Three Perspectives on the Value of Bridgers Within IT: A Longitudinal Study of Eight Years of Job Placement of IT Graduates

Job placement data is important for understanding where graduates get jobs. We present an empirical study of eight years of undergraduate and graduate IT placement data to explore IT jobs obtained within IT functions. Niederman, Ferratt, and Trauth (2016) propose clustering IT jobs into four macro-level categories based on the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) required for these jobs: IT bridgers, technical specialists, application domain specialists, and IT managers. They argue an increased need for and value placed on "bridgers" who can fill bridging jobs within IT. Bridgers within IT possess both technical and "soft skills" like communications/managerial and change/project management and work within the IT function but can liaise between IT and business units. Using a longitudinal sample of 1,980 IT graduates from one Information School, the data supports that IT bridgers are hired within IT, are hired earlier, and are largely hired in consulting, technology, and finance industry sectors. Contributions include exploring the utility of the macro-level categorization of NFT IT job categories to analyze job placement, the importance of tracking IT job placement in employer sectors, and the overall value of IT placement data for IT educators and administrators.