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This post originally appeared on the edX blog. Learn more about the field of information technology with free online courses in cloud computing, cyber security, big data and much more at edX.org.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in the field of information technology are expected to grow 12 percent by 2024 with over 480,000 new positions in the fields of network security, cloud computing and IT management. IT jobs consistently rank high on Indeed’s list of the top 30 computer and Internet job titles, and U.S. News and World Report ranks the job of IT manager fourth on its list of the nine best technology jobs of 2016.
All this is no surprise when you look at the proliferation of smart devices and how much technology is dependent on the ability to store, retrieve and manipulate data in a secure manner. The need for data management and security specialists will continue to grow well into the future. Skills in programming, information architecture, database management, data science and analytics will continue to be in high demand by all types of businesses.
Data Scientist
A 2012 article from the Harvard Business Review called the position of data scientist the “Sexiest Job of the 21st Century.” Since then, the position has exploded in demand as more organizations collect, analyze and utilize huge quantities of data. The fields of machine learning and predictive analytics are huge, and the data scientist sits at the top, discovering new ways to use data to make technology work better. Monster.com lists over 1,000 open positions for data scientist jobs.
The role of data scientist requires a broad range of computer science and analytics skills. To start learning more, enroll in online courses in data science, machine learning and statistics.
IT Specialist
The IT specialist manages the network infrastructure of a company. This includes computer hardware, software, email, databases, network security and much more. It’s a broad position that encompasses system administration and computer support for the entire organization. IT specialist ranks #2 on Indeed.com’s list of the top 30 computer and Internet job titles, second only to the position of application developer. Indeed lists over 11,000 full-time IT specialist jobs with a salary estimate of over $85,000 per year. Getting started in the field generally requires a bachelor’s degree or higher, and also may require technical certifications from Microsoft, Cisco or other companies, depending on the products used at a particular organization.
To see if this role would interest you, try online courses in IT and computer systems and security.
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