With the emergence of the tech industry, jobs in information technology, software, and social media have been booming. And that job growth shows no signs of slowing down, despite economic crises and a looming recession. This rise will continue to increase in the next eight years with an expected job growth of 12 percent — doubling that of the project job growth in other career fields. So if you are an entrepreneur looking at hiring engineers and other key technology savvy talent or an individual hoping to get your feet wet in the industry, here are the latest tech industry trends to keep an eye on.
Career options
While the general public might lump information technology and computer science professionals into one category or role, you actually have a world of job opportunities at your fingertips if you pursue a career in technology. You are certainly not limited to becoming a software engineer or data analyst to succeed in this industry.
Help desk and desktop support professionals
For companies centered around customer experience, help desk and customer support systems are crucial. These technicians can make between $34,000 to over $80,000 a year and should have at least an associate’s degree or some coursework from a technical school for an entry-level position. More senior-level positions require a bachelor’s degree and professional certifications. Help desk professionals ensure superb customer satisfaction through phone calls by installing cloud call center software, fixing bugs related to contact center software and call center tools, and assisting with customer service and phone support. Help desk technicians are vital to the performance of a company’s contact center agents.
Web, software, and mobile app developers
Developers create and maintain computer and software systems. These individuals must know how to build websitess and mobile apps as well as how to code. Developers need to have excellent communication and analytical skills in addition to an understanding of multiple programming languages. Generally, developers should have a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field, but in certain cases, an associate’s degree and prior work experience can suffice. Developers can have a starting yearly salary of $86,000 and earn more than $200,000 annually in senior roles. On average, developers make around $100,000 a year.
Systems administrators
As with any tech profession, system administrators should have keen problem-solving and analytical skills. Additionally, they should have a thorough understanding of the hardware and software used by the company they work for. System administrators need to have a bachelor’s or associate’s degree and professional certifications, plus experience working with servers and troubleshooting hardware, software, and network connections.
Part of what makes a career in tech so attractive is the potential job earnings. Professionals in the IT sector had a median annual salary of $82,860 in May 2016. That is more than double the median annual salary of all other occupations. Whether you apply to open roles at a small business or larger company, you are sure to secure an enviable wage given the long business hours and hard work that goes into the job. Some of the most well-known tech employers around include Apple, Google, and Microsoft. The fastest-growing tech employers you should consider as well are LinkedIn, Qlik Technologies, and Ebix. While a lot of these companies are headquartered near San Francisco, many are starting to spread out across the country in favor of cheaper production costs.
Hiring Challenges in Tech
The biggest challenge for the tech industry to overcome in the hiring process is accounting for diversity of gender, ethnicity, and age. Another issue is finding the right composition of necessary skills. While technical skills and an understanding of computer systems is imperative for new hires on an engineering team, recruiters struggle to find individuals who also possess strong project management abilities, a love of teamwork, interpersonal skills, and a knowledge of security.
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