Diverse IT Sector: Different Jobs, Different Skills!

The IT sector is teeming with new technologies and innovation day after day, and hundreds of thousands of professionals join this exciting and rapidly growing industry every year. Thanks to the advancement of technology, getting a job in the IT sector allows you to work in different industries, since all of them have also been digitalized over time. Therefore, you can be an IT administrator and manage systems for a garment factory, or a software developer who develops healthcare applications for a medical organization.

Since the IT sector is so diverse, you also have to diversify your skills and aptitude in order to achieve success in this field. Therefore, we have come up with some of the most in-demand IT skills that you should have in 2022.

IT Skills Every Professional Should Have

Since we are living in an age of innovation and discovery, there are no bounds as to what you could achieve with the help of technology. As time progresses, the method of doing work also continues to be optimized and automated, which means that the skills that were most valuable in 2010 don’t hold any value in today’s world. Here are some of the most sought after IT skills that you should know about, especially if you are pursuing a career in this industry.

1. Security

If you are from the field of IT or pursuing an IT degree, you would be aware of the importance of cybersecurity, and how it was one of the buzzwords of 2021. In the past year alone, there have been massive data breaches and hacks all over the world, causing millions of dollars’ worth of data being compromised. Therefore, security is the fundamental concern of any organization.

You should familiarize yourself with the concepts and skills required to keep IT systems and data centers safe from cyberattacks and hacking attempts. For this purpose, you should know about physical, network, and software security, firewalls, routers, data encryption, threat analysis, compliance regulations, and several other skills.

Even if you don’t land a job pertaining to IT security, its knowledge will help you become a better professional and work more efficiently in your capacity.

2. Programming

One of the most in-demand IT skills is programming, which is why thousands of people from non-IT backgrounds are also learning how to code and adding this skill to their resume. Programming is one of the most valuable skills an IT professional should have, and it doesn’t just involve creating software or webpages. Rather, programming helps you develop analytical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are integral to any profession in the IT sector.

To attain this valuable skill, you can start off by learning some of the basic programming languages, such as HTML, JavaScript, and C. As you progress further, you can move on to more advanced and complex languages, which include Java, C++, Python, Ruby, and several others. These languages will help you in several job functions, including automation, network testing, data analysis, etc.

3. System and Network Administration

This is another valuable skill that can greatly benefit you when you step into an IT career. Professionals who have these skills can ensure that systems and networks are running smoothly and the company or its clients aren’t facing any downtime, which can lead to a loss of revenue and productivity. Even if you don’t envision becoming a network or system administrator, possessing these skills will help you stay ahead of any problem.

Some of the valuable skills in system and network administration include managing operating systems, installing and configuring hardware and software, cloud administration and setup, managing local area networks (LAN) or other types of networks, troubleshooting, and providing technical assistance to other coworkers.

4. Data Analysis

Data is the new oil, meaning that it is the most valuable resource that even the largest corporations in the world run after. Data can be leveraged and manipulated for any purpose, and data analysts and scientists are the people responsible for this task. Even if you have no interest in data analysis, you can do a lot better if you have those skills in your arsenal.

Data analysis can also be used to identify loopholes and faults in performance, and you can also use it to uncover any security threats or vulnerabilities. To attain this skill, you would have to familiarize yourself with SQL, a server-side programming language. Apart from this, you also need Python and a working knowledge of statistics.

5. DevOps

Developer options, or DevOps, is a branch of IT that consolidates the software development and IT teams with one another, thus ensuring better and more peaceful collaboration between the two departments. Although DevOps is a separate unit, having the skill set that it requires helps you to run both the IT and development operations together smoothly. 

If you are looking to join a DevOps team, you can become a DevOps engineer who works with a team in order to run everything smoothly. You would need a set of skills for it, including continuous delivery theory, container technologies, scripting languages like Python, Ruby, and C, and knowledge of cloud operations.

6. Cloud Computing

Another key and valuable skill during this time is cloud computing, which offers you the ability to and design and build cloud infrastructure. Moreover, it also brings out a lot of jobs, including cloud developer, cloud administrator, cloud architect, to name a few. Cloud computing is highly sought after, which is why you can’t miss out on learning valuable skills that will help you on the job.

Some of the platforms that you must be familiar with include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, and even Oracle.

This concludes our guide on valuable skills you need in order to land a job in the IT sector. There are dozens of jobs awaiting you out there, and by honing your skills, you will be able to become an all-round talented and dependable IT professional in no time.