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The IT landscape has flourished in a way we never imagined. What was once just a way for entertainment and connecting with friends and family has spawned into fields that we don’t even know. Our entire lives have been changed thanks to technology, whether we talk about our personal lives, social lives, or professional lives. Furthermore, the constant and rapid evolution of technology has increased the demand for IT. Businesses worldwide now understand that adopting technology is not a luxury anymore. It is a necessity. That is why there are more IT job openings in all sorts of companies. Whether you look at education, healthcare, retail, finance, banking, or any other industry, you will see the heavy influence of technology.
With that said, more and more people are choosing the field of IT as their career path. They know that it will provide them with maximum benefits. IT jobs are some of the most sought after jobs in the market right now, and the demand will only increase with time. But there is fierce competition for these jobs. To get a lucrative job in IT, and also one that also provides job satisfaction and stability, you will need crazy skills to beat the competition. Without these skills, you may not be able to secure a good position in a good company. There are several ways you can up skill yourself in 2021. You can go for a certification from an authentic source. It will ensure that you are up-to-date on the specific skill sets required in an IT-related job. You can also do a short online course from Udemy or LinkedIn, or Coursera. Or, you could go the entire way and make sure that your learning is holistic and it teaches you about everything that you need to know to get a great job in the field of IT like an msist (Masters of Science in Information Systems Technology).
So, what are the top skills that you need to learn to secure a good job in 2021? Read on to find out.
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
Artificial Intelligence is by far the fastest growing technology in the entire IT industry. According to the World Economic Forum, around 133 million AI-related jobs will be created by 2025. AI refers to programs that can take on human tasks. These programs can perform speech recognition, image classification, and facial recognition with more accuracy and speed. There are also fewer chances of human errors. That is the main reason why AI is one of the most sought skills in the industry.
Machine Learning is a part of AI and has applications in data analytics, data mining, and pattern recognition. If you opt for ML, you can use it to work in neural networks, Natural Language Processing (NLP), or deep learning. You can build chatbots that can interact with customers, and they will never know if they are talking to a human or not. Sounds creepy, but it is an excellent tool to enhance customer relationship management.
2. Cybersecurity
Data is the new currency. Companies have vast amounts of data that they rely on to predict sales patterns, customer behavior, budgets, and more. The more our data becomes vital to us, the more we need safety and security for it. That’s where Cybersecurity comes into play.
Organizations around the world have made cybersecurity their number one priority. With this skill under your belt, you can become an ethical hacker, a security engineer, or a security analyst. All of these are high paying jobs with a continually increasing demand. In fact, according to a study done by Global Knowledge, people with some certification in cybersecurity were found to have higher-paying jobs than IT professionals without them.
3. Cloud computing
Like it or not, the world is moving towards the cloud. More companies and businesses now choose to work with clouds rather than purchasing and maintaining heavy and expensive equipment. Cloud services have quickly turned from a fancy tech instrument into a necessity after the pandemic hit the world. Offices around the world closed, and there was no way to get to the information needed to continue working remotely. Here’s where the cloud gained more importance than ever before.
With cloud computing, people can access important files and documents from anywhere they want. Cloud computing has become one of the top tech careers in 2021. According to Gartner, the cloud market will grow up to $331 billion, and that is just a rough estimate. With exceptional cloud computing skills like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure under your belt, you can make a pretty penny for yourself easily. Right now, IT professionals who have an AWS certification stand to make more than their counterparts who do not have any such qualifications.
4. Data analytics and data science
In 2017, LinkedIn reported that data science was one of the fastest-growing jobs of the 21st century. Even in the pandemic, it was one of the fields that did not experience exponential shrinkage. The consumers’ purchasing behavior drastically changed during the pandemic. Companies relied heavily on data scientists and analysts to predict that behavior to increase their sales.
Even if we don’t look at the pandemic effects, we see that businesses worldwide rely on data to make well-informed and crucial decisions. That is why data-driven skills are in such high demand. A report released in 2018 stated that Data Scientists and Data Analysts were among the top skills, and their demand will increase in the future. Today, we see it!
5. Software development (web, mobile)
We have all seen how everyone turned to their mobiles and computers during the pandemic. App downloads soared into the millions, whether they are work-related or for entertainment out of sheer boredom. The USBLS (US Bureau of Labor Statistics) states that, by the year 2028, software development jobs will increase by a whopping 21%. App development jobs will increase by an astounding 28%. And that increase is justified seeing that everything is going online. As far as app development is concerned, you can learn iOS development, android development, or more to upgrade your resume.
Summing it all up
IT skills are among the most demanded skills in almost every industry that you can imagine. Suppose you want to have a career that offers job satisfaction, stability, learning, and a high income. In that case, IT is a sure shot winner! Ensure that you keep updating your skill set to enhance yourself and set yourself apart from other IT professionals. This way, you can quickly get more lucrative offers and advance your career up the ladder.