Desired professional degrees

Degree?
The main thing is being up to the task

Employers require a degree for challenging duties. However, the analysis shows that specialists with different professional degrees can often apply for the same position.

Source: DEKRA Academy 2024
Base: 300 job vacancies (multiple responses)

The field of system integration is mentioned with particular frequency in requirements profiles. Training as an IT specialist for digital networking and data and process analysis, in contrast, is listed in only a few job advertisements (10 and 7 cases). There are overlaps between the different IT specializations, so they are mentioned more frequently. In 28.0 % of job ads, however, employers request only an IT specialist degree, without mentioning one of the four specializations.

Experienced IT specialists are obviously expected to be able to handle the same jobs as academically trained IT professionals. Professional IT training is mentioned alongside a degree in an IT field in a significant number of job advertisements. In addition, various other academic degrees and professional IT training certificates are listed.

In light of the lack of trained professionals, employers are likely more focused on ensuring specialists can handle the duties assigned to them, rather than trying to reinforce a particular specialization. Relevant professional experience plays an important role: For almost one out of five positions, applicants need to already have multiple years of experience (17.7 %). In all other cases, non-specific “professional experience” is expected (14.3 %).

Language fluency

Good German fluency needed

IT specialists need to have very good fluency in written and spoken German (44.0 %). The same level of fluency in English ranks second (37.3 %). Appropriate English fluency is most likely considered a self-evident requirement in IT; after all, specialists need to be able to read operating manuals and technical texts, most of which are written in English. Apprentices also learn (technical) English at vocational colleges.