December 2018 — Labor Market Intelligence Center
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The IT sector is evolving faster than it can be tracked as many companies increasingly integrate tech-savvy practices to boost efficiency and reach.
Exceptionally well-paying jobs will continue to emerge in the sector, and with this, it will become increasingly important to understand our talent pipeline to support this economic development. While Dallas-Fort Worth is carving out its place among notable tech towns in the U.S., Amazon’s pass on the DFW for its HQ2 campus proved there is room to grow the number of IT professionals.
In efforts to match talent supply to demand, we often focus on the overall numbers but in this report, attention is spotlighted on how we are addressing this alignment. While Dallas College offers an extensive number of IT programs throughout its campuses, the options are hard to navigate and programs are not adapting quickly enough to new skills in demand.
Enrollments
2016-2017 Enrollments
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Brookhaven: 334
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Cedar Valley: 65
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Easfield: 73
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El Centro: 1,658
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Mountain View: 121
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North Lake: 512
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Richland: 1,045
Top 10 Alumni Outcomes
| Occupation | # of IT Grads 2013-2018 | Est. Avg. Salary |
|---|
| Computer User Support Specialists | 348 | $54,025 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | 207 | $89,847 |
| Computer Network Support Specialists | 60 | $79,872 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 50 | $96,076 |
| Software Developers, Applications | 44 | $104,590 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 35 | $154,782 |
| Web Developers | 35 | $73,494 |
| Information Security Analysts | 35 | $90,681 |
| Computer Network Architects | 23 | $110,504 |
| Computer Programmers | 21 | $86,558 |
| Total | 858 | $94,043 |
Source: Emsi, Alumni Outcomes 2013-2018
About Our Data Source
Emsi Alumni Outcomes dissects over 21,000 Dallas College identifiable alumni profiles and provides their occupations, wages, employers, region, and promoted skills. The source scrapes online job boards and professional networking platforms and links the information to the alum’s program of study.
The Majority of IT Graduates Work Outside the Field
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IT: 39%
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Outside IT: 56%
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Not available: 5%
Outside the IT Field, Other Top Occupations for Dallas College Alumni Include
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98 - Customer Service Representatives
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46 - First-Line Supervisors of Office Administrative Support Workers
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39 - Management Analysts,
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38 - Retail Salespersons
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38 - Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
Diversity in IT Alumni
Racial diversity is strong, but men dominate enrollments at Dallas College.
Enrollments by Gender (2013-2018)
Enrollments by Race (2013-2018)
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Latinx: 33%
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Black: 28%
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White: 23%
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Other: 14%
Average Age
33 is the average age of our students enrolled in IT.
Several programs have not attracted enrollments
Enrollments for CIP 11.01 (Computer and Information Sciences, General) and CIP 52.1201 (Management Information Systems, General) have either decreased or remained very low. Meanwhile, enrollments in 10.03, 11.02, 11.03, 11.08, 11.09 and 11.10, which are already much higher, are growing.
Degree Types
- 52 certificates
- 27 associates degrees
- 9 achievement awards
Program groupings making up over 60 offerings
- Computer Information Technology (CIT)
- Internet Development Technology (IDT)
- Interactive Simulation and Game Technology
- Computer Science
For example:
54 CIT Programs
- Networking Security: 27
- PC Support: 9
- Programming: 12
- Web/Internet Services
- Certificates and associates degrees are not parallel
- Credentials do not always transfer to a 4-year institution
What choice would you make?
Network/Security
- Network Administrator and Support Assoc.
- Convergence Technology Intern & Technician Cert.
- Information Security Cert.
Mobile Applications Development Cert. (Low enrollment; CIP 11.01)
Multi-Platform Applications Developer Cert. (Low enrollment; CIP 11.01)
- Networking Associate Cert.
- Networking Professional Cert.
- Networking Support Cert.
- SQL Server Cert.
