The study revealed the key role of soft skills in an IT career

Flexible skills are becoming a key factor in career growth in the IT field, surpassing even technical expertise in importance. This is evidenced by the research data of the social network VKontakte, which was reviewed on April 3 by Izvestia.

According to the study, 92% of IT company employees say that soft skills (flexible skills) affect income and career growth the most: leadership skills, the ability to negotiate and work in a team. Such qualities directly affect career dynamics: they allow you to take on more responsibility (90%), contribute to an increase (89%) and increase earnings (88%).

The second place is occupied by meta—skills - the ability to learn, adaptability, creative and critical thinking. According to 84% of experts, they help to get more complex and interesting tasks.

At the same time, the technical base remains a prerequisite. Knowledge of programming languages, tools, and professional expertise primarily affect income levels, as noted by 64% of respondents. However, 79% stressed that applied skills alone are not enough for career growth without advanced soft skills.

Most of the study participants consider continuous learning to be necessary: 93% are confident that it is impossible to build a career without it, and 81% are ready to invest in education. The most in-demand areas of development remain working with AI tools and deepening technical expertise (53% each), as well as developing leadership skills (32%).

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How will this affect salaries and who else are companies willing to compete for?

On April 2, Anna Bekish, Director of Compensation and Benefits at T1 IT Holding, told Izvestia that wages remain a weighty argument when choosing an employer, but they have long ceased to be a decisive criterion in the IT industry. According to her, first of all, it is important for an employee to understand what he is working for. When a person sees the goals of the company and his department, knows why a particular task is set and what role he plays in the overall strategy, his involvement increases. Without this, even a promising and interesting project risks becoming a mechanical routine.

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