If you plan to launch or advance your career in information technology, which skills are most desirable in today’s marketplace?

Here’s a snapshot of five leading areas where employers are seeking specialized IT talent:

 
Wireless and Mobility

To meet end users’ demands to be able to work from anywhere, anytime, companies need specialists skilled in wireless and mobility.

  • Wireless skills in areas such as 802.11, WIMAX and broadband will become even more appealing to employers in the next five years.
  • As more companies focus on mobility, the demand for skilled developers will continue to grow. This includes those adept at Java, jQuery, JavaScript, C/C++/C#, .NET, HTML5, CSS, Eclipse and Mobile OS.

 
Security Architecture

In a recent survey by CompTIA, security was listed as the leading skill sought out by 75 percent of 3,578 IT managers polled. As companies recognize the potentially devastating impact of a security breach, they’re ramping up resources to keep their business and customers safe.

  • IT security skills saw a 23.2 percent increase in demand between September 2012 and September 2013.
  • Leading IT candidates have incorporated their security savvy into network and wireless applications, as well as operating system and other tech management areas.

 
Virtualization

Virtualization technology is the main component behind data center consolidation and disaster recovery initiatives. Industry watchers expect storage, network and desktop virtualization to continue to drive demand for expertise in this area.

  • Some experts predict that desktop virtualization will show the strongest growth during the next one to two years.
  • Contributing to demand for virtualization skills is the fact that many companies have numerous redundant servers and are trying to maximize utilization on every server on every site.

 
Networking

In the CompTIA survey, networking was second to security in terms of high-demand IT skills. Networking fell out of favor during the dot-com bust, but it has cycled back into demand in recent years.

  • As companies perform more transactions online and networks become larger and more complex, there is a growing need for skilled designers and managers. Professionals with practical experience in large scale, IP-based networks are hot commodities.
  • Needed are specialists in wide-area networking especially as it applies to technologies like T-1, frame relay, ISDN and multiplexing.
  • Also in demand are basic business analysis skills coupled with an understanding of financial and risk management.

 
Business Intelligence & Data Mining

Big data is big business – and companies are looking at how to analyze and interpret their disparate sources of information. This is still an immature area for many organizations, but businesses are beginning to understand that they have a wealth of data that could assist them with market forecasting and executive decision making.

  • Business intelligence skills experienced a 9.1 percent increase in demand between July and September 2013.

It’s a good time to be an IT professional. So polish up your resume and plan to zero in on an area of specialty that both piques your career interest and offers a satisfying and growth-oriented path for our future. To learn more, contact the experts at Magellan Search & Staffing today. If you are looking for information technology jobs in Philadelphia PA, contact our team today.