Academic education provides significant advantages for IT professions that require deep theoretical knowledge and basic mathematical training. In particular, these are fundamental computer science, the theory of computer systems and theoretical computer science, said Vadim Lobov, member of the Russian State Council commission for “Small and Medium-sized Businesses” and president of the Synergy educational corporation.
It also included areas such as cybersecurity, information security systems development, cryptography, software architecture design and software systems development, knowledge of which can only be obtained at a university.
Online courses, according to Lobov, are best suited for areas with rapidly changing tools: for example, website development, front-end and back-end development.
In addition, online education will suffice, at least at the first stage, in Big Data, developing machine learning models, developing applications for iOS and Android. Such courses are frequently updated to keep up with current trends and include practical tasks that can be added to a portfolio, Lobov said. This is especially useful because HR requires completed projects, verified written lines of code or products launched on the market by IT specialists. Education takes about the third place, noted Natalya Tsarevskaya-Dyakina, director of the product department at the Skolkovo Foundation.
He added that about 30% of IT specialists’ knowledge becomes obsolete in one year, and therefore it is necessary to update it regularly. The formal education system cannot provide such a speed of learning.
