A CIO’s Guide on Information Technology Scope, Careers, and Challenges
Information technology offers some of the hottest careers in the 21st century. We interviewed Sanjeev Jain, a veteran IT professional working in the capacity of Chief Information Officer at Integreon Managed Solutions, to know his thoughts on information technology as a field of profession. Based on his experience he reflected upon some facts that can provide direction to those looking to start or switch a career in IT. Since Sanjeev is a veteran, he comes with a broad knowledge and exposure in the IT industry, extended over more than 15 years.
About Sanjeev Jain
Sanjeev is an IT professional with over two decades of experience as an information technology professional. He has served in the roles of vice president, director, and C-level positions for almost a decade, and has been associated with Integreon since 2008. The reason for his profound success is his remarkable achievements in professional studies. He has a bachelor’s degree in English and an MBA in IT. He is also a Microsoft certified system administrator, ITIL certified, Cobit5 certified, blockchain certified, and possesses a handful of cybersecurity certifications, and comes with experience in IT Infrastructure Setup & Management, Project Management, Networking & Systems Administration, and Data Centre Management.
Let’s look at what Sanjeev has shared regarding the questions we put in front of him about IT scope, careers, and challenges.
1. What do you foresee as the top IT skills in demand in the next 2-4 years?
As the demand for people with advanced technical skills is rising, many companies are putting more resources into recruiting, hiring, and emerging the right talent to remain in global competition. This means that employees willing to spend time developing technical skills will have the upper hand in landing some of the most demanding roles in the Information Technology industry. But the world of technology is changing fast, so the industry’s demanding technologies are changing all the time
We also took into consideration the skills that will be most important during an economic recovery—a major factor for this year’s list as organizations of all sizes will be dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic for the remainder of 2020 and beyond.
If you’re looking to make an IT skills investment or start a new career path this year, these are the areas to consider:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Machine Learning
- Cloud Computing
- Software Development
- Data Science and Data Analytics
- Cybersecurity Professionals
- Project Management
- System Administrator
- Network Specialist
With roles and sub-fields in IT clearly listed, Sanjeev also stressed the fact that candidates who are spending their time, energy, and efforts into developing themselves professionally will have a superior hand in landing better jobs. Continuous training and achievements will separate the passionate professionals from the average, run-of-the-mill IT personnel. Certifications are a great way to stay updated with modern skills, and continuous upskilling reflects the dedication of employees to their profession, increasing their chances of getting hired by many folds.
Connect with our experts on what IT courses you can take to start or advance your career. You can also enroll in our IT bootcamps and start your IT certification training journey in cybersecurity, cloud computing, web development, data science, data analysis, and more.
2. What are the key IT talent management challenges for you as a technology leader?
There are many challenges we face like; New Security Threats, Data Protection, Lack of agility, Skill gap, and third-party risk.
A very short and crisp answer, it points out a few challenges faced by organizations and leaders while managing IT talent. These are some critical areas new technologists must be aware of when they opt for a particular field in IT. If you are a cybersecurity professional, it is highly critical for you to stay abreast with the latest security threats, so you can design your cybersecurity strategy in alignment with those threats. Agility is another trait very important to have if you aim for a successful IT career. Agile professionals can manage situations where time is of the essence, and decisions need to be made in a specific time frame. For this to master, you need to have a strong command of your skills, paired with critical thinking and problem-solving. The skills gap is something you can always manage to tackle by training yourself for the right skills. You need to recognize the responsibilities your job role demands, utilize your present skills, and prepare for the required skills on and off the job.
3. What are your key strategies to retain IT talent?
As a technology leader, we continue to explore and implement the latest technology which keeps the team engaged with projects and I always believe in providing an opportunity to each person who is part of my team.
We simply expanded their role so that instead of just handling local IT needs, they would also be remotely handling the IT needs of various other sites around the world. To equip them to do this we provided extensive training on Network, Servers / Windows, and other platforms.
Technology strategy engages with our people and processes to support the company’s goals. One must continuously evaluate and improve technology to meet new objectives and scale with the business as we grow”.
A great example of a leader who thinks of his team as a family and keeps in check the growth meter for every employee. There are leaders who see the growth of their companies with the professional growth of their employees. As an IT professional, it is vital to be aware of the leaders you work under. If the company culture pushes each employee and supports growth by giving trust, authority, and responsibility, it is a place to stay and take advantage.
4. What is your advice to professionals who want to switch their careers to IT?
It is imperative that professionals must evaluate their current job satisfaction. Which aspects of their current job do they like and dislike? Are they dissatisfactions related to the content of their work, their company culture, or the people with whom they work? While they are doing this, there are somethings they can do at their current job to help them prepare to move on when it’s time for a change.
IT is a great career to enter, especially in today’s digitalized world where coding serves as a base for the biggest technological innovations. However, one must always research and identify the area that interests him most. IT is a huge field, with multiple sub-domains, and to be honest, it gets boring if there is a lack of passion.
This answer in itself is a complete explanation of what a professional must do before deciding to switch his career, why he should think about entering into the field of IT, and what measures he must take to ensure success in this new journey.
5. What are the most highly paid IT job roles today?
- Network Specialist
- Cyber Security Specialist
- Server Specialist
You need to have top technical skills to make a place for yourself in the brutally competitive tech industry. Demand for skills in the tech industry is changing from time to time, so it’s important to know what current in-demand skills are. QuickStart offers a library of 900+ self-paced certification training courses preparing for some of the most in-demand certifications in cybersecurity, cloud computing, networking, data science, system administration, and much more. Start your 30-day free trial today!