IT Sector: Professions, Skills and Job Prospects
The IT sector (also called IT sector – Information Technology) includes professionals who work with information and communication technologies, for the processing and exchange of information in the form of digital data.
The professions in the IT sector are very varied, and include several specialized functions. Some professionals, perhaps those most frequently associated with computer science, are dedicated to the development of software and computer applications : software programmers deal with the analysis of the specific requirements and needs required by the project, architecture design, coding, testing, implementation of the program.
There are also figures specialized in specific phases of software development: this is the case, for example, of front end programmers, back end developers or UX (User Experience) experts. Others instead deal with the development of web pages.
Another IT sector is that linked to the administration and maintenance of IT systems and networks and to technical assistance and support, software and hardware. These are diversified activities, ranging from network management (telecommunications, internet and intranet) to database administration, from monitoring the security of computer systems and access control to local and extended networks (LAN and WAN) to saving and data recovery (backup and data recovery).
What types of companies do they hire in the IT sector?
First of all there are companies specializing in IT services, software and hardware : from multinationals to small companies. For example, software houses, companies that deal with the management and control of corporate data centers, companies specializing in cloud computing and networking services, IT consulting companies and web agencies.
But also video game producers and companies that offer online services : search engines, social networks, instant messaging programs, e-mails, platforms for online advertising and e-commerce, hosting services.
In addition to real IT companies, an IT professional can find work in companies of all kinds, as an employee or as a freelance IT consultant – and take care, for example, of the design and management of IT projects (IT Project Management).
Virtually every company in fact makes use of information technology, in the most disparate fields: in marketing, sales, logistics, scientific research, design, production, finance…
Then there are companies and organizations that control large amounts of data and use IT services in a massive way, such as banks, large industrial production plants, the health sector, government bodies. These realities therefore need an internal team for the management of IT networks and company information services.
Information Technology: Occupational Trends
Information technology is at the origin of the technological and digital transformation that has revolutionized our daily life: just think of the internet, social media, e-commerce.
It is a sector on the frontier of innovation, where knowledge becomes obsolete in a short time and where new skills are always needed. Also for this reason, companies find a widespread lack of qualified profiles, while the number of job offers for IT professionals is constantly increasing.
The career opportunities in the Information Technology sector are therefore very good, considering the rapid development of new information technology applications in many fields: from automation to wearable technology, from ‘ IoT (Internet of Things) to cloud computing, the virtual reality and augmented to Artificial Intelligence (AI).
What skills are needed in the IT sector?
Each position in the IT field requires specific knowledge, by the database to the user interface design (UI, User Interface), passing for information security.
However, there are skills transversal to many of the IT professions, here are what they are:
Programming languages
Every software, that is every program to be executed by a computer or a machine, is written in a specific programming language. There are many languages: some of the best known are Java, C #, C ++,.NET, JavaScript, Python, COBOL, PHP, Ruby. Depending on the duties to be performed, a computer scientist must know one or more programming languages, markup and scripting languages, as well as frameworks, libraries and DBMS (Database Management System).
Troubleshooting
Most IT professionals must be able to solve problems and malfunctions in IT systems: troubleshooting indicates the process of researching the causes of a problem, using analysis and diagnostic tools, up to its resolution. When referring specifically to software architecture and development, this activity is called debugging.
Propensity to update
IT professionals are among the most advanced in the job market in terms of knowledge and skills. The landscape in which these professionals operate is constantly evolving, and to remain competitive it is essential to quickly acquire new skills and continually update.
