Computer skills are undervalued in business

The BBC reports that a survey conducted by Microsoft found that businesses are undervaluing IT skills... (Well, Microsoft would find that, wouldn't they?)

1. Team working and interpersonal skills
2. Initiative
3. Analysing and problem solving
4. Verbal communication
5. Personal planning and organising
6. Flexibility
7. IT skills

I'd have to say that I think IT skills are important, particularly since I am an IT contractor / consultant, however, if you're illiterate, can't work in a team, solve problems, tie your own shoelaces, then you're pretty fucked, and IT skills are the least of your worries.

I think the feeling that IT skills are undervalued stems from businesses typically seeing IT as only an overhead, and not really a core part of enabling folk to get work done. (Whatever the particular work of the company is...) Too many times IT budgets are slashed, support is cut back, and cheap kludges are thrown in to production which is fine when things work, but when they break how many engineers, sales people, widget makers, traders or whomever find they can't do a damn thing until someone comes along to make it all better? These costs will run in to millions of (wo)man hours, and seriously impacts the profitability of a company, not to mention losing your latest CV, and mp3 collection seriously fucks up your Qi. A lot of this is preventable, if the hard headed spreadsheet managers would listen to the actual support requirements of the people that work in the companies...

A happy medium is required, not lowest common denominator.

But then, I was always going to say that. That, and give me a pay rise.