Know current tech trends for a future-proof IT career

Robin Agrawal, chief solution designer working at AT&T USA, who is also a Shiksha expert, throws light on current software technology trends to help young aspirants make the right choices taking their Technology Quotient (TQ) to a new high.

What are the top 5-10 software engineering courses ?

The best part of jumping on to the IT bandwagon is that there are always going to be plenty of possibilities for a person whether s/he starts from a diploma level or a full-fledged engineering degree.

To list down explicitly (in priority order: top-down) for a fresher, here are some of the best technical course options – qualifications that IT Cos continuously hunt for in India and abroad:

• JAVA/J2EE & its Frameworks (Struts, Spring, Hibernate)
• CISCO Technologies
• SAS
• DBA (Oracle, DB2, MySql, Sql Server)
• System Administration (Red Hat, Solaris, UNIX, VMware)
• Cloud Computing
• Microsoft Technologies
• Mobile SDKs (Android, iPhone, Windows Phone)
• Animation & Graphics
• SQT (Software Quality Testing)
• Other Language Courses (PHP, Ruby/Perl/Python)

(Next: Also go through a detailed article to know more about each of these Top Tech Trends)

Why are these in the league of being in the top software courses?

Though the aforementioned list is as ample, as it can get, considering you’re yet to be part of this Software/IT industry, you still have some other not so popular options as well, viz. Apache Hadoop, Adobe Flex, SEO, and C/C++.

But the ones in the priority list do stand out for every simple reason you can imagine, before opting for such an extra course, ranging from things like fetching big fat 7 digit salary to helping you get a basic job to kick start your career.

Every single course is competent enough to make you stand out and take your career to a new high. The best part about them is that they all are future proof. So considering the highly unpredictable and dynamic Software/IT market, you’ll always find yourself riding on a safer seat.

What are the best places to pursue these software courses from?

All of the mentioned courses in the priority list are mostly available at any of the Tech Institutions depending on the geographic region you’re currently residing in.

In general, NIIT, CMC Academy, HCL CDC, IIHT, and APTECH Computer Education have well spread network of branches across India (though not all equally recommendable).

But because of a sheer lack of consistency in quality offered by these big edu-chains across branches, various region specific institutes remain local favourites (by means of excellent set of faculties and resources).

To name a few in random order: SEED Infotech, Vinsys, IT services, Appin Technology Lab, NICT Computer Education, TalentEdge from Karrox, Amity Computer Academy, Brainware, SoftPro Computer Education, The Workstation Computer Education, COMPUFIELD, Arena Animation, ADMEC, MAAC, Anitoons, Ants, LeapFrog, Fractions & Frames, CCX.

Remember, you can always come back to Shiksha to search & ask the experts to help you make an informed decision as you select your institute in a particular region, or for any other educational queries.    

What kind of job prospects can the students expect after pursuing these courses?

Irrespective of the course that you opt for from the priority list, it is sure to help you implicitly on these fronts:

• Fetch you more interview calls
• Draw more salary, whenever selected
• Make your profile stand out

Courses like Java & its Frameworks, Database Administration, and proven Microsoft frameworks like .NET are generally going to take you on a typical IT career path which starts with an Associate/Engineer/Developer.

The CISCO technologies are certification driven, and it all comes down to how many of them you can achieve at the earliest. The more you grow on certification levels of CISCO, the more exponential your growth is going to be.

SAS & Cloud Computing are potential upcoming IT projects and both of these will remain a precious asset to your profile for years to come. Growth-wise, the chances are highly upbeat, putting you in a good position to demand more lucrative salaries at an early phase of your career.

System administration profiles like Solaris Admin, Red Hat professionals Microsoft IT professionals and VMware Professionals will continue to move on a regular curve and keep drawing average to high salaries but future prospects are not very promising for those aiming for the moon. (Many a rumour on Open Source & Microsoft technologies will continue to keep the market going, but you better be aware before betting your entire career on any false promises as once in, it’s hard to move out of these.)

