The high demand IT skills essential for 2019

2018 was a year that celebrated innovation. While AI took great strides in robotics, medical diagnosis and autonomous cars, augmented reality exploded as data exploration and dynamic physical world mapping created new ways to work in the IT and Digital industry.

With the year now behind us, 2019 is looking to deliver even more innovation as 5G technology, a growing adoption of the Internet of Things and AI-powered chatbots continue to improve the technologies we use every day.

The IT and Digital industry has always provided interesting and challenging opportunities for those looking to build a career within the industry. However, each year brings new skills with it and this year is no different.

AI & Machine Learning Experience

AI and machine learning are already a huge part of our lives. They control the algorithms that match relevant ads to our searching history and even recommend new music to us on Spotify. However, the field of AI is still relatively young, and this means that finding specialists with long-term experience is difficult.

The main reason for this is due to the vast mathematical knowledge required for AI careers, especially with a machine learning specialism. Numerical methods, linear algebra, probability and statistics skills are almost essential and with Python being the dominant AI language, a working knowledge is vital for those looking to break into this specialism.

Throughout 2018 there was plenty of hype around AI and this will only grow over the coming years. For IT and Digital professionals wanting to specialise in this area, learning the basics in 2019 will help secure exciting placements as the technology continues to evolve.

Internet of Things Specialism

Whether it’s simple sensors connecting to smartphones and wearable devices or entire smart factories increasing manufacturing efficiency, the world is becoming increasingly connected. The Internet of Things encompasses devices that connect to the internet to communicate with one another. This means that devices can share data to analyse and create an action based on the result.

The introduction of IoT has opened a lot of new job roles for IT and digital professionals, especially within manufacturing. As the tech continues to evolve, businesses looking to adopt are going to be searching for experts with experience in the various IoT disciplines:

• Devices
• Connectivity
• Edge and cloud analytics
• Enterprise integration
• Platforms
• Development

In 2019, hands-on experience with IoT devices will be important for IT professionals looking to stay at the cutting-edge of the industry.

Cybersecurity

With AI, the Internet of Things and a consistent adoption of cloud technologies, cybersecurity will continue to become more important to companies across the world.

The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2018 announced that 43% of UK businesses reported a breach or attack in the last 12 months. With new technologies being introduced to businesses, the potential for new vulnerabilities needs to be assessed before they can be implemented.

The survey also reported that 74% of businesses place cybersecurity as a high priority, meaning that experts who work within this field will be able to take advantage of the exciting opportunities available to them in industries such as manufacturing or FinTech. 

Full-Stack Development

There’s always going to be opportunities for developers who dedicate their career to becoming experts in one specialism. However, in 2019 Full-Stack developers are once again going to be in high demand.

While they may not hold the same expertise as a specialist, their working knowledge of various coding languages and development principals means that they’re able to take on a wider scope of projects.

With web, software and mobile development constantly in high demand, full-stack developers who have a working knowledge of multiple programming languages such as Python, C# and Java will be invaluable for businesses who have to deal with a variety of client demands.