‘What is more important to employers, education or knowledge?’ asked the AI ​​expert

Aon’s Joseph Holland discusses how taking the road less traveled can lead you to the job you were meant to have.

“I wanted to be an architect”, explains Joseph Holland, director of digital infrastructure, AI platforms and developer experience, at Aon. That was the plan, however, after completing the Leaving Cert, he found he no longer had the required CAO points and “suddenly he didn’t have a plan”.

“I was always into computers and technology. Even when I wasn’t working I would repair old PCs and sell them. So when a FÁS employee mentioned Fastrack in Information Technology (FIT), I was immediately hooked.”

He was accepted into the program and came out with a QQI-FET level six Advanced Certificate in IT Specific Support and a one-year contract at Kepak Group which quickly became permanent.

From there he moved on to Version1 and then on to Aon, where he saw a gap where there was no developer experience job, he opened a case to build one and today he leads the AI ​​and developer experience platform. Along the way he also enrolled at Trinity College Dublin, as a mature student, where he completed his degree in information systems.

Which means that often, despite having a plan, you don’t end up going the way you thought you would. Professionally, it can take time and research to find the best course of action.

“I’m glad I did it,” said Holland, “I learned useful skills about project management, project analysis and understanding how technology fits into the broader business process.

There is no other way to proceed

Access to extraordinary opportunities for education and high skills, for Holland, “everything”, as he explains without FIT he would probably choose to retake the Leaving Cert, pointing his career in a different path.

He comments, “The traditional program dismissed me based on a bunch of test results. FIT looked at me differently. What makes programs like FIT work is the direct connection with the industry. You don’t learn theory alone. You learn skills that employers really need and you are placed in real workplaces where you can prove yourself.”

The lessons he found have the power to break down big barriers for young people who are struggling to get in the door when they don’t have a CV.

He says, “The tech industry is moving fast and doesn’t really care where your degree comes from. It cares if you can solve problems and keep learning. Alternatives are often better at developing those qualities than four years of college.”

And part of creating opportunities for young people, he explains, is to dispel dangerous myths about other education routes as a vehicle to a tech-based career.

Mythbusters

“The biggest myth is that they came second to the best. That if you were doing well you would have gone to university. A university education has real value and I don’t discount that. But I have worked with people from all educational backgrounds over the past 20 years and the way a person takes it doesn’t tell you how good they are at their job.”

What matters, he finds, is what a person has done with their time since then. Another common lie is that there is a ceiling you will eventually hit. Holland explains that there’s a belief that even though you can land an entry-level role through an apprenticeship, once you start looking for a senior position, you’ll run into roadblocks.

“I’m a director at a Fortune 500 company. I got my qualifications years in my career, not before it. Roofs are not made and maintained by employment, not by any real limitation of what people from other backgrounds can achieve.”

Finally, you find that there is also a misunderstanding that some paths lead only to technical roles. According to Holland, the skills developed through programs like FIT go beyond coding or networking.

“My career went from working on infrastructure to leading business AI strategy and building new business functions. Technology jobs are built on continuous learning and the starting point is less important than people think.”

To that point, Holland urges employers to take a closer look at how technical training in particular can build a strong talent pipeline, noting many of the skills they enjoy, such as curiosity, a strong work ethic and a willingness to learn do not require a degree.

Any new person who didn’t get the points they needed, or who is sitting in class asking if they are on the right path or if there are other ways, you want them to know that they exist and you have been there.

He says, “The educational system measures one small type of skill at a time in your life. It doesn’t define you and it doesn’t predict where you’ll end up. I went from being out of school to directing Fortune 500 AI platforms while running an animal farm and a music technology startup.

“Life is wider and stranger and more exciting than any career guidance session will tell you. Programs like FIT exist because the tech industry needs people who think outside the box and aren’t afraid to figure things out fast. If that sounds like you, there’s a way waiting. You just need to know it’s there.”

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