LINUX System Administrator Cert. (Low enrollment; CIP 11.01)
- Cisco Networking Assist. Skills Achievement Award
- Cisco Networking Intern Skills Achievement Award
- Information Security Skills Achievement Award
- IT Security Skills Achievement Award
- UNIX Administrator/Cloud Computing
- Digital Forensics
- Computer Networking
- Computer Information Systems - LAN Server Operator
PC Support
- Personal Computer Support Assoc.
- Help Desk/User Support Technician Cert.
- Personal Computer Specialist Cert.
- Personal Computer User Cert.
- Technology Support Cert.
- Personal Computer Technology & A+ Cert.
- Information Technology Support Specialist I Occupational Skills Award
- Information Technology Support Specialist II Occupational Skills Award
- Computer Information Technology - Help Desk
Web/Internet Services
- Web Production and Design Assoc.
- Basic Web Production Assoc.
- Open Source Cert.
- Web Developer Specialist Cert.
- Web Development Cert.
- Web Production and Design Cert.
Computer Science
- CIS - Business Software Programmer/Developer
- CIS - Business Computer Information Systems
- CIS - Personal Computer Support
Programming
- Software Programmer/Developer Assoc.
- DBA Cert.
Programmer Level 1 Cert. (Low enrollment; CIP 52.1201)
- Software Programmer/Developer Assist. Assoc.
Visual Studio Developer Cert. (Low enrollment; CIP 52.1201)
Visual Studio Enterprise Developer Cert. (Low enrollment; CIP 52.1201)
Visual Studio Professional Developer Cert. (Low enrollment; CIP 52.1201)
- Object-Oriented Programming Skills Achievement Award
- Oracle Assoc. Skills Achievement Award
- Oracle Professional Skills Achievement Award
- .NET Programming Skills Achievement Award
- Data Processing Programmer (Low enrollment; CIP 52.1201)
Internet Development Technologies
- Interactive Simulation & Game Technology
- IDT - Web Application Development
- IDT - Interactive Media Development
- IDT - Internet Marketing
- IDT - Web Site System Administration
- IDT - Adv Web Application Development
- IDT - OS Administration
“New Collar” Jobs
According to a 2018 CompTIA IT Industry report, “new collar” jobs call for candidates who have a skill-centered education that can address technology’s presence in other industries. However, a strong pipeline from education to middle-skill jobs is required.
Source: CompTIA, IT Industry Outlook 2018
Job Roles to Watch
- Cloud Computing
- Cyber Security
- Virtualization
- Networking & Wireless LAN
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- AI, Cognitive Computing & Machine Learning
- Mobility & Endpoint Management
- Mobile App Development & Deployment
- Software Development
- Business Process Management
Source: Global Knowledge, 2018 IT Skills and Salary Report
Increase Your Wage Potential with These Certifications
| Certification | Average Annual Salary in the United States |
|---|
| Citrix Certified Associate – Networking (CCAN) | $99,217 |
| Cisco Certified Networking Professional (CCNP) Routing and Switching | $99,402 |
| Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) | $99,684 |
| Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) – Server Infrastructure | $100,656 |
| Citrix Certified Professional – Virtualization (CCPV) | $103,424 |
| Six Sigma Green Belt | $104,099 |
| Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) | $106,375 |
| Certified ScrumMaster | $106,938 |
| Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) | $108,043 |
| Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) | $111,049 |
| Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) | $111,475 |
| AWS Certified Developer – Associate | $114,148 |
| Project Management Professional (PMP) | $114,473 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate | $121,292 |
| Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT) | $121,363 |
Source: Global Knowledge, 2018 IT Skills and Salary Report
Recommendations
- Align and consolidate similar programs
- Develop degrees that are transferable to 4-year institutions
- Review programs annually to align with workforce needs
- Assemble one district-wide IT advisory council
- Identify reasons why enrollment and/or graduation rates are low in certain areas
Insure implentation of new languags like:
- Java
- Python
- JavaScript
- C++
- C#
Contact Ben Magill, executive director, Labor Market Intelligence Center.