As the Covid-19 pandemic ravages economies across the world, millions of companies have taken a severe hit to their bottom line, resulting in massive lay-offs, furloughs or closures. The International Labour Organization has forecast that the pandemic could reduce global working hours by nearly 7 percent in the second quarter of 2020—this is equivalent to 195 million full-time jobs.
With job insecurity at an all-time high, many are looking for ways to boost their employability and secure their financial future. An excellent way to do this is to transition to a job in tech, a sector that offers some of the best prospects for a long, lucrative career.
The world faces a myriad of challenges that threaten global stability and economic growth, from limited resources to climate change and growing inequality. Most of these hurdles can be tackled through innovative technology—this fact alone ensures that the tech industry will continue to thrive.
Moreover, as stay-at-home and social distancing measures are implemented worldwide, more and more companies are switching to remote work. This is boosting demand for the software and the professionals needed to develop and maintain the infrastructure that allows people to work remotely. The popularity of these products and tech professionals can only increase from here on.
If you are wondering how to improve your employability, you should, at the very least, consider a career in tech. To give you an idea of how relevant a career in tech is today, here are some of the technology-related sectors that are booming, even as Covid-19 spreads:
Data is King
In the digital age, companies generate an ever-growing amount of data, from customer preferences and purchase history to the price of a competitor’s products. This data can be instrumental in boosting profits, but you need to know how to use it first.
We now have a whole industry developed around the science (and art) of collecting, interpreting and drawing conclusions from data. Some of the professionals that populate this industry include Data Scientists, Data Analysts, Data Architects and Data Engineers.
Let’s take a look at two of the most popular, and lucrative, jobs in this nascent but booming sector: Data Scientists and Data Analysts.
A Data Analyst translates data into plain English, whether sales figures, market research, logistics, or transportation costs. Their ultimate goal is to help companies make better business decisions. They may also be involved in creating visual representations to help executives get a better handle of the figures.
Experts expect the number of job openings for Data Analyst positions to grow by 16 percent from 2018 to 2028. In 2019, Data Analysts were earning, on average, $118,370 a year.
Data Scientists, on the other hand, collect and analyze vast amounts of data, and companies used their findings to make decisions critical to their economic performance. The Data Scientist turns massive lists of data into actionable recommendations that help a business achieve its goals. The difference is that a Data Scientist also has coding and mathematical modeling expertise. Many hold an advanced degree and may have started their careers as Data Analysts.
The average salary for a Data Scientist last year was $120,495.
Take Advantage of New Trends
Stay-at-home and social distancing orders have forced thousands of companies worldwide to implement remote work schemes, which has boosted demand for software that enables employees to work from home. The software architecture that powers remote digital services, however, needs to be built and maintained. That is the job of Software Engineers.
Because every industry in the world uses software, demand for Software Engineers isn’t likely to recede anytime in the foreseeable future. Choosing a career in software development is a sure way to safeguard your financial future.
Since the onset of Covid-19, Telecommunication software has been on a steady rise. Videoconferencing software Zoom and business communications platform Slack are just a few of the many software companies for whom the spike in remote work has proved a boon.
Covid-19 is also disrupting the job market by accelerating the movement to platforms. If the pandemic has proven anything is that the traditional business linear models are not agile or resilient enough to withstand major disruptions. Such disruptions, however, will only become more prevalent in years to come, which means platforms will become more attractive.
Many companies have begun to transition to a platform model. A platform brings together all the services and products offered by a company, connecting consumers and producers. Platforms can scale quickly and encourage third-party collaboration, drastically extending their reach.
Software Developers are, of course, the engineers behind these platforms, so their services will continue to be sought out by companies for the foreseeable future. The median salary in 2018 for Software Developers was $105,590 a year or $51 an hour. Between 2018 and 2028, the Bureau of Labour Statistics expects the number of jobs in this field to grow by 21 percent, which is much faster than average.
The Future is Remote
The pandemic has precipitated the closure of many physical call centers and operation centers around the world. This means many companies are facing a shortage of agents to handle customer and technical support calls. Simultaneously, more and more people are switching to remote work, increasing demand for support to set up and pair devices.
Digital skills are not as widespread as you might expect, and many workers that have been asked to work remotely do not have the knowledge to set up the systems required. This is why starting down the path to become a Remote IT Support Agent is a smart choice—a growing number of companies are looking to hire the services of these professionals.
For example, Support.com is now hiring for an unlimited number of remote support agent roles, mostly for technical and call center support. Support.com is a technical support company for businesses and consumers, offering services on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android for connected and smart devices. The company’s workforce is fully remote, based mostly in the US.
These are just a few of the tech sectors that are “Covid-19 resilient.” Data Scientists, Data Analysts, Software Developers and Remote IT Support Agents are now enjoying excellent job security, with demand for their services as robust as ever. If you want to learn the skills you need to pursue any of these career paths, consider joining a coding bootcamp. To know more about coding bootcamps, visit the Career Karma website!
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Source: Vietnam Insider