Peter Saflund, a technology workforce researcher and a special advisor to the National Skills Standards Board (NSSB) on Information Technology, was the keynote speaker at the 2007 "Think Forward" conference in Las Vegas. In his address, Saflund warned educators that today's college graduates will switch jobs nine times befoer the age of 40. Thus, IT project, security, and database management skills that transfer from one industry to the another may be more marketable than easily outsources programming skills. In addition, Saflund points to the necessity of honing in on skills outside of IT. Many colleges and universities have already reacted by offering students certificate programs that encompass IT management generalist skills, as students pursue a mastery of another discipline in their academic major. With rapid advances in technology enabling managers to implement smart changes, Saflund warns that technology education at the post secondary level is still a priority.

Read the story Article: Hot Skills, Cold Skill at these link below, then answer the following questions:

http://www.uic.edu/cba/cba-depts/ids/Documents/hotcold.pdf

1. Which IT skills most interest you in your academic concentration? Why?

2. Do you think that IT generalist or specialist will dominate the market in 2010 and beyond? Why?

3. Select a large corporation and describe its most likely IT needs in 2010 and beyond.

4. Which skills will have the steepest decline? Why?

5. Why does Foote suggest that the competition will increase significantly in 2010 and beyond?