Every year the tech world evolves. This leads to a demand for new and innovative skills in IT. And with the job market being more competitive than ever, it is very important to understand exactly what the top tech skills are in order to secure the right position.
As the demand for candidates with advanced tech knowledge and skills is rising, many businesses are putting more resources into recruiting and nurturing the right talent. Knowing what employers are looking for enables you to gain those skills and stand out from other candidates.
How Your Tech Skills Can Influence Your Salary
While your education plays a significant role in how much you earn, the skills you learn along the way can set you apart from other graduates competing for jobs. Human resources (HR) managers understand that the right skills are hard to find, but are incredibly important in finding the best candidate for the job.
HR managers typically look for a good combination of both hard and soft skills when browsing resumes and conducting interviews. This means they search for candidates that can work in teams, have good communication skills, great flexibility and sufficient motivation, while also having the knowledge and competence in certain software and technologies.
This means hiring managers will often consider a candidate with an average amount of experience with a high level of skills for important positions that pay well.
Let’s look at an example:
A DevSecOps with a good amount of experience can earn an annual salary of up to $140,000 in the United States. This DevSecOps engineer salary can increase up to $180,000 per year for a DevSecOps with the right skills. To understand the skills required for this position, you have to understand what DevSecOps professional is.
Professionals working in DevSecOps have the objective of implementing security actions at the same speed and scale and speed as operations actions. Because of the complex nature of this position, the DevSecOps demand is high. Businesses are looking for candidates with an understanding of specific programming languages, strong teamwork and communication skills, as well as knowledge of risk assessment techniques and cybersecurity threats.
It is important to understand that education and experience will always be beneficial but the added advantage of having the right skills can be the difference in earning a bigger salary.
The Most Tech Skills In-Demand in the IT Industry
Because of the specialized field of the IT industry and the increasing interest of businesses who want to transform digitally, the demand for IT experts is incredibly vast. This also means that the pool of IT talent is quite saturated. Therefore, any IT professional needs to ensure they have the right skills to compete in the field and stand out among other candidates.
The ever-evolving IT industry constantly calls for new and innovative skills in the field. Some of these include:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI makes it possible for machines to learn from experience to perform human-like tasks. Most AI structures and processes rely heavily on deep learning and natural language processing. Businesses are increasingly looking for these skills in IT professionals to help them build AI products that are more secure, more accurate and more efficient.
- Digital Business Analysis
Digital business analysis assists businesses to make the right decisions by presenting an independent and objective mindset and implementing a variety of proven analysis techniques to make a convincing case for investment in a digital solution. As a result, you need to have a good understanding of how to analyse businesses digitally.
- Digital Project Management
Project management is a vital part of developing digital products in an effective, efficient and cost-effective manner. IT professionals should have a comprehensive understanding of how digital projects are built, from the initial idea to the final launch of a project.
- Machine Learning
Machine learning involves using computer algorithms and certain sets of data to identify patterns and make decisions with minimal human intervention. Several skills fall under the umbrella of machine learning. IT professionals should look into gaining skills in software engineering, system design and computer science fundamentals. These skills can help them to find patterns in data and build automation solutions.
- Cloud Computing
Today, more and more businesses are moving their operations and data management processes to the cloud. Configuration and deployment for cloud consulting services, and management and troubleshooting are some of the cloud computing skills that are essential to IT professionals as they help to improve data security, allow for enhanced data access and can reduce capital expenditures.
- Software Development
Software developer jobs will only increase in the future, as a result of the growing demand for computer software and mobile phone apps. Therefore, IT professionals should look to gain skills for designing, installing, testing and maintaining systems for web and mobile.
- Data Visualization
Designers can visualize complex data to help management make crucial business decisions. This essential skill is called data visualization. It is an in-demand skill for specifically senior developers to gain valuable insights from large sets of data.
- Cyber Security
Among the fastest-growing cybersecurity fields are application development security and cloud security. Today, security ties into everything, so acquiring these skills can set you apart from others and allow you to work either on the application side or the infrastructure side.
It is essential to understand that the skills required for IT professionals can vary largely from position, role and responsibilities. For example, when looking at DevSecOps vs DevOps, engineers working in these different fields require diverse skills. DevSecOps engineers must have a high level of proficiency in security, while DevOps engineer candidates should have skills focused more on coding, building, testing and monitoring.
ALSO READ:
High Paying Top IT and Tech Jobs in Demand for Future
Highest Paying Computer Science Jobs and Salary in USA
The Final Word
Tech companies are coming to realize that digital skills are indispensable for all employees in the digital era. It is now more important than ever that candidates are cross-disciplined and have both hard and soft skills.
This means that candidates willing to spend time developing technical skills will be first in line in landing some of the most demanding positions in the tech industry. However, it is important to understand that the world of technology is changing fast, so the industry’s demanding technologies are always changing. Therefore, you have to stay up to date with the trends and constantly upgrade your skills accordingly.
| About the Author – | |
 |
Kateryna Boiko is a Marketing Director at Mobilunity, Provider of Dedicated Development Teams with 9 years of hands-on experience in digital marketing. Kateryna managed to work with diverse industries and markets and now is keen on sharing unique cases with the world and coach on topics relevant to Web Analytics and Search Engine Optimization. |