Top 10 Information Technology Skills You Should Have In 2021
With the demand for people with advanced technical skills increasing, companies are assigning more resources into recruiting, hiring, and fostering the best skills to survive in global competition. This implies that people who are willing to invest in technical skills will have more opportunities of getting the most demanding roles in the tech business. Technology keeps improving, so also is the industry’s demand also changing.
There are some tech skills that if you don’t have them by 2021, you will not only be sidelined when it comes to job opportunities, you will most likely miss out on important opportunities if you’re not willing to improve. The world is going digital, and so the need for tech skills cannot be overemphasized.
Most businesses need one or two tech skills to survive, and this is what employers are looking out for. When attending an interview, you will be at an advantage if you have these skills that will be beneficial to the company. You may not be the most qualified but having these tech skills can give you an edge above others.
Below are some tech skills that are important for you to learn to level up as an employee, or to thrive in the business world.
- Cloud computing
Many companies are moving from traditional server to cloud solutions. According to reports, Cloud computing job openings in the USA increased by 107% between 2016 and 2019. Amazon Web Service (AWS) is presently the major cloud service provider in the market, so learning AWS before 2021 will be beneficial to increase your demand as an IT professional. There will be a long-term need for cloud engineers across the tech industry, because more companies are moving to cloud settings.
Needless to say that Cloud computing is a very lucrative business, AWS-certified IT professionals earn much more than their non-certified counterparts. This skill is one of the most profitable in the tech industry, and would definitely not be a waste if you invest in it. Other most demanded cloud skills are Docker, DevOps, Microsoft Azure, and Kubernetes.
- Cybersecurity
Companies that deal with sensitive customer information or data needs to have their networks secure and safe. And it is almost all major companies that stores customers’ information and company data in databases, so this makes cybersecurity one of the sort after skills in 2020 and in later years. According to LinkedIn 2020 Emerging Jobs report, cybersecurity professional job position has a 30% annual growth rate in the US. There is also a high demand for cloud security professionals due to the increase in cloud platforms.
To get a job as a cybersecurity specialist, you must have knowledge of information security, network security, vulnerability assessment, and basics of programming language. The cybersecurity labor opportunity is anticipated to reach 3.5 million jobs by 2021, so the demand for professionals will be very high in 2021.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
These are two desirable buzzwords that have become similar with invention. They are both used in a number of employment and tools. According to LinkedIn 2020 Emerging Jobs report, the employment demand for AI specialists has increased by 75% in the last 4 years. And according to another report of 2019, ML engineering job opportunities increased by 344% between 2015 and 2018. Skills under AI and ML have very high demands in the market today. Skills such as Python, Java, Natural Language processing, and TensorFlow are all hot cakes in the tech industry today, and will be in 2021.
Chatbots building is also another high demand skill under AI and ML, as most companies are replacing one on one customer interactions with chatbots. Due to this current popularity of these skills, people who learn AI and ML will have the highest demand, and of course, salaries in 2021.
- Blockchain
Blockchain is used for payments, file storage, crowdfunding, digital voting, and the likes. It is also used for cryptocurrencies, and we all know that bitcoin and other cryptocurrenciws are gradually taking over. Most banking and other financial institutions are using blockchain today, and the need to learn this skill should be top priority for anyone in the tech industry.
A lot of companies need developers who have a knowledge of blockchain, smart contracts, and can create decentralized applications. Some blockchain skills you should learn in 2021 are database design, networking, and programming languages like JavaScript, Java, Solidity, and Python. It is necessary to also know that tech giants like Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft and IBM are working on acquiring blockchain services. You can learn blockchain from the blockchain specialization course by Coursera.
- Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)
Both are combined to be known as Extended Reality (XR). It is been adopted by industries such as health, entertainment, manufacturing, and advertising. This means that before 2021, XR specialists will be in high demand. According to Hired’s 2020 state of software engineers report, the need for the role of AR and VR engineer increased to 1400% in 2019. Also, according to Statista, the market size of XR was around $6.1 billion in 2016, but is anticipated to increase to $215 billion by 2021.
With the current increased demand for XR, learning XR skills will increase your demand in the future. COVID 19 also played a part in increasing the market demand for AR and VR, and companies like Google, Snapchat, Facebook, NVIDIA, and HTC are now using XR. Learning how to use XR will increase your career path in the years to come.
- Full Stack Development
The increase in technology changes has made full stack developers an important investment for any company. There is an increased demand for full stack develops, and according to LinkedIn, the hiring rate for the position of full stack engineers has been at a constant annual growth rate of 35% from 2015 in the USA.
Full stack developer job ranked 2nd in Indeed’s best jobs of 2020. Some of the most demanded skills under full stack development are JavaScript, Java, Go, and Python. There will be an increase in the demand of full stack developers in 2021, and so learning to become one won’t be a waste.
Read Also: 15 Business Technologies That will Shape The Future
- Data Science and Analytics
Data analysis is used to record data in insurriws like education, finance, health, software, and so on. The increase in the need for specialists in data science and analytics is on a high demand, and will be in 2021. The total earnings from these applications is expected to increase from $5.3 billion in 2018 to $19.4 billion in 2026.
Many industries have initiated advanced analytics to quicken their decision making and experience greater accuracy in their business. Industries in need of data professionals are increasing, and so having this skill will give you a high advantage in 2021.
- Data Engineering
This is quite different from Data Science, in that it is what enables data science to function. Data engineers create the infrastructure and devices that the data scientists depend on to perform their work. The demand for data engineers have been on the increase by 35% since 2015 across a large number of industries.
Data engineers are one of the most sort after professionals in industries, and the need to learn it should be your top priority in 2021.
- Internet of Things (IoT)
This generally means everything connected to the internet, but it is also been used to define objects that talk to each other. The internet of things consist of devices, such as sensors, smartphones, wearables all connected together. High security is needed for the internet of things, because anything on the internet can be hacked. Cybersecurity experts who specialize in IoT will be highly sought after in the years to come.
- User Interface (UI)/ User Experience (UX) Design
They are both in the same family, but are quite different from each other. UI experts setup interfaces for websites and apps to be attractive visually, flow nicely, and be easy for users to use. While UX experts do a lot of study and testing to evaluate every aspect of how the user will flow with the company and website, harmonizing with developers and UI experts.
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