2018 already seems to be another exceptional year in IT with rapid development, innovative trends and visions of the future which are slowly becoming our reality. But with this technological development, the job roles, skills and knowhow in IT are rapidly changing. But have no fear, here at Leap29, our expert IT team have put together a list of the top 4 tech jobs which are in high demand for 2018.
A.I Engineer
Artificial Intelligence (A.I), which once seemed like a futuristic reality only seen in Hollywood films, has now become one of the major drivers behind digital development in 2018.
Whilst the start of A.I is dated back to 1950’s, over the past decade we have seen rapid progressions in virtual assistants, such as Alexa and Siri, machine learning programs, such as google maps and human identifying biometrics such as apple’s facial recognition.
With all the top players such as Apple, Google and Amazon heavily investing in A.I, the need for A.I specialists is in high demand.
To become a A.I Engineer, a strong understanding of programming language, in particular Python, C++ and Java is key. Other essential skills include strong mathematical skills and experience in building A.I Bots.
It’s also important to be up to date on material, you can find heaps of literature on the history and streams of articles about current developments and predictions for the future of A.I.
Machine Learning Engineer
When working in such a big field such Artificial Intelligence (A.I), it’s important to find a specialised area based on your experience and skills. One specialised role to consider is a Machine Learning Engineer.
A Machine Learning Engineer is essential for any A.I project as they are responsible for managing the machine infrastructure which programs and learns specific tasks.
For this role it would be beneficial to have experience in both software engineering and data science and a comprehensive knowledge on programming, statistic measures, and data modelling.
BI Analyst
We are currently in an age of big data. Everything we do from shopping online, watching tv to even using our mobile phone is being tracked and analysed to reveal pattern and trends in human behaviour.
The role of a Business Intelligence (B.I) Analyst is to gather and analyse this data to guide business decisions and management.
Key skills for this role include the ability to analyse data, a comprehensive understanding of software programs, interpersonal skills and a good understanding of business processes.
Cloud Engineer
Another major development in technology is the rise of cloud computing. A simple explanation of cloud computing is the process of storing data and programs through the internet rather than on a hard drive.
Cloud storage signifies a shift away from traditional IT resources and allows data to be accessed anywhere in the world through the internet.
A Cloud Engineer can be divided into specialised areas including architect, Security Engineer, Software Engineer, Network Engineer and Systems Engineer.
The key skills across these specialised Cloud Engineering roles include experience in building, maintaining and operating internet based programs. As well as a understanding of software development and programming language, in particular Python, C++ and Java is key.
DevOps Engineer
The term DevOps (Development & Operations) was coined a decade ago but since then the industries appetite for engineers to fulfil this role has been insatiable, demand has been completely outweighing the available supply.
It is a software engineering culture that unifies the development and operations team in one streamlined function.
DevOps has a strong focus on the automation and monitoring of the software lifecycle. This ranges from construction, integration testing and release. The whole purpose of this function is to improve the cycles, frequency and dependability of software releases.
To get into DevOps you will typically be interested in building secure and scalable cloud platforms. The most widely used platform that we see is AWS but Azure and Google are also contenders. You will need to understand CI/CD tools such as Jenkins, TeamCity, Travis CI, Bamboo etc.
Another essential skill will be the ability to maintain the Infrastructure with management tech. The most popular tends to be Puppet, Chef and Ansible.
The other part you will be hearing everyone talk about is Containerisation of applications. Docker has become extremely popular and is a regular feature on most DevOps skill requirements.
