Top Seven Essential Skills Required By Every IT Applicant
IT field is one of the most marketable professions in the modern-day. Presently, large tech organizations emphasize recruiting staff based on their skills instead of focusing on expertise and titles.
From 2016 to 2019, US employers only recruited 60% of available tech positions, indicating a huge shortfall in technology talent. According to a 2022 survey, 50% of company employers prioritize equipping their workers with technical skills in 2023.
Since IT is a broad field, read on this guide to discover the 7 most in-demand skills, each aspiring IT student must know:
Certification
The ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) are skill set that institutions (such as NASA, HSBC, and IBM) use frequently. The ITIL course practices standardize good IT management procedures, which help enterprises avoid common pitfalls that are likely to hinder the best quality services. Some of the primary skills IT applicants learn in this course include:
- Service strategies that allow continuous business improvement
- Trains practitioners to adapt excellent IT service structures
- IT professionals learn to foster sustainable practices for business productivity
The course has gained popularity since the 1980s. IT applicants across the globe pursue the certification since it has varied benefits: helps enterprises improve customer relations, manage risks, and establish stable IT environments.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI is a fast-growing field as it offers exciting and lucrative careers. The demand for AI specialists has grown by about 74% in the last one decade.
Are you still unsure of the significance of AI skills? LinkedIn’s top job positions require professionals with vast AI expertise. The primary AI skills companies want to include designing applications that allow machines to act smartly – like humans. By 2018, 31% of business administrators stated that they were in the process of adopting AI technology in their daily operations.
The average salary for AI professionals is $122,000, and the job opportunities have grown by more than 450% since 2013.
Machine Learning
Machine learning is applicable in various industries, such as translation, education, healthcare, finance, and education. The application of the skills is infinite. The rule of the thumb is that you select a role that complements your personality. This IT field is gaining popularity because it involves the application of AI to feed machines with data that helps improve user experience without human input.
Machine learning engineers earn a salary of over $138,000 per annum. Another reason to consider a career in the field is that machine learning startups received funding of over $42 billion in 2019, which indicates that the sector will experience exponential growth in the future. In 2019, a blog rated machine learning jobs as the best tech profession in 2019.
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing refers to the on-demand accessibility of computer system resources such as data storage and software management. Cloud computing jobs are growing fast as more enterprises are changing from onsite to virtual servers.
According to Gartner Forecasts, public cloud services will grow by 17% in 2020 (meaning the industry revenue will surpass $266.4 billion). University professors teach cloud computing skills. The median salary in the field is $146,350. Some of the major employers of cloud computing experts include Linux, Amazon Web Services, and DevOps.
Data Visualization
Data visualization involves converting information into visual representations such as graphs and charts, which are easy to understand. The skill is in high demand since it links technical and non-technical fields.
IT applicants learn various skills, such as GitHub, customizing maps, Highcharts, Tableau, and Leaflet. Data visualization engineers earn an average salary of $98,000 per annum.
The profession is in high demand since several companies collect complex data that requires analysis and simplistic presentation. You should know that data visualization combines science and art; professionals convert raw information into visually attractive reports.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity involves the protection of sensitive data on networks. The expertise is in high demand as more business turn to online transactions and cloud storage. Several companies collect clients’ data and store sensitive information on online servers.
Cybersecurity professionals ensure companies are safe from unauthorized intruders. In 2019, data breaches grew by more than 50%. Among the large corporations hacked previously include Chipotle, Sony, LinkedIn, Yahoo, eBay, and Zynga.
Within the last 12 months, the demand for security engineers has grown by more than 132%. IT applicants should know there is a shortage of network security experts. IT security services keep a check on these activities but new minds take birth every day. Specializing in the field will help you venture into a job sector, paying an average salary of more than $ 99,800 per year.
UI/ UX Professions
UI (User Interface) involves creating website and application layouts to ensure the systems flow well, are visually attractive, and are easy to navigate. On the other hand, UX (User Experience) research how users interact with websites and companies. The UX feedback helps UI designers improve the functions of software and websites to navigate the platforms conveniently.
According to a study conducted by Adobe, 87% of business managers highlighted that they planned to recruit more UX engineers to ensure their websites and applications are easy to use.
The Bottom Line
IT applicants should research and understand the top in-demand skills to ensure they are venturing into a career path with growth potential in the future.
