An IT degree is no longer necessary for success in the IT department and could even hold graduates back, according to silicon.com's exclusive poll of CIOs.

IT graduates are already faring far worse than their peers when it comes to finding a job, research out last week found. While total graduate unemployment stands at 8.9 per cent, IT graduates are facing unemployment rates of 16.3 per cent, according to a report by the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU).

And with technological innovation and development occurring at such a fast rate, IT graduates may find the skills they have developed over their degree course irrelevant by the time they leave university, HECSU said.

Piling on the bad news for IT graduates, when asked "Do you need an IT degree to have a successful career in IT?" the silicon.com CIO Jury was unanimous in its verdict that an IT degree is not necessary for a successful career in technology.