# The Gap between Higher Education and the Software Industry -- A Case Study on Technology Differences

**Authors:** Felix Dobslaw, Kristian Angelin, Lena-Maria Öberg, Awais Ahmad  
**arXiv:** [2303.15597](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15597)  
**Date:** 2023-03-27  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/2303.15597v1/

## Key points

- Demand for software industry professionals is increasing globally
- Higher education institutions play a crucial role in providing skilled workers
- Existing literature highlights a significant gap between what software engineering education teaches and what the industry demands
- Authors used JMAR text-analysis tool to compare keywords from higher education course syllabi and job posts
- Study presents a trend analysis of technology in job posts over the past six years in Sweden
- Increasing demand for cloud and automation technologies such as Kubernetes and Docker in job ads, but not emphasized as much in higher education syllabi
- Language used in higher education syllabi tends to focus more on concepts than specific technologies compared to job ads
- Possible remedies discussed include calibrating JMAR to other industry-relevant aspects like soft skills or new demographics
- Study provides valuable insights into how higher education institutions can better prepare students for careers in the software industry by aligning their curriculums with current industry demands.

## Summary

The demand for professionals in the software industry is increasing rapidly on a global scale, and higher education institutions are playing a crucial role in providing the industry with skilled workers. However, existing literature highlights a significant gap between what software engineering education teaches students and what the software industry demands. To investigate this knowledge gap from a technology-focused perspective, authors Felix Dobslaw, Kristian Angelin, Lena-Maria Öberg, and Awais Ahmad used their open-sourced Job Market AnalyseR (JMAR) text-analysis tool to compare keywords from higher education course syllabi and job posts. Their study presents a trend analysis of technology in job posts over the past six years in Sweden. The authors found that while there is an increasing demand for cloud and automation technologies such as Kubernetes and Docker in job ads, these technologies are not emphasized as much in higher education syllabi. Additionally, they noted that the language used in higher education syllabi tends to focus more on concepts than specific technologies compared to job ads. To address this mismatch between what is taught in higher education institutions and what is demanded by the software industry, the authors discuss possible remedies such as calibrating JMAR to other industry-relevant aspects like soft skills or new demographics. This study provides valuable insights into how higher education institutions can better prepare students for careers in the software industry by aligning their curriculums with current industry demands.