The acceleration of technology continues reshaping the future of work at warp speed. As experts predict over half of all jobs will require digital skills by 2030, technical literacy across industries quickly becomes mandatory. For IT professionals and technophiles, the coming decade presents ample opportunities to future-proof careers—if you know which skills to sharpen.
So which capabilities should tech-savvy individuals prioritize over the next few years? And what emerging IT roles might dominate the 2030 job market? I compiled insights from key thought leaders to uncover the top recommendations for skilling up today. Read on for a glimpse into the IT landscape of tomorrow, and more importantly, how to prepare your career now.
The Digital Literacy Imperative
According to the World Economic Forum, digital literacy will become essential for business and job opportunities moving forward. Specifically, over 50% of global jobs will require an understanding of digital technology by 2030. Those without basic technical competencies are poised to fall behind.
Siddharth Taparia, Senior Director of Portfolio Marketing at Informatica, echoes this priority. "Basic technology skills will be must-haves across domains. For non-technical folks, having fundamental literacy will determine employability," he said.
Likewise, upskilling initiatives even for non-tech staff will accelerate. As R. "Ray" Wang of Constellation Research put it, "Every company will need to be a tech company and find a way to digitize."
The growing integration of technology into all sectors implies technical individuals will only increase in value. Upskilling early in cloud computing, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and other staples can pay dividends down the line.
Cybersecurity: Recession and Automation-Proof
Of all specialty IT skills, cybersecurity reigns supreme in its resilience to industry fluctuations. The continuous expansion of threats and data breaches ensures skilled cyber experts stay in high demand.
| Year | Cybersecurity job openings | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3.5 million | 350% since 2013 |
| 2025 Projected | Over 6 million | 75% since 2021 |
Siddharth affirms its lucrative outlook. “Cybersecurity will be a key growth area and provide lucrative job opportunities for the next 5-10 years at a minimum,” he said.
Likewise, the automation wave poses little risk of overtaking human security experts. As Gabrielle Zevin, Director of Software Engineering at Galvanize, explained: "Humans must make complex decisions about what’s good, bad, allowed, and prevented. Artificial intelligence isn’t close to replicating those judgments.”
For job security and financial stability, cybersecurity remains a sage choice to specialize in. Successfully safeguarding sensitive systems also fulfills a growing business need across sectors. It’s no wonder ISACA forecasts a global talent shortage of over 2.72 million by 2030.
The New Age of Cognition: Blending AI and Human Skills
What exactly does the IT landscape look like once we arrive in the 2030s? According to Digital anthropologist Daniel Stillman of Auticon, rising adoption of cognitive technologies will usher in an "age of shared cognition" between man and machine.
Rather than compete against AI advancement, the most adaptable workers will harness computers as intellectual partners to enhance human abilities. As Daniel explains: “By sharing cognition between tools and people, jobs can become less rote and more focused on relationships, creativity and critical thinking.”
Likewise, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna envisions IT professionals working in tandem with AI, not against it. "Physical and digital worlds will come together with data as the connective tissue…the next decade in technology will be driven by smart, scalable technologies that will allow human-machine partnerships."
As for which skills may be most complementary? Daniel predicts surging demand for trust-building across global digital collaborations.
“We will need people we can count on as individuals, not algorithms. Ethics, emotional engagement, cross-cultural understanding, creativity…that’s what people do better than computers.”
While AI handles routine tasks, uniquely human talent thrives. Technical experts able to liaise between cutting edge tools and interpersonal needs will emerge as invaluable assets.
Highly Paid Tech Skills: Cloud, Engineering, and Analysis
Transitioning from conceptual visions to practical skillsets, the nuts and bolts of IT remain integral for individual upside. When polling leading CTOs and IT executives, alarm.com’s 2022 Industry Report uncovered today’s highest paid tech talent.
| Tech Role | Average Salary | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Data Engineer | $148,000 | +32% |
| Systems Reliability Engineer | $142,000 | +27% |
| Cloud Infrastructure Engineer | $134,000 | +22% |
| Security Engineer | $132,000 | +36% |
| Data Scientist | $130,000 | +37% |
| Full Stack Developer | $128,000 | +30% |
Though salaries fluctuate across specialties, mastering any of these areas plants you firmly on the high income trajectory. Combine that with projected growth upwards of 30% over the next decade and generous compensation appears locked in.