Mobile Apps (Android & iPhone SDKs) are going to continue to be developed by more of the smaller firms than the big IT stalwarts. So if a job in a small venture with average to high salary attracts you, then you can definitely opt for this. But chances of moving into MNCs might not be that trouble-free when compared to other alternatives. Career path for Mobile App developers is going to be as unpredictable and dynamic as the mobile platforms themselves are.

Web Languages like PHP, Ruby on Rails will survive mostly in small web designing firms as bigger clients continue to be inclined towards far more secure technologies like Java. But with these languages you will have enough chances to start up your own web designing or similar business.

Animation & Graphics is hardly going to fetch you a job in a big multinationals (unless you have IIT/BITS in your educational background). But the world doesn’t end there, as this animation industry continues to blossom in smaller chunks. Career path is going to be a bit topsy-turvy at times, but if you can manage with that, you’re sure to excel even in a smaller firm.

SQT is for those geeks who think that “Application Developer is a stupid person!” But this will continue to be popular in all big companies as Testing for their critical clients is as vital as the development is. SQT alone for a fresher isn’t all that recommendable; it serves you better once you’re in the job!

What is the starting salary like?

To be straight, there can never be a particular salary figure that can be estimated for any of the Software/IT courses, as it varies highly based on other factors like Educational Qualification, College Reputation Index, Domain Knowledge, Technology Quotient (TQ), and most importantly various Certifications.

Opportunities will be there in every single domain and technology that you learn. It’s just a matter of applying your thought process and thereby taking your TQ level to a new high.

In terms of INR digits, you’ll easily draw a handsome 6-7 digit figure per annum. But keep in mind that some extra push along with healthy domain expertise can certainly take you to magical 8th digit.

And though Certifications are always optional for any technology/domain you learn, these inevitably help you to attract more interview calls from best companies in the sector and hence shouldn’t be ignored. The trend has caught fire abroad, and India is not going to be an exception in the days to come when technical certification will almost be a mandate to serve as a proof for your TQ.

What is the career growth?

The career growth much like salaries will depend on various factors along with your particular Technology Quotient, for example, your performance in current work assignment.

But in general the time proven technologies like Java, .NET, Database Administration (Oracle, IBM DB2, MySql, SQL Server, etc.), System Administration, Networking technologies from CISCO and Microsoft are going to take you on the typical IT growth path. Starting with a normal Trainee/Engineer/Developer, the career path leads to Senior Lead/Tech Lead, Technical Architect/Project Manager, Senior Architect / Senior Project Manager, Solution Designer / Deliver Head, Vice President.

Other Web Languages like PHP, Ruby can have diversified paths depending on which company you work for. Animation/Graphics and Mobile Apps development will follow the curve of growth exponentially to your organization’s expansion graph. It’s like you might win the race like a modern rabbit or continue to be the turtle and still try to win with some old tricks.

SAS & Cloud are the most charming options in Software/IT that one should not ignore in the current decade. I’m sure these are going to be highly sought after among software/IT people in the years to come.

Which course according to you is the most wanted/popular among students?

The common perception among IT aspirants is to go for web oriented courses and hence the most sought after courses among them are all those that are linked to direct web development, for example, JAVA, MICROSOFT .NET, PHP, and DBA. And with the now popular mobile apps market, Android & iPhone development are making deep inroads as well.

Those with diploma or a three- year bachelor’s degree in IT are more inclined towards Networking Technologies either from CISCO or Microsoft.

Though these web driven and networking courses remain on the ever green list, there are some much better options which the aspirants usually give a miss either due to lack of awareness or falling prey to typical IT myths.

SAS & Cloud Computing are the future of software industry and will see a rise in their popularity with time, but the early birds will always have an upper hand.

So you should better explore these exciting options before opting for the common networking and web based courses.

Are you still feeling undecided?  Ask the Shiksha Experts now!