As you know, information technology is a fast-changing sector as we see the rise and fall of technologies daily. For those who are aiming at IT careers or working in, it needs to have updated knowledge to stay competitive and grow in IT jobs. In fact, many of the skills which IT professionals needed back in 2015 had now become outdated, and many new technology suits are popping up, which one needs to master.
In this article, we are trying to unveil some of the top IT skills for the year 2019, as suggested by experts in light of the following:
- Skills for the high-paying job roles of the year
- Top certifications sought after
- Top hiring areas
- Top investment sectors
The skills discussed below are the ones experiencing the highest skill gaps in the industry lately, so acquiring these will help anyone to become more acceptable to the IT employers. If you are trying to establish a career in T industry or trying to set up a new career path now in IT, these are the top considerations to make. Without further ado, let’s jump into the top IT skills of 2019.
- Cloud computing
This is a top buzzword in the industry now, and cloud salaries are way high in the IT sector. One major reason why the cloud is increasing in demand is that it intersects with all other major technology fields. In the past few years, the cloud has changed the whole game as to how technology systems work, store data, and use applications. Cloud is considered to be an ultimate enabler for individuals and businesses alike, which sets open new avenues of revenue through analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and Internet of Things (IoT).
Many new-generation technologies like analytics, virtual project management, networking, cybersecurity, etc. are largely influenced by the adoption of cloud, so the demand for it is soaring high. A study shows that the public cloud service sector may experience a growth of 17% this year. With these statistics in mind, the IT decision-makers are now on the lookout to fill the cloud vacancies with the best available talents. In fact, there is a skill shortage in the cloud due to the specific skills it requires to assure seamless orchestration or different technical functions. If you are cloud certified and possess the skills, then positions awaiting you and salaries are highly beneficial. You can see that there out of the top paying five IT certifications are now cloud-based.
- Cybersecurity
A study which was run worldwide by IDC (International Data Corporation) had shown that about 55% of the consumers might tend to switch their platforms for fear of data breaches, and about 78% of them may switch if they find a breach with a direct impact. For enterprises, data is an important asset which they don’t want to risk. This is the reason why security is the primary concern of organizations now. On the other hand, we can find news about cyber-attacks and data breaches are increasing in frequency. So, companies are always on the lookout for reliable and expert cybersecurity professionals trained in SkillsBuild, but there is a significant skills gap.
For the decision-makers in IT, security is identified as one of the most challenging areas to hire. The primary reason is that there are not enough skilled and certified professionals to fill all the opening positions. It requires specialization and sophistication, which is not that easy to attain. However, if you are skilled, then you will get handsome compensation. Certified cybersecurity professionals now earn 41% more than those who aren’t certified. Now, cybersecurity is the second-highest IT job in terms of payment.
- Data Analytics
Data management and analytics are another set of in-demand skills, which are considered to be essential as businesses are largely data-driven now. Data analytics and information culture will allow the business decision-makers to get a better insight into the trends and patterns. In light of this, critical business decisions can be made with data-driven insights. So, IT professional having data management skills are hired to help organizations to solve complex problems and make informed decisions through critical evaluations.
However, data analytics is double-edge as organizations now struggle to manage the huge wealth of everyday data. By the year 2025, the world may create about replicate of data measuring about 163 zettabytes, which is about 10 times the volume of the data created now. All these new data which accumulate constantly crate the need for enormous storage and security needs, which has to be addressed properly. So, IT professionals need to desperately prepare to meet the needs of such enormous data growth. This is the major challenge of the business decision-makers, which will be exacerbated if they cannot find qualified professionals specializing in data management.
- Enterprise architectures
As the size of the modern-day enterprises is growing to a global level, there is an increasing need to align the departments in the global work environment. It has now become a very complex task to business administrators given the nature of emerging technologies. Information Technology, for example, will be evolving at a faster pace than others. So, enterprise architecture professionals with needed technical skill set are required to make sure that the legacy procedures and enterprise resource planning are well aligned.
Enterprise architects take up a very complex role which needs critical planning and proper coordination of various departments. According to a study conducted by CompTIA, about 34% of the enterprises only have a proper IT architecture to go beyond a year as it is very difficult to predict the changes in the IT environment. However, without proper architectural planning, the investments may not be correctly prioritized, and the long-term business goals may get adversely affected by running in outdated frameworks over time.
So, there is no wonder why skilled enterprise architects are highly compensated and largely in demand. This is now the third highest-paying job role in the IT spectrum. There are many global certifications also in business architecture like TOGAF, which offers a higher reputation and salary.