Computer courses that click with the market

Form four student sits for his computer science practical paper at Light Academy in Nyali on October 15, 2014. PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mobile application development is one of the world’s fastest growing occupations.

  • Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS platforms are projected to continue to offer the most job opportunities for mobile developers.

  • Computer system administrators will be needed in the foreseeable future.

  • Database administrators and developers will be sought after to protect corporate databases from hackers and other security threats.

If you are contemplating taking a computer science course, you must be wanting to know whether the skills you are about to acquire will be needed by the market.

Importantly, you may want to know whether the course you gravitate towards provides a higher probability of a job after graduation.

There’s no shortage of data, reports, and surveys which find that people with computer science degrees can expect a good chance of a job in any field of study.

The market is hungry for skilled computer professionals.

Today, we explore how some of these computer courses mesh with the market.

MOBILE APPS

Mobile application development is one of the world’s fastest growing occupations.

As smart phones and tablets continue to change the way we communicate, do business, and access news and entertainment, the demand for new and innovative mobile apps is growing.

This increased demand translates to one of the largest IT skills gaps ever realised.

There are simply more mobile app development job openings than skilled application developers to fill them.

SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS

Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS platforms are projected to continue to offer the most job opportunities for mobile developers.

Computer system administrators will be needed in the foreseeable future.

Computer systems administrators install, maintain, and support an organisation’s information technology systems.

They test system components to ensure that computers, software, and network equipment function seamlessly.

INTERNET SYSTEMS

Systems administrators may be in charge of the company’s local area network, wide area network, and intranet or Internet systems. Some administrators focus on specialist roles such as network security, IT audit, or system upgrade research.

Demand for network administrators will continue to rise as organisations invest in new systems and network technologies to increase productivity and gain a competitive advantage.

Rapid adoption of tablets and smartphones — and “Bring your own device” (BYOD) policies — into corporate culture means more organisations will use the Internet to conduct business, translating to increased job opportunities.

DIGITAL INFORMATION

Around the world, businesses are accumulating record amounts of digital information, spurring a need for trained and certified database administrators.

In addition, as more databases are connected to the Internet and cloud, data security will become increasingly vital.

Database administrators and developers will be sought after to protect corporate databases from hackers and other security threats.

The demand for software engineers is on the rise, along with technological advancements and network technologies.

CORPORATE ADOPTION

The growing corporate adoption of cloud strategies will create a surge in demand for software engineers.

Likewise, as sophistication and adoption of electronic data-processing systems continues to rise, the need to implement and upgrade to these new computer systems will fuel job creation for software engineers.

Security will remain a top concern for IT executives and hiring managers as the frequency, scope and complexity of cyber-attacks continues to escalate.

SECURITY SKILLS

Computer security skills in greatest demand include IT operations security, mobile device security, risk management, information assurance, network and cloud security.

Proliferation of social media, social networking and other Web 2.0 communities will boost demand for web developers as businesses look to engage a new generation of customers.

The writer is an informatics specialist. [email protected]. @samwambugu2