There are an astounding abundance of roles to choose from in the tech industry
Most of which are highly sought-after. Professionals are generally attracted to tech for its job security and forward-thinking mentality, but it can be difficult to decipher precisely where your own skills would match with jobs in the industry, or even where to begin looking. There are a multitude of sub-categories under the heading ‘tech industry’, so the big question is: which career path should you take?
AI
The one that everyone is familiar with, but no one really understands: Artificial Intelligence. Having already proven itself as a huge trend throughout 2020, AI’s influence and application is skyrocketing. Perhaps unbeknownst to us, Artificial Intelligence has been part of our everyday lives for a while… do you have an Amazon Alexa? Use Siri? Yep, that’s AI. Facial recognition? Yep, that too. AI even plays a key role in the parts of our lives that we are typically not exposed to, such as in food manufacturing. AI and computer vision imaging are used to monitor crop growth, plus intelligent robots are built for harvesting. It goes without saying that the rise in automation threatens manpower jobs, such as in the farming industry (to use the example above), but there is simply only one way to look at this: if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Roles in this field include AI developers, AI engineers and data scientists, and many countries report a significant lack of AI talent. If you want to secure your career for the immediate and far futures, it is without doubt that AI is the way to go.
Aerospace
If you are a software engineer who isn’t entirely thrilled by software engineering, how about considering the aerospace industry? 2020 has signalled the beginning of space-based broadband, with space solidifying its role in connecting us globally. Other great leaps in progress include the pioneering work on reusable rockets, driven by both private enterprises (SpaceX and Blue Origin, to name the most well-known) and public funding. When considering which jobs take precedent in the aerospace industry, we all imagine rocket scientists and astronauts, but let’s not forget what goes on behind the scenes; an integral part of the background work is, of course, the software development. I’d pin this as the most fascinating industry to pursue at the moment, primarily because we cannot even begin to fathom the complexity and innovation that survives at the heart of aerospace, plus inclusion in such a universally-revered challenge would surely be fulfilling in its entirety.
Autonomous driving
It is impossible to escape autonomous driving; most cars have cruise control installed nowadays, and some models (Tesla, for example) are built with an autopilot mode. I personally find this pretty terrifying, but the demand is undeniably present and persistent. The industry goal is to achieve Level 5 (fully autonomous) and we currently stand at Level 3 (capable of autonomous driving if the human intervenes). This means that there will be an explosion of innovation in years to come as various companies climb to new successes, with big names such as Tesla calling on new talent to help them get there. Similarly, the electric car boom shows no signs of slowing down. Jobs in this field include data scientists, systems engineers and autonomous design engineers, but there will always be a place for professionals in the software, cloud and MI fields. If you’re looking to latch onto an industry right as it turns to its apex, now is the time.
The tech industry changes every single day, and innovation is almost impossible to keep track of… but that’s a good thing. What is emerging now will be dominating in the next 5-10 years. I speak to an abundance of professionals who desire to work with cutting-edge technologies, understandably so, and the choice of career path can be a delicate one to make. If you’re looking to make a change in your career, please feel free to contact me on the details below. I am more than happy to advise on emerging roles in the tech industry and discuss how your skills could fit into the above.
Emily Vousden, [email protected], +44 (0) 1625 537 555 ext 135
