With employers still clamoring to find enough workers, smart companies have made great leaps in recruiting information technology staff from non-traditional areas. This can mean bringing a recently graduated music major on board or finding a customer service person who demonstrates IT aptitude in-house. Some employers have found ways to ferret out potential IT professionals. Computerworld magazine asked several IT managers how they find and train the right people and what the benefits are of having non-techies in the mix.
Many firms offer career transition programs.
At UnitedHealth Technologies in Minneapolis, there are several paths in technology that non-IT employees can choose. UnitedHealth offers tuition reimbursement for college classes and degrees, so if someone wants to become a programmer, they can educate themselves to fill that roll. For half their day, they take courses in business analysis and testing and project management. SPR Inc. Many companies do this sort of career transitioning on an informal basis. Puffer and his boss provided much of the basic training and mentoring the employee needed.