I find that this varies from company to company, sometimes team to team or even from project manager to project manager. In fact I would go so far as to say that it is completely unsurprising that when dealing with different people that the level of understanding, expectation and demand varies.

I would happily recommend a career in IT to someone with aptitude, determination and commitment. It is not for all regardless of how it is tried to be sold. As for the statement that "Our skills are easy to acquire, with any of us able to learn new skills and gaining knowledge as quickly as we are able." I would say that this is only applicable to some. I have worked with many where this certainly does not apply.