What Recruiters Want: Tech Skills To Learn Based On Demand
Certain skill set is required in any career including the tech industry. Practicing soft skills helps you navigate through the corporate world and ensure good connections. Having hard skills such as coding, engineering, etc. gives plenty of career opportunities. According to Statista, back-end and full stack developers are the most demanded IT roles for 2023 and the technical skills demanded by recruiters include: web development, devops, database software, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, machine learning etc. As the IT industry continues to grow, businesses continue to adopt technologies leading to more job opportunities.
In this article, we bring you some of the most in-demand skills in the tech industry to help you move forward in your career.
Web Development
Most of the population use the internet and websites almost everyday which makes web development one of the most sought after careers in the world. According to Statista, “The global developer population is expected to reach 28.7 million people by 2024”. Businesses and organizations regardless of their size are in need of websites and web applications. There are 5 web development roles namely: Web Designer; who designs a website’s layout, Front-end Web Developer; who transforms the designer’s vision and ensures that the site is responsive, Back-end Web Developer; requires knowledge in programming languages and ensures that the site is functioning properly, Full-stack Web Developer; a mixture of both front-end and back-end development, and UX Designer; who plots site interaction to ensure a good user experience. Stack Overflow’s Developer Survey reports that full-stack developers, back-end developers, front-end developers followed by desktop and mobile developers ranks top in web development classification. Exercising both technical and creativity skills, web development is one of the fastest growing careers in the tech industry.
Low-code and No-Code Development
Low-code and no-code platforms continue to empower citizen developers. Low-code platforms target users with coding knowledge to build applications efficiently, while no-code platforms can be used by anyone even without prior coding knowledge. Low-code platforms benefit developers who have little to no experience in coding to create basic applications, and coding experts by increasing productivity. According to Grandview Research, low-code development platform market size is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 22.9% from 2023 to 2030. Businesses continue to look for quick and efficient solutions to build applications which increases the demand for low-code platforms. LCNC platforms offer a more inclusive approach to application development by utilizing drag and drop features enabling businesses to save time and resources. Gartner reports that, “By 2025, 70% of new applications developed by organizations will use low-code or no-code technologies, up from less than 25% in 2020.” With low-code and no-code development, you can increase cost savings, operational efficiency, flexibility, and speed up time-to-market.
AI and ML
Nowadays, artificial intelligence and machine learning is used across industries looking to increase productivity and resolve issues with the use of data and AI integration. In the Future of Jobs Report by the World Economic Forum, the demand for AI and ML specialists will grow by 40% from 2023 to 2027. Machine learning enables artificial intelligence and as AI-driven innovations continue to rise, the demand for professionals who are well-versed in AI and ML software is growing, putting it on top of the list of fast-growing jobs. As businesses continue to leverage data-driven technologies, machine learning becomes vital in business operations. Building a career in AI and ML takes hard work and tons of practice. Knowledge in programming, mathematics, and statistics is a must. Familiarizing yourself with deep learning, natural language processing, computer vision, data, and keeping yourself updated with the latest innovations will help you hone your skills. Contributing to open-source projects and participating in competitions helps you build hands-on experience on artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Programming Languages
Programming languages are the backbone in digital transformation connecting humans and machines to create innovative solutions. Technology is everywhere and is continuously evolving, which is why knowledge in programming also opens a lot of doors for a career in the tech industry. According to Statista, the most demanded programming languages by recruiters in 2023 were JavaScript, Java, and Python. Also, Stack Overflow shows that JavaScript, HTML/CSS, and Python are the most commonly used programming languages followed by SQL, TypeScript, Bash/Shell and others. JavaScript is commonly used alongside HTML and CSS. Python is also one of the most popular languages and is considered beginner friendly with its easy syntax, versatility, and a huge collection of libraries. Learning any programming language gives you a huge advantage in pursuing any career in the tech industry.
