Geeks and technology scare Aussies: survey

IT professionals believe the average Australian employee is apprehensive of new technology, according to a recent survey by Talent2, an Australian recruitment company.

The survey of more than 1000 IT professionals also revealed 86 percent of respondents believed there exists a cultural divide between technical staff (perceived as 'geeks') and other (non-geek) professionals.

Ian James, head of IT recruitment at Talent2 said: "The perception that geeks sit all alone in a cubicle with a PC, fiddling with technology and intricate computer languages is not all wrong. But people need to realise that technology is inescapable. It impacts every job sector and the fastest growing, highest paying jobs of the future are technology related.

"By its very nature the IT community is a young community. Young people grasp technology far quicker than adults. Perhaps this is the cause of communication breakdowns and a lack of proper perceptions," he said.

According to James, the skills of geeks lie with troubleshooting rather than people interaction. "IT professionals need to be problem solvers. They need to understand technology but they do not need to develop their people and communication skills."