DETERMINING CRITICAL SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE REQUIREMENTS OF IT PROFESSIONALS BY ANALYZING KEYWORDS IN JOB POSTINGS

In a constantly changing job market, Information Technology (IT) practitioners must keep their skills up-to-date. Educational institutions with Informational Technology curricula must also keep current in course offerings and programs of study. One way to maintain relevance is to examine and identify what IT skills and competencies are in demand. Job positions, indicating current expertise needed by companies, are good indicators of the types of IT skills that current and future IT professionals should possess in order to be marketable in a competitive labor market. This paper analyzes keyword data from job postings of a regional trade association to determine what skill sets and competencies are essential.