ITILThe JAVA Developers’ Journal recently published an article asking the question, Is ITIL still relevant? While the answer is less than thorough, the article is still interesting just by virtue of the fact that it exists. It exists and it is not alone.

We’ve noticed that this question seems to appear on a fairly regular basis in the literature related to online information technology training. It is not always focused on the relevance of ITIL training, either. Sometimes it questions the continuing relevance of certified scrum master or certified scrum product owner training. In fact, any category of online information technology training – especially a service framework category – is subject to questions about possible obsolescence.

What’s just as noteworthy is that the answer is rarely straightforward. Obviously, in an industry as dynamic and modern as information technology training, some things are bound to go out of date, possibly leaving you to struggle with the question of how to adapt your skills to a changing professional environment. But with respect to ITIL training and Agile training, it is also true that industry leaders are keen to hold onto the same frameworks that have held their organizations together in the past.

At the same time, this isn’t a universal phenomenon, and that’s what makes the question of relevancy so complicated. Some industries and some firms are more strongly committed to ITIL or another framework than others. If you ask among a number of firms, you’ll likely find some who utilize it but don’t strictly depend upon it if their employees can demonstrate adaptability. Others are sure to utilize it with defined modifications, which might call for a round of supplementary information technology training for certain new employees.

In fact, modified versions of existing frameworks and information technology training courses are increasingly common, and we have discussed some of them on this blog in the past. This is probably the most sensible way to reconcile the appeal of holding onto past best practices with the need to remain ahead of changes in the professional landscape. So if we had to wager, we’d say that you’ll see more firms adopting modified ITIL training and scrum master certification programs in the future.

But that is only a very broad projection about industry trends. In order to know which specific forms of online information technology training you will need in your career, you’ll have to do the everyday legwork of talking to more advanced professionals, trainers, and recruiters, in order to get a sense of what the current and future preferences are for your particular industry, prospective position, and ideal employer.

Still, in the meantime, you can be fairly confident that online ITIL training will not steer you wrong, as long as its relevant to your career path at the moment. The framework may come to be modified over time, but the groundwork that you acquire today will be adaptable to the changing circumstances of a very long career.