In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, the only constant is change. From AI to Cybersecurity, the tech industry is advancing at an unprecedented pace. The good news is that developing certain skills now can help your career, even when it seems like so much is changing. Keep reading to explore six different high-growth areas of tech you might want to consider pursuing and free or inexpensive resources you can use to learn them.
Below, we describe a few up-and-coming skills that will take your skillset to the next level. You don’t have to learn about every single one, but having a baseline understanding of each will be helpful — at the very least.
At some point, AI is going to impact pretty much every job, helping us get more work done faster and more efficiently. Knowing how to leverage it early will give you a huge leg up compared to your peers. So, start with the basics. Give ChatGPT a whirl, and learn the basics about AI via free courses from Google.
Cybersecurity is known as “job zero” because they are the most important jobs in every company. Without a robust cybersecurity team, a company is at tremendous risk — new types of attacks pop up every day. Staying abreast of these updates and learning how to safeguard companies against the threat of attack will take you far. You can find cybersecurity coursework on KnowBe4’s websites.
Many people are already diving deep into AWS or Google, but it’s very rare that candidates are proficient in both. Large companies are often running multiple cloud environments, and you may struggle without a relatively strong command of all of them. A couple of resources:
C#, Java and Javascript will remain worthwhile languages to know. But you might also want to look into developing and maintaining large language models (LLMs) and even low-code languages like Swift and Haskell. Another aspect of programming that’s becoming increasingly significant is the carbon footprint of specific languages. Try out some bolt-on tools to measure and reduce your emissions, such as:
Companies are swimming in data, and they’ll only continue to collect more. Being able to decipher and interpret it is, and will still be, an invaluable skill as time goes on. If you have solid statistics and programming skills, you might want to take some introductory courses to see if data science is a potential fit, like:
Soft skills are not going away. Being a strong, empathetic leader with excellent project management skills is a boon for any tech company. Consider PMP or Servant Leadership courses to bolster your existing skills.
Job titles will be changing rapidly and drastically over the next few years, and having a foundational understanding of one or more of these skills will help you adapt to a changing workforce.
That being said, not all of these topics will interest you. So don’t force it. If you’re not a math person, it’s ok not to go into data science. Go with your gut and focus on the types of skills you’re drawn to. If you’re excited to learn something, you’re more likely to follow through on a self-directed course.
And if you need help finding a new role, don’t hesitate to reach out to the team at Planet Technology. Contact us today.
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Core Technology | Enterprise | Job search advice | Technology
