Society is developing at a very rapid pace, and technology is growing with it. All of the technology invented in the last one hundred years has been to increase the comfort of humans. And as we get used to these comforts, our need for more only increases. This means more demand for the technology industry.
To meet this demand, tech companies are being created all over. Which means high demand for tech professionals. Even for people who are not in the tech industry, the need to have some sort of tech skill is a must. If you feel like you are being left behind, these are some of the tech skills you should learn this year. All of this will be introduced to our life one way or another, and as the saying goes: Knowledge is power.
1. Blockchain
Blockchain is the technology behind cryptocurrency. Blockchain is a record of data distributed between many computers. For this reason, it is decentralized and transparent. Blockchain technology uses the cryptography principles to keep the information protected by using codes meant for the ones to read them.
This technology has enormous potential. It isn’t only used in cryptocurrency transactions. Nowadays, blockchain is used in banking to make transactions more secure and for smart contracts, health, real estate, elections, and sharing economies like Uber or Airbnb.
The limitation right now regarding this technology is the lack of professionals. There aren’t many courses or college degrees dedicated to this area. Most blockchain professionals who gravitated toward this niche already have a bachelor’s degree in computer science or related fields. So, it is a highly sought after skill in the industry right now that will assure you a well-paid job.
These are the career paths you can follow if you have this skill and how much money can you make per year:
- Blockchain Developer. $108k
- Blockchain Solution Architect. $109k-$195k
2. Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing is dedicated to offering computing services over the internet. These services include storage, networking, servers, software, analytics, and more. With the development of more potent computers and servers, this area has grown and the demand for services is high.
The reason this skill is sought after is that it has many applications and benefits. One of the benefits of cloud computing is that it eliminates the need to buy hardware, store it, and maintain it. Companies can outsource services and others do the hard work.
This is also more scalable as you can simply change your plan and subscribe for more space, power, or bandwidth. And vice versa, if you want to downsize and do not want to end up with a bunch of unused hardware.
Another plus is that most of the companies that provide these services are always upgrading their equipment. This means you will always have high performance without the investment that entails. To learn this skill, you can do coding bootcamp or obtain a bachelor’s degree. It depends on your preference for learning and what you think is best for your personality.
These are the career paths you can follow if you have this skill and how much money can you make per year:
- Software Architect. $124k
- Cloud Engineer. $95k
- Data Scientist. $88k
3. Analytical Reasoning
With the infinite amount of data already out there plus the new ones generated every day, companies need someone to make sense of it all. Although humans are not the ones processing all this data, they are the ones designing the software that does. To be able to do this, professionals must have the ability to do analytical reasoning. This skill allows people to see great quantities of information and discern patterns.
This skill is very important to have for people working with data and other computer science fields. With data being the currency of the future, the demand for this skill is very high, especially for tech giants like Facebook, Google, and Amazon. Analytical Reasoning is not something you can pursue in a career. You normally acquire the skill while studying in college. Any subject that requires analytical and logical thinking helps you to learn the skill.
These are the career paths you can follow if you have this skill and how much money can you make per year:
- Business Analyst. $68k
- Computational Linguistic. $80k
- Engineering Manager. $117k
4. Artificial Intelligence
AI changes how humans interact with technology. The future of artificial intelligence is to reach a point where machines can think like humans, so much so that we couldn’t recognize if something is a machine or a real human. We are not yet there, and it is a possibility that we never make it. For now, AI is there to make our jobs easier. Machine learning is a part of AI. Machine learning has made it possible for machines to give results 100 times faster than a human ever could.
Artificial intelligence has many applications. For example, thanks to this technology we can have a more personalized internet experience. From Netflix showing us exactly what we like to watch to Instagram showing you ads for products you were just talking about, all this is possible because of AI technology.
And an achievement even more important, healthcare professionals can now detect when a patient is at risk of suffering a stroke or heart attack. This is possible with software that analyzes millions of data and predicts when an illness is going to happen.
To learn this skill or follow this career path there are online courses to learn machine learning, but you should have a data science background or at least programming knowledge. Another option is to enroll in a college course.
These are the career paths you can follow if you have this skill and how much money can you make per year:
- Software Analyst. $65k
- Algorithm Development. $107k
- Robotics Engineer. $86k
5. UX Design
UX design is more of a career path than a skill per se, but it was included on the list because many tech professionals can independently learn to be a UX designer. This career path is the perfect mesh between an analytical or logical career and a creative one.
UX stands for user experience, and professional designers program interface components of a mobile app, web app, or website. Their work impacts how a user interacts with an application. Part of the responsibilities of a UX designer is to research the market, validate or test app features, and know what the user wants and needs.
A good UX design most is smooth, intuitive, and visually attractive. People in this field must be highly creative and problem-solvers too. As mentioned before, to be a UX designer, you can learn by yourself or take a coding bootcamp.
Also, the job positions for this “skill” will only expand with time as it is applicable in all industries. All companies nowadays either have a mobile app or a website.
These are the career paths you can follow if you have this skill and how much money can you make per year:
- Interaction Designer. $59.9k
- Accessibility Specialist. $75.8k
- UX Strategist. $73.8k
6. Quantum Computing
This is a new technology. After all, scientists have just achieved for the first time a three dimensional teleportation last year. However, the possibilities are so attractive that many research groups are working on it. The main motivation to develop this tech is that the computers we use today have limitations.
Computers manipulate information in bits (0 and 1). But quantum computers will be able to manage qubits. They will take advantage of quantum mechanical properties: superposition, entanglement, and interference. Using these properties, computers will transport information in seconds without any direct physical connection in between.
Some of the applications of this technology are to use computers to simulate chemical bonds and natural phenomenons. We will not see a quantum computer sitting in our house any time soon, the few in existence need to operate in near-zero temperatures and are huge. But, there are already quantum computers that anyone can access for free through the cloud.
This part of science is very exciting, and because it’s in its early stages – not many people are experts on quantum computing. However, to be able to become a professional in this area, you will probably have to pursue a postgraduate university degree. Quantum mechanics are a very complex part of science and require a lot of studying, hence the lack of professionals. A good start would be to learn Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, and quantum mechanics.
These are the career paths you can follow if you have this skill and how much money can you make per year:
- Scientific Project Manager. $103k
- Quantum Engineer. $105K – $114K
- Embedded Software Engineer. $90k