As cloud and web services continue to gain speed, the upfront cost of launching a product is decreasing. Businesses can create more for less money –- and with less people.
Though in the long run this likely means fewer IT positions, it’s currently changing a different aspect of the tech job market: desired skill sets.
Unlike traditional software products, cloud and web services revolve around content, monetization and data. Much of the installation, configuration and maintenance work done by traditional data center employees is becoming automated. This means desired skill sets will move away from hands-on technical work to include managerial talents, user-experience knowledge and more.
Emerging Skill Sets
“The cloud and online services are new and different from traditional software products and, therefore, require a new type of talent,” says Eugenia Sawa, a recruiter for Bing. “It can take more than just a traditional engineering background and computer science degree.”
So what does it take? Here’s a breakdown of three emerging skill sets IT professionals should focus on to remain competitive in the job market.
- Data Mining – The online space is immense. If you’re able to combine statistics and artificial intelligence methods to spot patterns in huge data sets, a multitude of job opportunities await you. Data mining helps businesses gain an informational advantage over competitors, making the field an essential area of expertise.
- Web Analytics and Statistics – Search and driving traffic to sites are becoming more and more important as the web continues to be monetized. Advertisers are looking to get the most for their money, which means companies will need people who can analyze user interactions and trends to find weak points and identify new needs.
- Business Intelligence – As companies hire more data miners to sift through and organize information, there will come a need for people to look at that data and translate it into business speak. It requires someone with a passion for both engineering and competitive intelligence, who can help his or her team members understand their customers.
How to Prepare
These emerging skills are complements to a traditional computer science or electrical engineering degree, Sawa says. Nowadays, most university programs are shaping the curriculum to give students sufficient depth in core knowledge.
“Computer science has become so broad that it’s hard for a student to walk out with knowledge of each specific skill set to do any job in the industry,” says Justin Cappos, a University of Washington Computer Science & Engineering research associate. “The best bet is to teach detailed information at different levels of the stack, so when students go out, they know enough from top to bottom that they can figure out whatever gets thrown their way.”
That said, it’s important to get practical experience with real tools. Most cloud environments have low-cost resources, especially for students. It’s easy to get going independently and do interesting things on your own initiative. You can also seek out learning opportunities through university research projects or internships. Though you may not be keen on all the tasks you’re asked to do, the outside validation of working on an established product speaks volumes, Cappos says.
In terms of languages for web applications, the most practical choices are javascript and flash. Cappos recommends a solid knowledge of javascript. “It’s the dominant technology, and it’s not going anywhere,” he says.
Still, each job candidate has a unique combination of experience and education — and each company looks for something different.
Master One or Strive for All?
There is something to be said for both mastering one knowledge area and having an overall understanding of everything. It really depends on where you want to work.
The cloud allows companies to get much farther with just a few end-to-end developers. This is particularly important for startups that are moving rapidly to launch smaller, often niche products with just few staff members. “At a small company, you’re going to be their one stop IT guy,” Cappos says. “You might not need to be world class in one area, but have an understanding of all.”
For larger businesses, knowing how to scale up to more advanced computer science concepts is very important, Cappos says. With significantly more resources than many startups, big tech companies are able to hire for more specialized positions. At the same time, it’s good to have a deep understanding of how the overall system works. Software trends change, which makes hiring people who can adapt easily to new technology a better investment for most companies.
Conclusion
Career opportunities in cloud and web services are growing, and likely to continue on that path for at least a few years. A 2010 IBM survey shows 91 percent of 2,000 IT professionals surveyed believe cloud computing will be the primary IT delivery model by 2015. Needless to say, those poised for cloud and web development can expect job security for at least the next four years.
Like the concept itself, gaining skills for cloud and web services requires thinking outside the box. If you have a passion for it, move beyond traditional IT career preparation and be proactive about tapping into these emerging skill sets. Whether you choose to master one discipline or strive for general knowledge, you’ll have a competitive advantage in the job market by having the new and necessary skills for web development.
Tech Job Listings
Every week we put out a list of social media and web job opportunities. While we post a huge range of job listings, we’ve selected some of the top tech job opportunities from the past two weeks to get you started. Happy hunting!
- Video Programming Manager at 5min/AOL in New York, NY.
- Director of Human Resources at Vitrue, Inc. in Dallas, TX.
- VP, Creative Director at Weber Shandwick in West Hollywood, CA.
More Job Search Resources from Mashable:
- Top 5 Tips for Creating Impressive Video Resumes
- Are Cover Letters Still Relevant For Social Media and Tech Jobs?
- HOW TO: Land a Job at 9 Hot Startups
- Top 5 Online Communities for Starting Your Career
- HOW TO: Land a Business Development Job
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, jamesbenet
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