5 Useful IT Skills for Today’s Work Environment

by Stephanie Faris

Even during the toughest of economic times, information technology workers are able to find work, with technology offering budget solutions for companies. Today’s most in-demand information technology jobs reflect the cost savings many companies are trying to implement, including virtualization—the process of compacting many servers onto one piece of equipment. Below are the top five most useful skills for today’s IT professional.

1. Virtualization

Everything’s going to the Cloud, from e-mail to document management to phone systems. With many small businesses choosing to outsource many services to Cloud-based providers, in-house servers are gradually disappearing from server rooms across the country. In large corporations, however, interest in file-sharing and virtualizing desktops is growing, as the number of server administrators who have experience in VMWare seems to remain the same. Today, VMWare administrators are getting top-dollar offers and benefits to work for some of the best companies.

2. Server Administration

Server administrators will be in demand as long as servers exist. Companies always seem to be looking for qualified Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Exchange experts, but Linux administrators are still in demand, as well. Web server administration and virtualization experience go hand-in-hand with server administration skills these days and many job ads specifically state these skills.

3. Social Media

It may sound like a dream job to the recent college graduate, but employers are looking for social media managers to take charge of all social media responsibilities on behalf of the company. This basically means you’ll spend your day hanging out on Facebook and Twitter. In exchange for all that fun, though, you’ll be expected to stay on top of the latest social media marketing trends and have a full grasp of the technology involved in posting engaging content.

4. .NET Programming

.NET remains the most in-demand programming skill, thanks in part to the large number of companies upgrading outdated systems to Microsoft solutions. Because many programmers still specialize in object-oriented programming, the number of .NET specialists are still low, creating high demand for those possessing .NET certification and experience. If you’re already in possession of C, C+, Visual Basic, or Java programming experience, you may find the transition to .NET is easier than you think and will open an all new avenue of employment for you.

5. Help Desk Support

There will always be a demand for computer technician to repair and troubleshoot electronic devices. However, many businesses are outsourcing these services to overseas companies and centralized locations. Software that allows companies to remotely login to a user’s computer have decreased the need for on-site support and desktop virtualization—the removal of hardware in favor of each user having a segment of the server to work from—may reduce it further. However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the field to grow by eighteen percent by the year 2016.

An information technology professional can strengthen job security by staying up-to-date on the latest trends and continuing education well beyond employment. With computers and other electronics more in demand than ever, there will likely always be a demand for skilled information technology professionals, even as other job sectors fade from existence.

This post was written by Stephanie Faris

Stephanie Faris writes for Criminal Justice Degree Schools, a site providing information on IT related criminal justice careers and options for cybersecurity and computer forensic training.

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