8 Hottest IT Careers of 2014!

Whether it was the Internet Era of 90s or the Big Data Era of today, Information Technology (IT) has given birth to several lucrative career options for many. Though there will not be a “significant” increase in demand for IT professionals in 2014 as compared to 2013, a “steady” demand for IT professionals is rest assured this year. Not only the big IT companies but also new start-ups mushrooming are looking for people with high-demand IT skill sets.

Now the question arises – What are these high-demand IT skill-sets? In this article we are highlighting 8 Hottest IT Careers of 2014 that will help young as well as experienced professionals make a prudent career choice or a career change.

1. Big Data Professionals:

Big Data that deals with huge volume, velocity and variety of data, is the most sought-after career option today. IDC (International Data Corporation) has predicted that the Big Data market is projected to reach $16.1 billion in 2014, which means rising 6 times more than the total IT market. Also, Gartner Survey shows that 64% of companies have either invested or plan to invest in Big Data leading to a huge demand of Big Data professionals having skills like Hadoop, Mongo DB, Cassandra, Machine Learning with Mahout and so on. Some of companies employing Big data professionals are Facebook, Google, Apple, Twitter, IBM, Cisco, Amazon, Oracle, Yahoo, ebay, and many more.

2. Business Intelligence (BI) Engineers:

Business intelligence (BI) is a highly in –demand career option as many organizations are using variety of software applications to analyze their raw data, and undertaking activities like data mining, data analysis, Querying as well as reporting. Why? This is because Business intelligence comes with many benefits such as reducing costs, getting business insights and better decision making. In contrast to the demand there is an acute shortage of BI engineers who can analyze raw data and present it in an informed way. Thus, in the era where global data is estimated to grow tremendously and reach 35.2 zettabytes, organizations are leaving no stone unturned to hire talented BI professionals and pay them handsomely.

3. Linux Experts:

Linux is an open source operating system which is extensively being used by programmers to support various software applications. Linux has become an integral part of emerging trending technologies with a vast Linux community. Whether we talk about electronics or enterprise management, or Big Data technologies like Hadoop or Cassandra, Linux comes into the picture. Thus, IT professionals who have hands on experience on Linux, carve a niche for themselves in the competitive IT market. Also, companies are keen on hiring people with Linux experience to support their cloud computing applications. Thus, Linux administration has become a hot career option.

 4. Mobile Application Developers:

In today’s world of Angry Birds, Google Earth, Kindle, EverNote, Blackberry Messenger, Doodle Jump, we all are well aware of the popularity of mobile apps. Developing a mobile App (whether Google’s Android or Apples’ iOS) requires knowledge of certain programming languages such as C++ or Java. With the tremendous craze for mobile apps, among youngsters and professionals, there is a huge demand for creative and talented app developers. According to Forbes, “The Shortage Of Developer Talent Is Crushing Mobile”. If, creating apps for smartphones and tablets is your true calling, do consider becoming a winning app developer! Some Indian App developers include Infosys, Capegemini and Contus, and international players include Sourcebits, WillowTree, Mubaloo, Fuzz Production and so on.

 5. Project Managers:

Pursuing a career as a project manager requires certain skills such as planning, organizing, managing, delivering a project successfully. Project Management is definitely one of the most in-demand career in IT in 2014. Instead of going for general skills, companies are now looking for very specific skills in its prospective project managers. Project-oriented IT jobs are in rise so much so that now project managers need to go for a PMP Project Management Professional Certification to enhance their credibility as a Project Manager.

6. Software Engineers and Web Developers:

With the world getting more and more IT oriented, software engineers have a very rewarding career options in 2014. If developing new applications and software is your passion, then becoming a software engineer should be your goal for 2014. Companies like Adobe, Microsoft, IBM, Infosys, Wipro are all looking for passionate software engineers with their innovative ideas and applications. Similarly web developing careers are on a rise! If you are good at internet and browsing applications, designing and developing websites, then there are several job opportunities available for you world over. Get skilled in technologies like HTML, .Net, Java, PHP, CSS, Flex, Silverlight, CSS, jQuery, Ruby, Joomla and kick start your career as a Web Developer.

7. Networking Professionals:

Any IT company whether small or big faces network related issues. No IT company can survive without bringing skilled networking professionals on the board. According to Cisco, Networking is one of the fastest growing occupations of 2014. This is evident by the fact that the Annual global IP traffic will be 1.3 zettabytes by end of 2016. Undoubtedly, there is a huge demand for Network and Computer Administrators, Windows Administrators and Desktop Support. Networking professionals are responsible for installing, supporting and maintaining systems, hardware and even software infrastructure, administering emails, providing anti-spam and virus protection, creating new user accounts, passwords and maintaining the servers.

8. Information Security Analyst:

In the Information Age as the amount of data and applications are increasing, so is the need for security. This leads to a high demand for Information Security Analysts who plan and execute security measures to protect an organization’s computer networks and systems. This could be Cyber security, or Data security, Network security or even Application security. Security analysts have a big responsibility of protecting the companies’ useful and confidential data intact. They need to generate innovative ways of preventing unethical hacking, or causing menace to the organization. Organizations like retail, healthcare, consulting firms, government are keen on hiring qualified information security analyst and are ready to offer a really high pay scale.

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