Everyone these days is talking about it. It in question, of course, is the cloud, and your chances of landing new IT jobs increase with each cloud skill that you add to your resume. However, it’s not just companies like Amazon and Google that are hiring IT professionals into the IT department/division/team — pretty much every industry has some type of it component including healthcare, finance, retail, and accounting.
In-demand skills give you a competitive edge in a job market that’s tight and getting tighter. These days, one of the most in-demand categories is cloud computing. Companies want professionals who have an expansive knowledge of things like virtualization, storage, networking, and security because it correlates to a company being able to keep up with the ever-changing technology landscape while maximizing their IT budgets.
Here’s a list of skills that will help you stand out from your competition when applying for new jobs with relocation:
Cloud Computing
In order to maximize budgets while evolving with the technology landscape, companies are trying to re-platform on any type of it they can. This means they need people who understand the possible implications associated with going “cloud.” If you can prove your worth by effectively utilizing cloud services, ability to set up on-site server infrastructures, and highlight your expertise on cloud security, you’ll be a hot commodity.
Virtualization
Back in the day, companies like VMware (VMW) were pretty much useless if you didn’t want to buy an entire server just to get its virtualization capabilities. Today, we’re seeing that same technology integrated into everything from desktop PCs to smartphones. This makes it all the more important for IT employees and contractors looking to work with relocation to understand how this technology is implemented and utilized throughout different platforms and devices. A lot of businesses today are still operating their own data centers while trying to cut costs by moving some of their infrastructures onto outside clouds. That’s why IT employees and contractors looking for work with relocation should understand how virtualization works.
App Development (iOS)
iPads and smartphones are everywhere. If you know how to design attractive apps with even basic programming skills, you can join millions of others working within this emerging field. Just build an app that is free of advertisements but offers some essential service like a game or tip calculator, publish it on the App Store (with Apple’s developer account), and watch downloads come in. You can make more money by charging for your work; just be sure to read through Apple’s guidelines before attempting to sell anything on iTunes! And don’t forget about Android Market – many people own phones running Google’s Android operating system.
A solid understanding of databases and data management is always going to be in demand, and the same goes for your networking and telecommunications skill set. These days we rely on mobile computing just as much as we do stationary computers, so if you’re an IT pro who knows how to work all types of hardware and software systems, you’ll be well ahead of the curve when looking for a new position.
Another technology that has exploded in recent years is cloud computing. Every major player in the technology industry has its own cloud solution, and companies big and small are relying on these services more every day to power their websites, store data, e-mail, etc. If you can properly build a company’s website from scratch using a web development framework like Ruby on Rails or Django, you will be well-prepared to take advantage of this trend. As for those who want jobs with relocation, understanding all the various business types – retail, service providers, medical – that utilize cloud solutions also never hurts. Also, keep an eye out for certification opportunities related to this skill set. Working in the cloud requires informed decision-making between for-profit, not-for-profit and governmental organizations like NASA.