialists, and Vilnius Coding School took care of employment opportunities for its students, so our interests coincided.
Sometimes employers are hesitant about retraining specialists and their opportunities to join a new field, what is your attitude towards retraining people?
If people are eager to learn and devote attention and time to it, retraining is definitely possible. It happens consistently, starting from the very basics, accumulating experience, learning from other specialists. A lot can be achieved this way.
What positions can beginners in your company usually apply for?
Position titles can be varied, such as data analysts, data engineers. More important are the functions themselves, the skills that a person already has and can easily learn. I know that after coming from Vilnius Coding School, people already know how to process data of simple structures, know how to create predictive models, display results using visualization tools. Therefore, knowing this, tasks are selected where such competences are needed and further investments are made in the development of knowledge.
How do you assess this project now that the person who has completed the training is already working in your company?
I think that Vilnius Coding School graduates have enough motivation. It is very important that they do not stop learning after completing the training program, because the knowledge gained in three months is only the first step in their journey as specialists.
