Considering that many companies have to approach digital transformation as a key element for long-term survival, the fast expansion of the IT industry doesn’t come as a surprise. More and more people shift their careers towards IT, some know right from the start which path to take and go for tech-related university programs, while others leave their industries and opt for non-formal education to get into the field.
The IT sector is booming with opportunities for young professionals. Today, youth is the driving force in tech. More than ever before, this fact highlights the importance of ensuring cross-generational knowledge transfer. Reciprocal knowledge exchange between beginners and seniors futureproofs companies against the possible brain drain while facilitating the integration of beginners in the work process. In the meantime, cross-generational knowledge transfer can prevent the phenomenon of uneven seniority distribution, when there are too many beginners craving for knowledge at the beginning of their career paths and not enough seniors to ensure the knowledge transfer.
Teaching Beginners to Gain Benefits as a Senior
Teaching must be perceived as a two-way street. Students get to explore thoroughly the industry of choice and to find out ways of avoiding possible mistakes specific to the job. Even though teachers need to be invested emotionally and demonstrate the commitment to spend some of their time during the process, you can take joy in certain perks that come with this activity:
- Developing effective communication skills. Often teaching is not only about sharing technical information, it’s about diving into the minds of the students, acknowledging the situation and triggering the right motivation for the student to learn. Teachers are required to deal with interpersonal communication and they are the ones who lead the student to achieve the learning goals.
- Getting promoted at work. Following the development of leadership skills, IT professionals who conduct teaching activities are more likely to get a promotion. Perhaps by coincidence, perhaps not, leading a team often requires similar skills to the ones that are being developed when taking on the teacher’s attributes.
- Networking. Needless to say, teaching makes you interact with people that you weren’t acquainted with previously. Most of the students are future IT specialists. Teaching creates a strong bond between the teacher and the student and normally this could result in productive future interactions or a fruitful collaboration. It is quite common for teachers to recommend their students for open junior positions at companies where they work.
- Leaving a legacy. Sharing experience and supporting the next generation of IT specialists leads to the greatest personal satisfaction. Moreover, it contributes to the development of the IT industry as a whole. This being said, teaching has a positive impact on the development of the entire country.
Teaching by Example at ISD Moldova
By all means, you can’t promote teaching unless you’re the one who does that. We are fully aware of the fact that the future of the IT sector rests on the shoulders of today’s juniors. And, as one of our core values is empowering individuals, we take seriously the approach to education.
We have already managed to establish a symbiotic relationship with TUM (Technical University of Moldova). In the meantime, we organize regular internships where young professionals at the beginning of their careers can work on a real solution, observe how actual projects operate and learn through practice.
Members of our ISD team are committed to contributing to teaching initiatives and improving the local education system. This is our way of doing things, and what is yours?