Jobs For College Students From Current IT Trends
BY SYLVIA KOHL
Software development industry is a constantly developing landscape that completely changes its general outlook every few years. What we see today has very little in common with what existed half a decade ago, and half a decade later the situation will, again, be completely different. It may be not so obvious for users, but those who work or intend to work in the industry should keep their eyes peeled and foresee these changes to be able to steer their careers in the right direction. So which jobs are in demand right now and are going to be more so in the years to come? Let’s find out.
1. Data Crunching
Businesses today produce an ever-growing amount of data, and it becomes increasingly obvious that in order to stay ahead of competition there should be somebody to digest and analyze this data so that it can be applied in a meaningful way. People with degrees in mathematics, statistics or engineering who are willing to work with spreadsheets and databases can find the job market right now more promising than ever.
2. Web Application Testing
As time goes on and the competition in the sphere of website and software development is becoming more and more heated, the tolerance of users towards websites and applications that work imperfectly is getting weaker and weaker. In the past, a user often had no alternative but to keep using a particular app even if it was slow, constantly crashed, had an annoying UI and an obtuse user manual 200 pages long. Today the slightest annoyance or difficulty in use can lead to a user rage-quitting and going on looking for an alternative. The only way to decrease the likelihood of this scenario is extensive WEB testing of the app prior to and following the launch.
3. AI-Driven Data Strategies
In this sphere, there are two trends that are at odds with each other: businesses gradually begin to see the possibilities and implications of using AI in their applications and services but they face the lack of specialists with relevant skills of sufficiently high level. The thing is, the most promising new graduating students are joining giant cloud IT providers like Google or Microsoft, with the rest of the business community having to be content with what’s left. In other words, if you want a guaranteed job security in the years to come, AI is the way to go.
4. Big Data
The demand for big data skills is still on the rise – it grew by more than 50 percent in the course of the last year and shows no signs of slowing down. Salaries in this sector don’t slack off either and show the highest average values in the market.
5. Cyber Security
The Internet of Things is making the need for permanent staff with specialized knowledge in the area of cyber security an ever more pressing concern. Over just the Q4 of 2016, the demand grew by more than 40 percent. This means that security analysts, architects, engineers, testers, consultants and so on right now have a better chance than ever of dictating their own employment terms.
IT as an industry is undergoing a more intensive period of growth than ever, and this tendency is likely to keep up for a long time. However, in order to achieve success in this field it isn’t enough to just be a random IT specialist – choosing your area of specialization and steering your career at the right time in the right direction can be crucial for long-term results. We hope that our list can give you some food for thought.
Sylvia Kohl is an IT teacher with more than 8 years of professional experience. Her main spheres of interest are e-education and she convinced that learning process doesn’t stop after years in school and university.
