Who to be? 10 most promising professions in IT

Full-Stack Developer

A Full-Stack Developer is responsible for developing both the frontend (interface) and backend of a website or application. This specialist ensures that the products created are responsive, meet the required standards, and ensure data security.

Since a Full-Stack developer participates in the creation of a product at all stages (which makes the profession one of the highest paid in IT), he or she must understand the basics of web development and database technologies, as well as have programming and scripting skills, design and development of application programming interfaces (APIs). The specialist is required to have experience with both interface technologies (HTML, JavaScript, CSS) and backend technologies (PHP, Node.js, Ruby on Rails).

Cloud Computing Engineer/Architect

More and more companies are abandoning the classic monolithic local infrastructure in favour of cloud services, the management of which requires the involvement of specialists with the appropriate skills: understanding of cloud software architecture, knowledge of the cloud platform Amazon Web Services, Google or Azure.

Such a specialist as a cloud engineer (or architect) is responsible for the design, development, implementation and management of the cloud system. Cloud computing allows access to shared computing resources (storage, servers, applications, etc.). The Cloud Computing Engineer's work keeps data secure, accessible and scalable.

Data Scientist

Already, businesses and organisations are seeing exponential growth in the amount of data generated. Therefore, it is not surprising that the demand for Data Analysts is increasing at a greater rate compared to other professions.

The role of a Data Scientist is to analyse large data sets to detect certain trends and develop models and algorithms to predict future outcomes. Based on the analysis, organisations can make better decisions.

In turn, a Data Scientist must understand machine learning algorithms, be able to create data models, write code in languages such as Python, SAS and use other analytical tools in their work.

Big Data Engineer

Another promising profession that is directly related to data. Just imagine: every day, more than 4 billion Internet users generate around 2.5 quintillion bytes of information.

The responsibilities of a Big Data Engineer include planning, designing and managing the complete lifecycle of large-scale Big Data developments. To feel confident in this role, the specialist will need programming and data visualisation skills, as well as an understanding of NoSQL, Hadoop, and Spark technologies.

Blockchain Developer

Blockchain is a technology for recording and transmitting data that allows it to be stored as a chain of blocks. A blockchain developer specialises in the design, development and implementation of digital solutions based on this technology, tailored to a company's technological needs. Among the skills desirable for a blockchain engineer: programming Java, Solidity, Python, C#, APL. Plus, the specialist should have an understanding of the technologies behind R3, Ripple, Ethereum and Bitcoin.

Artificial Intelligence Engineer/Architect

The global popularity of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is gaining momentum in industries ranging from digital to medical. An Artificial Intelligence Engineer is responsible for designing and developing AI-powered software applications, as well as analysing and interpreting data.

Larger companies may need even narrower specialisations: for example, a Natural Language Processing Engineer to train neural networks to perceive human language, or a Computer Vision Engineer to work with AI that recognises pictures.

The Artificial Intelligence Engineer profession requires a deep knowledge of mathematics and statistics, machine learning and neural networks, as well as an understanding of how TensorFlow and other similar technologies work.

Cybersecurity Specialist

Global companies and organisations are increasingly concerned about information security. Therefore, specialists in protecting computer systems and networks from unauthorised access, theft and damage will definitely be "in demand". They will be involved in identifying potential risks and developing strategies to prevent cyberattacks.

DevOps Engineer

DevOps (short for Development & Operations) is a collaboration between development and operations teams to optimise all software lifecycle processes. A DevOps engineer is responsible for automating the development, testing and deployment of software applications.

This position requires knowledge of Linux or Unix system administration, scripting skills in PHP/Python and Ruby, and mastery of DevOps tools such as Git and Jenkins.

Product Manager

Continuous technological progress requires companies to implement new technologies in order to achieve strategic and tactical business goals and meet customer needs. In this environment, the demand for product managers will only grow.

A competent product manager helps a team of developers and engineers to define the parameters of the product they are working on, and then manages the further development of this product. To do this, he or she needs strong analytical skills and time management skills, as well as knowledge of product lifecycle management and mastery of such product management tools as JIRA, PivotalTracker, and Asana.

Software Architect

The main task of a software architect is to find the simplest and most effective solutions for implementing software systems that would meet both the company's capabilities and customer requirements. The specialist searches for the optimal solution based on the provided technical specifications and the company's available resources. As part of his/her role, a software architect must have strong analytical and programming skills, understanding of software architecture and data modelling.

Conclusions

The technological revolution is imminent, which means that the demand for qualified IT professionals will be high. If this field appeals to you so much that you would like to try your hand at it, you should analyse your strengths and start studying now for a profession that will be of interest to you. Moreover, there are a lot of opportunities for that nowadays.

Kharkiv IT Cluster, one of the largest IT associations in Ukraine, has been helping everyone interested in choosing a profession for 8 years already. For this purpose, two open initiatives for all those who are deciding on a profession in IT are being implemented: Open IT and Teens2IT.

At the events, which take place online, participants can learn about current IT professions, demand for professions, basic hard and soft skills required for work, and ask questions to representatives of the field in real time.

• Open IT — a series of free training workshops on IT professions with a focus on hard skills.
• Teens2IT — a series of free interviews with IT specialists.

Registration forms for upcoming events are available on the project pages.