As a recent college graduate, it’s easy to feel like your life is in shambles. Not only is there so much to learn about life and career, but you also have to find a way of earning money without having any experience.
While this might sound daunting initially, there are plenty of ways to learn some skills that can give you an edge over other candidates.
So, whether you want to land your dream job, need some work experience before moving on toward your ultimate career goals, or get a whopping compensation of $150,000 a year, here are a few tech skills that will help.
Six Tech Skills You Can Learn For a Thriving Tech Career
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning
- Data science and analytics
- Cloud Computing
- Network and Information Security
- DevOps
- Blockchain
Artificial intelligence and machine learning
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the branch of computer science that deals with developing computers to perform tasks usually associated with human intelligence.
Machine learning (ML) is a subset of AI that applies algorithms to large amounts of data to improve results over time by identifying patterns and predicting future events.
ML can be used for things like image recognition, speech recognition, and natural language generation—all useful skills in your quest for a fulfilling tech career!
With more companies adopting AI applications on a daily basis, the demand for AI skills will continue to rise in the coming year and beyond.
You can easily learn these skills online with so many resources available such as online courses or coding boot camps from Learner’s Guild that will equip you with the top skills in demand, like AI/ML.
The average salary of IT professionals with AI skills in the US is $146,496 annually.
Data Science and Analytics
Data science and analytics is a field that uses statistical methods to analyze large amounts of data. Data scientists use analytics software to make sense of information, predict future trends and outcomes, and improve business processes.
Data scientists are often asked to find patterns in large sets of numbers—for example, looking at how many people use an app each day or week.
They’ll also crunch numbers from other sources, such as surveys or news articles; this could involve analyzing social media posts to see how people feel about something.
As a data scientist you can help companies with questions like: “How many sales did we have last month?” Or “What are our customers most interested in buying?”
The average salary of a Data Scientist in the US is $100,000 a year.
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is the delivery of computer resources and software as a service. It’s an approach to IT that allows you to access these resources from anywhere, at any time.
Cloud computing enables businesses to operate more efficiently by reducing costs and using technology for projects like Salesforce CRM or Slack for team communication.
With cloud services, there are no longer hard drives full of data stored in one place; instead, everything is stored remotely on servers owned by someone else who has agreed to host it for free!
As a cloud engineer in the US, you can expect to earn about $130,000 a year on average.
Network and Information Security
Network and information security are two of the biggest challenges in modern technology. As you might imagine, this is because there are many ways to break into our networks and steal data.
To understand network security, think about how you protect your home from intruders. You lock all doors and windows at night and install alarms on doors and windows—you know that these things can help keep people out!
The same goes for hackers: they’re trying to get access to your network to steal valuable information or damage it irreparably.
If a hacker breaks into a company’s network undetected, it could result in valuable and sensitive data being stolen.
Hence, a course or degree in cybersecurity can help you acquire this important skill. Network security engineers in the US earn about $110,000 a year on average.
DevOps
DevOps is the practice of bringing together developers and IT operations professionals to work on projects.
It’s an approach that helps teams deliver software more quickly, with fewer bugs and higher quality.
DevOps tools can help you automate tasks like building environments for testing or deploying changes across the organization.
These tools are used by organizations large and small to build more reliable apps—and they’re also great for learning new skills in this field!
The average salary for DevOps engineers in the US is $130,000 yearly.
Blockchain
Blockchain is a type of distributed ledger technology (DLT) that uses cryptography to store records of transactions.
It’s often used for cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, but it can also be applied to other applications such as identity management and financial services.
Blockchain helps to reduce costs, time, and effort. Since each participant only has access to their copy, no middlemen are involved in any transaction.
This makes it possible for the network to run without any single entity controlling it or being able to shut down operations — the result being faster transactions at a lower cost than traditional methods. Another benefit of blockchain is reliability.
Since multiple parties manage separate copies of data on different ledgers, there’s less risk that one party will delete or change information as part of an attack against another entity.
The average salary for a blockchain developer in the US is $150,000 a year.
Conclusion
The tech industry is constantly evolving, which means there are always new skills to learn.
Whether you’re looking for a career in software development or data science, we hope this list will help you make the best decision for yourself.
The best way to find out what kind of tech role fits your background and goals is by researching companies within each category.