IT specialists are in demand like never before

Digitization continues to advance. One consequence is the increasing influence of IT specialists in business. We asked ourselves the most important questions about digitization and the resulting career opportunities. You can read the answers here.

What influence does digitization have on the IT industry?

It has an incredibly invigorating influence. Due to digitization, IT specialists are in demand like never before! Not only the IT industry benefits. Digitization brings many opportunities throughout the economy. Traditional areas of the economy can benefit from it, and completely new industries and jobs are created. It’s about making companies fit for the future. The digital association Bitkom expects 42,000 new jobs in the IT industry in 2018. It is a challenge to fill the emerging positions with the right IT specialists.In which areas of the IT industry are experts particularly in demand?

That Internet of Things (IoT), as well as artificial intelligence and big data are important trends. These new fields must be integrated professionally and securely into the processes of the existing IT and the company. There is huge potential for innovation. But success stands and falls with the careful connection of innovative IT solutions with all departments in the company. Specialists from the long-standing areas of software development and IT security are also in demand. Has the IT industry changed in recent years?

Absolutely. The IT industry is constantly changing. It is constantly bringing out new technologies. The speed of change has increased significantly in recent years: New technologies are coming onto the market faster and faster. Teams communicate worldwide in real time. The willingness of the industry to jump on trends and try them out in practice is increasing. Speed ​​is a competitive factor. But it only has an advantage if quality assurance and risk management are right. Last but not least, companies have to inform, collect and take away their own teams across departments. Here, too, a contribution is increasingly expected from IT – the careful weighing and communication of added values, opportunities and risks. How important is a degree for a job in the IT industry these days? Is long-term professional experience enough?

There are career changers in all areas of the IT industry. You made your entry through personal interests or professional experience in similar areas. With the increasing degree of specialization, however, a preference for graduates on the labor market can be clearly recognized. Graduates with an academic degree also achieve higher entry-level positions. Often these are roles in which the graduates have already been prepared for management positions.

What soft skills should employees in IT have?

The topics of IT are increasingly finding their way into our everyday lives. Never before have such complex topics as Big Data or IoT been discussed in such a broad public. Communication, whether face to face or in writing, is therefore gaining in importance. IT must conclusively explain the added value of new solutions. Risks of new types of applications and data processing are also discussed. IT specialists should therefore be able to communicate complex issues clearly and understandably. Teamwork is indispensable. The IT specialist is often important as an interface between specialist departments. She should be able to get along well with external and internal teams.

Does it make a big difference whether I have a bachelor’s or master’s degree?

Depending on what you want many graduates are pushing their way into the job market after completing their bachelor’s degree in order to gain initial work experience. The master’s degree also serves to expand one’s knowledge in a certain subject area and thus to recommend itself for special or more qualified roles in IT in the long term.

What further training opportunities do companies offer their employees? Does online training play a major role?

Further education and training are essential in order to be able to keep pace with developments in IT. Almost all of our customers offer their employees training opportunities. Online seminars are just as much a part of IT as classic training methods or training courses. It is also important to be actively informed about developments in IT. Because when talking to customers or project partners, it is an advantage to know which IT topics are currently being discussed in the media. Euphoria and criticism alternate faster and faster with IT topics. It is essential to be up to date on this at all times. Sources of information on the web, which you can subscribe to via RSS, for example, make a valuable contribution.

Graduates of which courses are particularly in demand in the IT industry?

Rather ask: Which not? Last year, the number of vacant positions in the IT industry was 55,000. There will be no fewer in the following year. If you want to become part of this interesting industry, see which course suits your personal interests.

Which areas will have a major influence in the IT industry in the future?

With digitization, there is an increased need for skilled workers in almost all IT disciplines. Therefore it is hardly possible to name individual areas – all aspects of IT are becoming more important. However, it is foreseeable that the complete networking of our everyday lives will result in strong growth in the areas of IoT and Big Data. Artificial intelligence is needed when cars drive autonomously and when private processes become more and more automatic. But that doesn’t just mean that experts in the areas mentioned will be more in demand than ever. The accompanying areas in IT also benefit from this – such as cyber security, to name just one example. The interfaces between the technical core of IT applications and people are also becoming increasingly important: because the best application is only as good as its user interface.