Are You In-Demand?

In 2008, the world was in a global recession that affected every city, big and small. The U.S. subprime mortgage that collapsed in August 2007 had caused more than 210 million job losses, according to the International Monetary Fund. Globally, cities were in a state of flux.

While the economy was still trying to recover, recession-proof jobs such as Computer Systems Analysts, Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts, Nurses, Teachers, Physical Therapists, Physicians and Surgeons, Dentists, Pharmacists, Database Administrators, and Social and Community Service Managers survived through the test of time - both good and bad.

10 years on, we are currently in a world of ambiguity, complexity and constant change. In today's world of volatility, we need to be agile enough to learn and move fast so as to stay ahead of the competition.

The advancement of technology and digitalisation have also spurred automation. Traditional jobs have evolved over time to encompass wider skill sets to meet the growing global demands. Jobs like “Data Scientist”, “UI/UX Designer”, and “Social Media Marketing Manager” were unheard of 10 years ago.

While there is a sense of fear and apprehension of how technology may cause more job displacement, there are also many untapped opportunities for us. As the pace of change is only going to get faster and faster, are our skills up-to-date to keep us in-demand?

Let’s check out the key essential skills of the Top 10 jobs:

1. Computer Vision Engineer

An interdisciplinary field that deals with how we can gain high-level understanding of digital media, computer vision has the potential to improve the quality of our lives. As machines continually learn our habits and recognise our voice, computer vision excels beyond self-driving, Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. Computer vision helps healthcare professionals diagnose and treat patients with medical imagery and precision medicine.

Investments in AR and VR are expected to grow from $11.4 billion in 2017 to $215 billion in 2021, according to IDC.

Skills required: Proficiency in Object Oriented Analysis, Object Oriented Design Methodologies, computer vision algorithms, OpenCV library, Matlab Runtime, machine learning and deep learning. Knowledge of Standard Template Library (STL), C++, NET C#, Ubuntu, Python.

2. Machine Learning Engineer

Interested in Machine Learning? You are not alone! More people are getting interested in Machine Learning every day. You would be hard pressed to find a field generating more buzz these days than this one. A widely cited 2015 paper from Google highlighted the fact that real-world machine learning systems have many components aside from analytic models.

Skills required: Machine learning frameworks such as scikit-learn, TensorFlow, Azure, Caffe, Theano, Spark, and Torch; machine learning algorithms such as linear regression, logistic regression, decision trees, random forest, clustering (i.e. K means, hierarchical), reinforcement learning, and neural networks; computer science fundamentals include data structures (stacks, queues, multi-dimensional arrays, trees, graphs); C++, C#, Python; SQL and NoSQL, ETL, data analysis, and data visualisation.

3. Network Analyst

“Businesses are investing more heavily in their networks as IoT enters the workplace” says Forrester Researcher Nate Meneer. Unlike other IT jobs, a Network Analyst needs to manage both the business and technical initiatives. A Network Analyst has to manage the communication networks and computer systems and utilise the best available technology to create the most efficient and productive network solution.

Skills required: Up-to-date knowledge of hardware skills; SQL, Visual Basic, C++, Java, Unified Modelling Language; good project management and problem-solving skills.

4. Security Analyst

As cyber attacks continue to grow more sophistically, there is a huge demand to protect and fight them with cutting-edge technologies. Cybersecurity Professionals need to collaborate with business leaders to define use cases, risk profiles and determine the appropriate access to information for employees and customers.

Skills required: IDS/IPS, penetration and vulnerability testing; DLP, anti-virus and anti-malware. TCP/IP, computer networking, routing and switching; Firewall and intrusion detection/prevention protocols; C++, C#, Java or PHP, Cloud computing, SaaS models, Security Information and Event Management (SIEM).

5. Cloud Engineer

As majority of companies move their systems to the cloud, the most important hybrid IT strategy is to include both in-house technology and external systems (beyond Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure), according to a research report by TechRepublic.

Skills required: Java, Python and Ruby; OpenStack, Linux, Amazon Web Services, Rackspace, Google compute engine, Microsoft Azure and Docker; Experience with APIs, orchestration, automation, DevOps and databases like NoSQL.

6. App Developer

According to Statista - In 2017, there were 178.1 billion mobile app downloads, and the number of app downloads is projected to grow to 258.2 billion in 2022. TechCrunch reported that smartphone owners are using 9 apps per day and 30 apps per month.

With the growing demand for mobile apps, App Developer jobs will grow very quickly between 2010 and 2020, and jobs will grow by 28%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Skill required: C#, HTML 5, CSS, Java, Xcode and Swift; Cross-platform Development such as Antenna and Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), UX/UI Design.

7. Business intelligence (BI) analyst

Business Intelligence is an interesting field because it has its feet planted firmly in two separate areas: business strategy and computer science. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for Business Intelligence Analysts is expected to grow by 14% through 2024. This beats projections for all other occupations.

Skills required: Statistics; Database management, Data Analysis and Modelling; SQL, Python, RStudio, Tableau, Oracle, IBM Cognos.

8. DevOps Lead

TechRepublic reported that enterprises including Adobe and Amazon are increasingly turning to DevOps as a way to deliver software and security updates more rapidly, both internally and to customers. DevOps Engineer encompasses a role that was built out of the need to fully embrace cloud infrastructure in dedicated, multi-tenant and hybrid environments.

Skills required: Process re-engineering, Linux Fundamentals And Scripting, DevOps concepts, and technologies, Continuous Integration And Continuous Delivery, Infrastructure as Code (IAC), DevOps Key Concepts, Data Management.

9. Database Administrator

The U.S. News and World Report shared that the number of Database Administrators is expected to spike 30.6% and gain about 34,000 new positions by 2020. Well-maintained databases is really the secret in enabling tech products to work effectively.

Skills required: Knowledge of Relational Database Management System (RDMS), Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, Transact-SQL, disaster recovery and database backup procedure, excellent communication and problem-solving skills,

10. User Support Specialist

As technology becomes deeply integrated into various business units, employees will need assistance from support specialists for an effective digital transformation to take place.

Skills Required: Knowledge of common information technologies and systems, hardware and software certification such as, A+; program certifications such as Cisco and Microsoft Windows.

In this day and age, everyone in the company has to understand the various business needs, develop both technical and soft skills in order to meet the ever-changing demands of the industry.

The future belongs to us who create new possibilities. New jobs have been created; existing roles will be further re-defined.