This government has inflicted huge damage on the education process, but it is not fully to blame for the fact that too few students are signing up to take IT degrees (Falling through the skills gap, letters.computing.co.uk).

I joined the IT industry in 1984 having taken a non-IT degree. I did so because the potential earnings were high. By the age of 23 I had a mortgage on a flat in London. I am now 44 and have no mortgage, having worked in the industry all my life.

Yet if I were a student  today, I would avoid IT. It is not well-respected in boardrooms across the UK, and pay levels have dropped dramatically. This is backed up by the technical vacancies on your web site, which seem to average about £30,000 after several years' experience. That is equivalent to my starting salary.

Students understand that to clear their debts and make a three-year degree worthwhile, they need high potential earnings. At the moment, IT does not portray that potential even if it exists. Before firms grumble about the lack of IT skills, perhaps they could try offering a decent salary.

Kathy Sadler