Technology has taken over the world, and almost everything revolves around it. Currently, every profession directly or indirectly requires the use of a technological gadget, app, or software for efficiency. As such, you need to learn or enhance previous skills set to meet the market demand. Which IT skills are in high demand now? The answer to this is dependent on your goals and career ambitions. However, we are here to guide you. After reading this, you will know which IT skills are in high demand and ways to acquire or improve your previous skills.
How to Acquire or Improve Your IT Skills
Information Technology is dynamic and keeps evolving with time. How we did certain things like programming codes, apps and software development in the 2010s is certainly not the same today. As such, your old skills may be dormant or not applicable in the current dispensation. You, therefore, need to build on those old skills to remain relevant in the market. If you have some IT skills and seek to build on them for higher career opportunities, you can:
Take IT Courses
With the increasing demand for people with IT skills, taking up IT training courses is one of the surest ways to become part of the future generation in the computing world. Luckily, you can do a whole degree or master’s program in the field you want online. You can also take up some short online courses in specific fields to build on your knowledge.
Self-Taught
By watching YouTube videos or enrolling for free IT courses on Coursera or edx, you can self-learn one of the many programming languages, data science, digital marketing skills among several other IT skills. You just need to be disciplined and dedicated to your goals and have good internet service to learn without stress. The videos or courses can serve as the basis for further knowledge acquisition.
Certifications
You surely need some form of certification to land your next high-paying IT job. With this, you will need to sit for professional exams in your desired IT field after your studies. Coursera has some paid certificate courses you can join.
Take up More Responsibility at Work
One of the best ways to learn or enhance your skills is to take up more challenges or get involved in most of the things related to your field. With this, you learn more from your superiors and experts in the field. You also get the chance to ask more questions and with practice, you can perfect your skills.
IT Skills in High Demand
If you are considering a career in the IT field, here are some courses currently in high demand.
Cyber Security
The need to protect system infrastructure, networks, programs, data, and devices from attacks like malware, and ransomware, etc. have given rise to the demand for cyber security professionals. Businesses across the globe are racing for the best protection against cyber-attacks. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics cyber security jobs are expected to grow by 31% through 2029. Meaning, a career in this field has a great future. A cyber security administrator, analyst, or manager does the following:
- Work to protect organization’s data
- Perform penetration testing
- Perform vulnerability analyses
- Defend networks
- Create security policy
Taking a course in cyber security has a huge future and pays well.
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is basically the storing and retrieval of computing services over the internet. Through we can store services like servers, databases, networking, analytics, software among other tools and applications on remote servers instead of hard drives and other physical storage devices. They can later be accessed over the internet with a computer or other electronic devices with web access.
Cloud storages like OneDrive and Dropbox provide companies and individuals a cheaper option in storing their data remotely. With a large market value, cloud computing has become one of the lucrative IT skills, and professionals are in high demand.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence is the programming of computers or robots to take up tasks traditionally meant for humans and think like humans. This broad field has branches including machine learning, cognitive computing, neural network, natural language processing, computer vision, and deep learning. The Global Artificial Intelligence Market is expected to grow to USD 309.6 billion by 2026; hence, a career in any of the mentioned fields would be worth your money and time.
Blockchain
Blockchain is also known as the Distributed Ledger Technology and it is nothing but a digital ledger that holds transactions. It will have a complete record of the transactions that are distributed several times across the network of computer systems. Blockchain helps streamline the information in a manner that makes it easy to view but difficult to change. This reduces the chances of hacking the system. There is a massive rise in the demand for blockchain experts in the industry. If you have the knowledge and essential tools, you will have a bright future ahead. Blockchain can help enhance security, improve efficiency and reduce costs. You can find several online courses for blockchain which will be worth the investment.
DevOps
DevOps allows for the combination of practices, cultural philosophies, and tools, for faster development and deployment of applications and services than relying on traditional software development processes. It, therefore, enhances an organization’s services to customers and helps them compete effectively with others. As a DevOps engineer, you build, test, and maintain the infrastructure that allows for the smooth development and release of software applications.
Giant companies like Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Adobe, and Walmart among others use DevOps for improved services. Professionals in this field are highly sought for as businesses’ demands for DevOps solutions and services keep increasing.
IT has become an integral part of businesses across the world and the demand for professionals is consistently growing. If you have the knack and skills, you can have an exceptional career in the field.
