Top IT jobs in demand and the Skills required

Top IT jobs in demand and the Skills required – It is well known that we are in a digital age where digital skills are in high demand. There are lots of digital jobs out there that you can easily get if you have the right skill set… In this article, I present to you the top digital IT jobs that are in high demand and the skills required to get these jobs.

READ ALSO: Top Websites where you can learn digital skills for free

  • Software Development

Top IT jobs in demand
Top IT jobs in demand

Software developers create and maintain computer programs. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 31% growth in software development careers by 2026, which well outpaces average job growth (at 7%). According to U.S. News, a software developer’s average salary is $104,300. It is definitely one of the best jobs out there with a brilliant paycheck.

To become a software developer, you will need to develop programming skills. Some of the most prominent programming skills to learn are Java, Ruby, Python, JavaScript, C, PHP and many more.

  • Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is also one of the Top IT jobs in demand. It deals with the technical ways of protecting networks and software from attacks by cybercriminals. It is one of the in-demand tech skills with good pay. As reported by CIO, the average cybersecurity salary is about $116,000. The demand for cybersecurity professionals is projected to grow as the Internet of Things evolves.

Skills required to succeed as a cybersecurity expert includes; cryptography and access management, web application security techniques, a good knowledge of networks and their defence technology, ethical hacking etc

  • IT Project Management

Top IT jobs in demand

IT managers help to sketch a company’s information technology goals and implement them by guiding the necessary teams and projects under their supervision. IT Project Management is another one of the Top IT jobs in demand. Managers boast of a great salary of around $140,000.

As an IT Project Management professional, you will need to possess programming skills as well as business and organizational skills.

  • Data Science

Data Scientists help companies to understand what users want, with statistics and deep knowledge. They pull an average salary of $140,000. Data analytics is a more entry-level role, so you can start there before transitioning into data science.

To excel as a data scientist, you require skills in analytical thinking, programming (particularly SQL and R), and should have an affinity for math.

  • DevOps

Development & Operations (DevOps) is another tech skill in high demand, it focuses on a specific set of values and processes that teams use to build products. As a DevOps engineer, you could expect an average of about $143,000 a year.

Skills required for this profession include both technical and development knowledge.

  • Machine Learning

No doubt there is much talk about Machine learning being the in-thing in the nearest future. This makes it an exciting and interesting field to venture into. This also makes it one of the most profitable skills you can learn. Machine learning has loads of uses, from chatbots to predictive analysis to self-driving cars.

Top IT jobs in demand

According to Shilpa Kulkarni, “61% of organizations insist that Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence will be among their top data initiatives in 2018 and 2019”. Machine learning can be applied to all fields. You can expect an average salary of $143,000 or even more.

Some skills to master in Machine learning are machine learning workflow, including neural networks, statistical pattern recognition, deep learning, unsupervised learning, anomaly detection, recommender systems, and more.

  • Mobile Development

It is estimated that there will be over 2.5 billion smartphone users in the world as of 2018. This is the reason why companies and business should not just focus on having websites, rather there is the need to move to mobile apps. Mobile applications make it easier for businesses to connect to their customers. As a mobile app developer, you can be employed with high pay by top companies. You can also develop apps for small businesses or develop your own app and sell them. The average salary of a mobile app developer is about 101,000.

The global app economy is predicted to be worth $6.3 trillion by 2021, up from $1.3 trillion in 2016.

Digital skills required are Swift, Objective-C and other programming languages.

  • SEO/SEM Marketing

Experts in digital marketing are in high demand by companies and firms, to help improve their web presence and visibility. More visibility means more visits, more visits translates to more conversions and revenue generation. Therefore Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a great job with a huge reward.

Some facts about SEO/SEM:

  • The top five organic search results get over 75% clicks.
  • Most businesses (78%) are not satisfied with their conversion rates.
  • SEO/SEM is an added advantage to web developers. They will not only build the websites but will also optimize and market them.

Skills to learn include SEO strategy development, keyword research basics, on-page SEO fundamentals, link building.

  • UI/UX Design

Top IT jobs in demand
Top IT jobs in demand

UI and UX, although belonging to the same family, are actually different. User Interface (UI) experts design the feel of web apps and websites so as to make them visually appealing and easily navigable by users. User Experience (UX) experts, on the other hand, do more of research and testing to consider every element of how the user will interact with the website, they work together with developers and UI designers.

87% of managers surveyed by Adobe said hiring more UX designers is the #1 priority for their organization and there are 14,000 UX designer jobs in the United States alone (and 24,000 in Europe).

  • Cloud Computing/AWS

Cloud computing jobs are on the geometric increase as more and more companies are making the switch from the conventional server infrastructure to cloud solutions. As reported by Gartner, the market for public cloud services is projected to grow by 17.3 3% in 2019.

One of these cloud platforms is the Amazon Web Services(AWS) which provides content delivery, database storage, networking, and other services. It is the largest cloud service presently. AWS specialists are usually engineers, cloud architects, or system administrators. With AWS-certified specialist earning an average of $113,000, it is one of the most profitable skill to acquire.

Amazon Web Services (AWS), software development, Java, DevOps, Linux, Docker and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) are some of the skills you need to possess in other to become a cloud computing expert.

  • Artificial Intelligence

AI seeks to make life easy and simple. There is an intersect between AI and machine learning, but the key difference is that AI is a broader concept pertaining to machines designed to act intelligently like humans, whereas machine learning relies on devices making sense of a specific set of data.

Top IT jobs in demand
Top IT jobs in demand

The Average salary of an AI programmer is around $100,000 to $150,000 and $171,715 for an AI engineer. The amount of jobs requiring AI skills has multiplied by 4.5 since 2013

Other Digital Skills in High Demand include;

  • Data visualization
  • Data engineering
Top IT jobs in demand
Top IT jobs in demand

These IT jobs are in hot demand and some of them will be the stronghold of the future civilization. Acquiring the necessary digital skills will position you better in the emerging digital evolution.

 

You may also want to check out these interesting topics;