20 hot jobs ambitious IT pros should shoot for

What should your next role in IT be? Maybe a security management expert? Or a change management guru?

“Factors such as the proliferation of network-connected devices, adoption of cloud services and exponential rise in security threats are affecting hiring trends,” according to a survey released today by researchers at IDC and sponsored by Cisco about what IT roles will be hot in the future.

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“Despite the central role that technology and the technology workforce play in this digital era, certain key roles stand out from the pack in terms of importance and opportunity. Not all roles are equal in the future,” wrote Mark Leary an intelligence analyst with Cisco Services in a blog post about the study.

“There is increasing evidence that organizations are moving away from the belief that digital transformation is driven by new technology alone.”

Some of the highlights from the survey include:

• The number of positions in some roles will shrink, and some will grow. Overall, IT will add over 4 million well-paying jobs through 2027. (“Well-paying” is defined as a mean salary above the average of all other jobs.)
• Some IT roles will be niche and have only a few positions. But some IT roles will have high demand and lots of new positions.
• Some of these roles will be “hard to fill,” meaning there will be significant shortages of available IT professionals.
• Highest value skills serve critical technology intersections – cybersecurity, cloud, data analytics, IoT and converged infrastructure.
• IT organizations are developing and hiring people to fill these roles right now. These roles also represent the future of IT, as they will add more than 5 million positions (a 36% increase) worldwide by 2027.
• To be ready for these roles, IT professionals should drive their careers by getting certified in areas organizations are looking for.
• The most frequent talent-acquisition strategy for organizations globally is to “grow from within.”
• 71% of hiring managers say they have more confidence in the knowledge, skills and abilities of an applicant with IT certifications.

The 20 roles that IDC says will add over 5 million positions worldwide by 2027:

• Security Management Specialist
• Network Engineer/Architect
• Cyber/Information Security Engineer/Analyst
• IoT Designer/Developer/Engineer
• Business Intelligence Architect/Developer
• Software Developer/Engineer
• Machine Learning Designer/Developer/Engineer
• Data Engineer
• Transformation Consultant
• Business Intelligence Analyst
• Change Management
• Mobile Applications Developer
• Web Developer
• Network/Systems Administrator
• Systems Analyst
• Database Architect
• Data Scientist
• Computer Support Specialist
• Social Media Tech Manager/Administrator
• UI/UX Designer/Developer