The tech industry is one of the fastest-growing globally, and the employment opportunities are many and varied. As technology widens its reach, new specialisms evolve that need bright, inventive minds to develop them into successful businesses. Existing markets continue to expand too, and demand for programmers and developers has never been higher.
Games and VR developers
Video games might have been around for more than a few years now, but their popularity has never been greater. Estimates of the worldwide revenue generated from gaming are in the region of $100 billion for 2017, with forecasts predicting this will approach $140 billion by 2019. Degree courses in game design are oversubscribed and attract highly talented students, and far from being seen as nerds, game developers have become some of the coolest people around! Virtual reality is a closely related technology, as games move into offering VR components and interactive experiences, and the demand for mobile applications is increasing at a great rate. This will be a key challenge for developers, as the experience on mobile and even gaming platforms like PlayStation and Xbox don’t come close to the high quality of a gaming PC – at least not yet!
Programmers
Programming is the foundation of all computer science. Programmers write the code which forms instructions for computers; in other words, programmers are the architects of computing languages. Everything that computer systems do is based on the skill of the person writing the code. It might be one of the original computing jobs, but it is still an essential role and one of the most secure tech industry choices. Earning can vary according to the programming language you specialize in and where you work. You can check what the going rates are at Salaries Hub. It’s also important to be up to the minute on the latest evolutions in programming and keep an eye on how the wind of change is blowing so you can be equipped to take advantage of the latest trends.
AI Engineers and data scientists
The successful development of artificial intelligence has been somewhat slow in comparison to other technologies. Still, the challenges of creating a functioning brain from scratch are so immense that this is hardly surprising. Science is still trying to unravel the intricate workings of the human brain, and while progress is being made, understanding the complexities of cognitive functioning presents an enormous challenge. In the last few years, though, significant advances have been made in self-driving cars and robotics. Data scientists are taking the smart machine and working on the next level, getting the AI systems to think independently without the need for programming. Whether programmers view this prospect with the same enthusiasm could be up for debate, though! Almost every aspect of our daily life is dependent on or controlled by technology, which will only increase in the future. The importance of the work done by tech experts is starting to be appreciated more now, quite rightly. Being a pioneer has always been cool, and if you work in tech, you are definitely a pioneer of our technology-driven age.