Are Professional Skills Learnable? Beliefs and Expectations Among Computing Graduates

Abstract

Integrating graduate education with professional skills development is still a challenge. People's beliefs about learning impact their learning processes. Therefore, we need to understand the mindset of graduates to determine best practices for promoting professional skills development. In this study, we explore the perspective of computing graduates within an Engineering educational program. This study aims to answer the following research questions: Which skills do computing graduates perceive they need in the workplace, and how do they position themselves regarding these skills? What learning beliefs do computing graduates hold regarding the skills required in the workplace? The research team conducted semistructured interviews with computing graduates within an Engineering program to analyze their experiences. The interviews were analyzed using grounded theory. As a result, the participants viewed professional and technical skills as independent, with professional skills perceived as more relevant to work success. The participants considered themselves to possess these skills. Our findings identify four learning beliefs within a fixed and growth mindset: (1) An essential personal characteristic that context may influence; (2) a learning outcome determined by early experiences; (3) a learning process associated with informal learning experiences; and (4) a learning process associated with formal learning experiences. We acknowledge the differences in perception between alums and the industry regarding possessing essential professional skills. We also highlight the need to position these skills as learnable during lectures contributing to Computing and Engineering Education.