Mentoring program aimed at improving IT job growth

9/22/2010 2:28 AM

A program started earlier this year has paired more than 100 mentors with aspiring IT professionals in an effort to promote job growth within the industry.

Advice given out by mentors includes how to define and achieve career goals, their ideas about the industry and how prodigies can overhaul their resumes. Mentors also hand down their IT expertise.

"I wish there had been something like this when I was trying to make my start in the industry," said Marisa Fagan, who organized the program.

One account given in a Network World report told of a mentor and a prodigy working together on projects such as a blog, resume tweaking and programming exercises.

So far, 20 percent of participants said they were satisfied with the program, while many said it was too early to tell the effectiveness of having a mentor.

With IT salaries growing and still on the rise, the industry may see an influx of new professionals in the coming years. A survey by the Society for Information Management found 80 percent of IT salaries are the same or more than they were last year. The number is expected to jump to 91 percent next year.

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