Quantum computing, VR and more: what the future holds for IT specialists working with trending technologies

Technology development is accelerating every year. The situation was also affected by the coronavirus pandemic: businesses were forced to adapt and come up with new technological solutions. You can learn a programming language for a reason, but with an eye toward a specific area of ​​work. Therefore, in this text we have collected technologies that are in demand now and, according to experts, will be relevant in the future.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence is used in image and speech recognition, navigation applications, personal assistants for smartphones, and sharing applications. The popularity of this technology will only grow in the future. In addition, AI will be used in the future to analyze interactions, identify connections, help forecast demand for services, and identify changing patterns of human behavior. The artificial intelligence market will grow to $190 billion by 2025 , with global spending on artificial intelligence systems expected to exceed $57 billion in 2021 . The development of artificial intelligence will create new jobs in development, testing, support and maintenance. The AI ​​field offers some of the highest salaries today, with salaries ranging from $145K per year (AI architect) to $1.2 million per year (machine learning engineer) in the US market. Research firm Forrester predicts that AI, machine learning and automation will create 9% of new jobs in the US by 2025, including robot monitoring specialists, data scientists, automation specialists and content curators.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Similar to artificial intelligence and machine learning, robotic process automation, or RPA, is another technology that simplifies workflows using the power of a computer. RPA simplifies frequently repetitive routine tasks using software robots. RPA is used to automate business processes such as processing transactions, working with data, and even responding to emails. While Forrester Research estimates that RPA automation will jeopardize the livelihoods of more than 230 million people, RPA will also create new jobs. With this technology, you can work as a developer, project manager, business analyst, solution architect and consultant.

Cloud computing

Cloud computing, which used to be a new technology trend, has become mainstream. The market is dominated by major players such as AWS (Amazon Web Services), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform. The adoption of cloud computing is still ongoing. The global edge computing market is expected to reach $6.7 billion by 2022 . In this area, you can work in positions such as cloud infrastructure engineer, cloud architect, DevOps Cloud Engineer.

Quantum computing

A traditional computer examines every possible outcome, eliminating incorrect solutions, to find the correct one. However, quantum computers consider all options simultaneously, without priority. It is precisely because of its speed that quantum computing is an extremely important trend in the IT world. Major brands such as Splunk, Honeywell, Microsoft, AWS, Google and many others are involved in creating innovations in the field of quantum computing. They are used in banking and finance, credit risk management, high-frequency trading and fraud detection. The global quantum computing market is projected to exceed $2.5 billion in revenue by 2029 . To succeed in this new technology, you must have experience with quantum mechanics, linear algebra, information theory, and machine learning.

Internet of Things (IoT)

Another promising area in new technologies is the Internet of Things. Nowadays, most equipment is created with the ability to connect to Wi-Fi and the ability to connect to each other. That is why the direction received such a name. As consumers, some of us are already taking advantage of the Internet of Things: people can lock their doors remotely if they forget it when they leave for work, and they can preheat the oven on the way home from work. The Internet of Things can speed up healthcare, improve customer service, and offer benefits we never imagined. It is predicted that by 2030, approximately 50 billion IoT devices will be in use around the world, creating a massive interconnected network. Global Internet of Things (IoT) spending will reach US$1.1 trillion in 2022 .

Virtual and augmented reality

Although virtual reality has long been firmly established in our reality, it is very far from exhausting itself. VR has so far been used primarily for gaming and education. In 2021, we can expect further adoption of this technology into our lives: usually working in tandem with several other new technologies, AR and VR have huge potential in training, entertainment, education, marketing and even injury rehabilitation.

In 2019, 14 million AR and VR devices were sold worldwide. The global AR and VR market is expected to grow to $209.2 billion by 2022 . To start working with virtual reality, you don’t need any special knowledge—you just need basic programming skills and logical thinking.

Blockchain

Most people think of blockchain technology in relation to cryptocurrencies. In fact, the capabilities of this technology are wider; the main thing is that it allows you to secure a variety of processes. Blockchain can be described as data that you can only add to, but not take away or change. In essence, it is a continuous sequential chain of blocks (linked list) containing information, built according to certain rules. It is the inability to change the block chain that makes the blockchain so secure. As blockchain technology develops, the demand for qualified specialists also grows. The average annual salary for a blockchain developer is around £617k (about $872k). To work with blockchain, you must have experience with programming languages, flat and relational databases, data structures, web application development, and networks.

Cybersecurity

Just like common criminals, hackers and online scammers are here to stay in the coming years. Therefore, cybersecurity is one of the most promising areas of IT. Proof of the critical need for cybersecurity professionals, cybersecurity jobs are growing three times faster than other tech jobs. Additionally, the need for proper cybersecurity is so high that by 2021, approximately $6 trillion will be spent on cybersecurity worldwide . Depending on the position, cybersecurity salaries range from $85,000 to $170,000 per year.

We're interested to know what technology you'd like to work with in the future? We are waiting for your comments :)