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing promotes productivity, accessibility, reliability, and cost efficiency. According to Oracle and IDC, 1/3 of the companies are already in cloud, while another 39% are currently planning and evaluating cloud strategies, and 41% of the companies with between 1,000 and 2,500 employees have said yes to cloud planning and evaluation. Cloud-based services are continuously growing making cloud computing careers one of the fastest growing fields in the tech industry. Businesses could take their applications to market immediately and operational costs such as maintenance and upgrade also decreased making cloud a quick and economical solution. Cloud technologies also ensure business continuity by providing security measures and recovery strategies helping businesses mitigate risks and protect sensitive data. Not only does it save cost, cloud also provides flexibility and security. Although challenging to learn due to its rapidly evolving nature, cloud computing is becoming a necessity, opening a lot of professional paths leading to competitive salaries.
Alongside honing hard skills, one must also be equipped with soft skills in order to be successful in any industry. Here are some of the soft skills that could help you in your IT career:
Problem Solving
Problems are inevitable which is why improving your problem solving skills will definitely help you throughout your career. As an IT professional, you’ll most likely encounter several problems that require both technical and critical thinking skills. It is important to identify and understand the problem, there are some instances where the cause of several problems lies somewhere specific. Visualize the problem and brainstorm solutions while considering its consequences. It’s best to have multiple solutions to evaluate as well as researching practices that worked on a similar problem then choose which among the solutions is the viable option. Next is to create an execution plan. This gives you a clear overview and documentation that would help you in the future when a similar problem arises. Improving problem solving skills includes working out your brain with logic or puzzle exercises, getting a good night’s sleep, meditation, etc.
Project Management
Project Management is a combination of both har skills and soft skills. In order to effectively manage a project, one must exercise both technical knowledge and interpersonal skills. Most of the time, tech roles include dealing with multiple projects and sometimes tight deadlines. Strategically mapping tasks to deliver before or on the deadline enables you to have a clear view on what and when something needs to be done, reducing scope creeps. Using project management tools will also help you keep track of any milestones in the project as well as check in on your team if each deliverables are progressing on schedule. Understanding the foundations of project management and developing techniques initiating, planning, executing as well as trust and accountability within your team will give you a great advantage in leadership and collaboration. Proper project management allows you to transition smoothly to the next project without any pending deliverables from the previous project. Sharpening your project management skills helps you manage timelines, organize tasks, set SMART goals, and resolve issues on any project.
Communication
Good communication skills benefit any career. Being able to communicate well with clients, superiors, co-workers and other collaborators will help establish good rapport across teams and build a welcoming environment. Communication involves understanding, merely expressing your ideas and opinions but not understanding your team or co-worker’s point of view will only lead to miscommunication. It is also important to ensure that everyone understands what is said, especially when delegating tasks and explaining processes, this ensures that the output will come out as expected. Without proper communication, problems and misunderstandings tend to be a hindrance in achieving excellent results. Practice communication within and across teams by continuously providing constructive feedback with empathy. Minding your tone and body language as well as the atmosphere and emotional state of the person also creates an open environment that builds good collaboration. Good communication opens doors to new ideas and diverse opinions on projects that contribute to innovative solutions.
Creativity
Creativity is the foundation of creating revolutionary ideas that have a huge impact in the tech industry. It is not only limited to developers and designers, as a matter of fact, utilizing creativity alongside new technologies results in unique innovations. Imagine all of the modern technologies that we never thought were possible a long time ago but are popular and commonly used nowadays, unique technological advancements that are continuously used and developed are products of creativity. Creative thinking also contributes to resourcefulness by leveraging unique ways to accomplish objectives. Although some problems can be solved by conventional methods, being creative gives you an opportunity to think outside the box and propose a unique solution. Modern problems require modern solutions, which is why exercising creativity is beneficial especially in the tech industry. Encouraging a creative environment promotes new ideas, this also creates a positive attitude in taking on challenges.
Flexibility
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said; the only thing that’s constant is change. Technology is constantly evolving, which is why flexibility is a good skill to have. It allows you to adapt to changes with ease and manage unexpected circumstances. Flexibility involves supporting the needs of your team and helping them overcome resistance to change. Continuous improvement is necessary in the tech industry to stay relevant in the game and inflexibility tends to block creative solutions and unique innovations in the workplace. When someone in the team is not willing to compromise, delays or terrible results tend to happen. Stepping out of the comfort zone and exercising empathy will help the team reach consensus with a positive outlook. Embrace changes and continue learning as every new knowledge benefits your career and personal development. Improve your flexibility skills by keeping an open mind, being proactive, encouraging feedback, embracing failures, and continuous evaluation.
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