There is a huge technology deficit around the world. In India alone, more than a hundred thousand jobs in the IT industry are vacant due to a lack of adequate skills. IT is a broad field, encompassing various technologies under it. This also means that candidates looking to make it big in the IT industry have a plethora of options to choose from, such as Artificial intelligence, blockchain, IoT, and big data, among others. This blog explores the various technologies in the IT sector, their demand, and how to start the learning process.

So are you one of those looking for growth in your profession or want to switch fields? Maximize your chances of professional growth by pursuing these seven best technology to learn in the IT industry in 2024.

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI has been the buzzword in the IT industry since the last decade. And it continues to dominate technology trends every year, including one of the best technology to learn in the IT industry in 2024 for its continuous progress and how it continues to transform our daily lives.

AI is a broad term encompassing Machine Learning(ML), Natural Language Generation(NLG), Image Recognition (IR), and Deep Learning, among others. It has led to innovations like chatbots, personal mobile assistants, vision recognition, immersive gaming, improved healthcare devices, etc. It has many exciting real-world applications and can be seen in various sectors, from agriculture to healthcare to education and e-Commerce.

There are different job roles for candidates that acquire the right kind of Artificial Intelligence skill set. Some of these include AI engineers, AI programmers, and Business Intelligence (BI) developers. The pay packages for AI professionals are very high, even for entry-level roles, making it a highly lucrative skill to learn.

2. Cybersecurity

Like AI, cybersecurity has been around for a while in the IT sector. However, the importance of cybersecurity has increased only in the last few years, especially during the pandemic. Organisations were not ready for a digital shift in business operations, which exposed many loopholes in their cybersecurity measures. Seven out of ten companies in the country faced cyber attacks, making India the third most cyber-attacked nation in the world.

While many organisations took measures to contain or avert attacks, they aren’t enough in the long run. The cybersecurity threats are only evolving with each day, putting enterprises at risk. As long as we have hackers, cybersecurity will remain important to prevent cyber attacks from harming organisations. Thus, cybersecurity is one of the best technology to learn in the IT industry in 2024 and beyond.

The various job roles in a career in cybersecurity include security architect, penetration tester, and Chief Information Security Officer, among others. Being a cybersecurity professional opens up opportunities in various sectors like banking and finance, healthcare, law, education, and IT services.

3. Blockchain

Although people think about cryptocurrencies when they hear about blockchain, the technology is more than that. In simple words, blockchain is a system of recording data that is transparent, impossible to change, hack, or delete. The data is stored in blocks and creates a chain of transactions, hence the term BLOCKCHAIN. Multiple industries are slowly adopting blockchain due to its secure, decentralised, and democratic nature.

In India, there is a huge demand for blockchain professionals. However, many blockchain jobs currently remain unfilled, making blockchain among the best technology to learn in the IT industry in 2024. Candidates posing blockchain knowledge can easily find a job in various sectors and help fill the shortage.

There are various job roles as a blockchain expert that you can consider, such as software engineer, product manager, front end engineer, blockchain developer, crypto community manager, and a lot more.

4. Cloud Computing

Cloud computing jobs are on the rise as more and more organisations are shifting to cloud solutions, the shift accelerated by the pandemic. According to research, the market for cloud services is expected to grow twenty-eight per cent in 2024, making cloud computing one of the best technology to learn in the IT industry from a job opportunities perspective. Even IT companies prefer hiring individuals having cloud computing expertise in place of candidates having generic IT knowledge.

Individuals having a cloud computing skillset can take up job positions such as cloud architect, cloud network engineer, cloud developer, and cloud system administrator, to name a few. Candidates can expect to earn five lakh per annum even as a fresher in the cloud computing sector, making it financially attractive.

5. Data Science And Analytics

Big data refers to the collection of data that is large in terms of volume and complexity. Such data cannot be handled by traditional data management tools. Big data is on the rise as more and more devices are getting connected to the internet. The two main in-demand jobs in big data include data scientist and data analyst.

Data scientists collect, organise, and maintain large sets of structured and unstructured data from various sources. The data is then cleaned and segregated to ensure accuracy and uniformity. A data analyst, on the other hand, analyses the big data to derive actionable insights that can help improve business operations.

A large number of companies (more than fifty per cent) are adopting big data analytics to enhance business operations. Data science has also earned the top spot in LinkedIn’s emerging jobs report. Thus, big data emerges as one of the best technology to learn in the IT industry in 2024 and the foreseeable future.

6. Internet of Things (IoT)

IoT refers to devices connected to the internet and to each other, which can seamlessly transfer information between them. The object (things) are embedded with sensors, WiFi connectivity, and intelligent software that enables the exchange of data. These devices range from daily objects like smartphones and laptops to sophisticated industrial machinery.

IoT is one of the fastest-growing technologies worldwide, paving the way for a smart, connected world. As per a report, there could be around fifty billion IoT devices globally by 2030, creating a giant web of interconnected devices. It also opens up exciting job opportunities for candidates trying to explore the various technologies involved in the IoT domain.

Candidates looking to advance in IoT will have to learn various other technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data, and cloud computing. They should also possess IoT devices and design knowledge to master IoT completely. There are exciting IoT career opportunities for candidates who wish to make a career in this field.

The culmination of all major advanced technologies under the umbrella term IoT makes it one of the most interesting and best technology to learn in the IT industry in 2024.

7. Full Stack Development

It refers to the end-to-end (client-side and server-side) development of applications and websites. Full-stack developers are highly in demand and will continue to be in the upcoming future. As we move towards a digital future, with apps and websites being built and maintained every day, full-stack developers are here to stay. 

Full-stack developers need to learn various programming languages to be able to handle client and server-side projects. However, they can start with HTML and CSS languages and slowly shift towards Python, JavaScript, and Go, as these are the most in-demand languages for app and website development.

Conclusion

Although technologies and trends are ever-evolving, these seven best technology to learn in the IT industry in 2024 offers promising potential for individuals in the foreseeable future. Whether you want to advance in the IT sector or are switching from a different field, learning these technologies will give you an advantage over others. Just choose the right technology that you want to learn, get trained and upskilled to enjoy professional success.

Some of the courses from upGrad you can check out to upskill in the technologies mentioned in this article are:

• Executive PG Program in Software Development Specialisation in Big Data, which will help you learn how big data is organised, analysed, and interpreted. You can also check out the most frequently asked big data interview questions and answers that can help ace your big data interview and land you your dream job.
• Advanced Certificate In Blockchain Technology, by industry experts from IBM, DCB Bank, and BankChain. The course will help you learn Ethereum, Hyperledger Fabric, and Distributed Application Development and offers placement assistance of the highest level.
• upGrad’s Advanced Certificate Programme in Machine Learning offered in collaboration with IIT Delhi, one of the best public universities in India. The course spans 7 months and teaches you to implement ML and data mining models to solve real life problems and leverage data-oriented decisions for business growth. The program supports self-paced learning; it requires you to dedicate 4 to 6 hours per week during which you develop ML capabilities to lead data teams by understanding the mathematics, optimization techniques, and evaluation metrics of machine learning.Anyone with a bachelor’s degree in engineering, Science or Commerce with a minimum 50% passing marks is eligible to apply for the course. A background in programming can further work in your favour. Interested? Get started on your application today!
• Executive PG Program in Software Development Specialisation in Full Stack Development, which covers sixteen programming languages and tools, with placement support.
• upGrad’s Artificial Intelligence Courses to learn from the best professionals and the country’s best universities. The courses contain more than four hundred hours of learning, ensuring that you learn AI in detail, which will help in your professional growth.