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How to fight the paper dragon

Author:
Zuzana Blystanova
December 12, 2022

Techmongers, being true to their Codaisseur legacy, is still a training-orientated company. So when the company was proclaimed the Best IT educator in The Netherlands in 2022 by Computable, it meant a lot! IT skills education is still the heart of our mission here at our new headquarters. Bridging the talent gap in the tech industry has not been lost on us.

But is there still a talent to start with? We have heard about the scarcity of the job market and the impossibility of filling the thousands of tech vacancies.

So where is it all (still) going wrong, anno 2022?

According to Techmongers’ research on this topic, we stumbled upon the same recurring issue that Codaisseur has tried to tackle for the past eight years. The talent is there, but employers are not aware of it. Unfortunately, one of the recurring stumble-blocks in this never-ending soap opera has a name: a so-called ‘Paper Ceiling’.

A simple Google search seems to reflect the very status of the current ignorance. Just google the term ’Paper Ceiling’ now and tell me what your google search says! I challenge thee!

It wouldn’t surprise me if your search results came out just as mine: from the creative ideas on applying a wallpaper and diverse tips and tricks on DIY home refurbishing. Very few would direct you to a relevant paper ceiling definition: the invisible barrier that comes at every turn for workers without a bachelor’s degree (*see source Opportunity At Work)

The term ‘Paper Ceiling’ is relatively new. We have all heard of ‘Glass Ceiling’ by now so what is this paper deal? Until recently, I myself was not aware of this term either. Yet it perfectly describes part of the current hiring issues. Bachelor and university degrees are pretty awesome, but not everyone who is talented has the time or financial means to follow years of study to gain one. As a result, employers overlook a large number of potentially perfect job matches by requiring a ‘paper’.

In today's post-covid job market situation, it is crucial to hire a good fit; someone who loves to work for your company, is passionate about your product or service, has talent and is a perfect culture match. Now imagine that you find this perfect person but soon find out that they miss the required degree. Perhaps this person has a Bootcamp type of education, their previous career doesn’t match the requested background or have little or no tech skills. In either case- they are facing a paper dragon while being the perfect culture match.

At Techmongers, we believe that everybody with the right passion and talent should get an opportunity. Employers could tap into many potential hires if they are willing to invest in education and training. They should consider committing to (new)hires by helping them gain tech skills or to upskill them as soon as the need arises. That is the only way to fight the paper dragon.

During my adventure at Codaisseur I saw many talented people switching their careers and lives after a 10 week-long Coding Bootcamp. They are the ‘walking & coding proof’ that the education does not have to be 4 years long to deliver dedicated and successful employees.

At Techmongers, we continue the legacy of just that.

Perhaps by googling the term ‘Paper Ceiling’ as a result of reading this, the Google search amends its algorithm and starts producing more relevant results: Amazon selection of numerous job opportunities, DIY tips and tricks on how to fill vacancies faster and colourful murals of successful stories.


If you wish to read more on this topic, I would recommend following articles:

* Opportunity At Work

* Tear The Paper Ceiling

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