Waiting for Skills of the Future
Realistically however, even experts struggle to predict which IT skills may dominate a decade from now. As job site Indeed noted in their 2030 report analysis:
“In many ways, imagining the jobs of the future is like asking someone living in 1890 what the jobs of 2022 would look like. They simply can’t envision jobs that rely on technologies that do not yet exist.”
Likewise Mesa Community College revealed roles like robot dispatchers, augmented reality architects, space tour guides, and brain-computer interface engineers as potential emerging opportunities. The connecting thread? Applying cutting edge technical literacy to uncharted domains.
Rather than fixating on any single skill, the smartest approach may be maintaining an open mind. As Ray Wang summarized:
“Disruption will happen faster than we think. The smartest people I know don‘t even try to predict but make sure they are ready and willing to learn.”
Continuous learning and adaptability helps future-proof skill sets even for roles not yet conceived.
Preparing Now for the IT Future
With so much change on the horizon, how can IT professionals start gearing up today? Beyond employing an adaptable mindset, several best practices help proactively build future-proof skill sets:
- Pursue continuing education/credentials: Certificates, bootcamps, college courses, etc. help systematically upskill technical and soft skills
- Learn versatile programming languages like JavaScript, Python, Go allowing you to switch stacks
- Master cloud platforms: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud are backbone of remote digital business
- Practice human-AI collaboration: Get hands-on with cognitive tools to understand partnership potential
- Improve emotional IQ alongside IQ: Empathy, creativity, ethics increasingly vital
- Attend virtual conferences and events to discover bleeding edge tech advances
- Contribute to open source projects: Gain real experience, visibility and latest concepts
Organizations proactively preserving talent relevance include Amazon spending $700 million retraining 100,000 staffers by 2025. Likewsie IBM acquired learning firm Expertus readying client workforces. Such investments reflect the digital literacy and upskilling priorites rising across sectors.
Individual learners also leverage platforms like Coursera, Udacity, and Udemy offering on-demand access to leading university content. Likewise professional groups including CompTIA and technology meetups provide continuous development.
Embracing the Remote Revolution
Beyond upping technical toolbox, the how and where of work also changes dramatically ahead. Remote opportunities spread like wildfire the past few years and show no signs of extinction.
| Work Arrangement | % Now | % By 2030 Projection |
|---|---|---|
| Fully Remote | 16% | 33% |
| Hybrid | 31% | 55% |
| Fully In-office | 53% | 7% |
Siddharth projects: “50-60% of roles will be remote since you can be equally or more productive. Certain roles like sales may still require in-office work, but otherwise talent acquisition goes boundaryless.”
Likewise, cross-border and time zone teaming becomes normalized. As Ray Wang described: “Real-time collaboration across time zones means 24×7 productivity. The need to coordinate work across geographies changes how enterprises operate.”
Technical experts able to thrive in asynchronous environments gain advantage over lingering bureaucracy. As Siddharth summarizes, “Collaboration tools to support this workflow are key…you manage outputs and results, not time and attendance.”
In other words, global connectivity expands, not constricts opportunity. The location-free future favors the bold who lean into disruption.
Impacts Beyond the IT Industry
While tech professionals face obvious perturbation, truly systemic disruption touches virtually every job function in some capacity. As Cynthia Harvey recapped in an Data Center Knowledge analysis:
“Even people who don’t work in IT will need some technology skills… Many existing jobs will change thanks to things like AI, robotics, IoT, blockchain, quantum computing and technologies we haven’t invented yet.”
Likewise policy makers and governments must deliberately build digital readiness and access. Initiatives like Internet for All aim closing gaps exacerbated during the pandemic. Educational institutions additionally overhaul traditional learning for skills-based education dynamically adapting to real-world demands.
And for professionals across backgrounds, transferable capabilities like analytic reasoning, complex problem solving, scientific curiosity, systems coordination, judgement and more retain enduring applicability according to McKinsey research.
In essence, entire economies undergo systemic adaptation en route to shared digital prosperity.
The Road Ahead
Forecasting the intricate job landscape over a decade away guarantees some margin of error. But amidst the uncertainty, put trust in technology as a catalyst of progress. Digital transformation propels industries lightyears ahead, with practical skills to match each breakthrough.
Prioritize versatility as workflows and cognitive partners continuously change. Understand no single career trajectory stays linear, but rather benefits from lateral growth. And know while future tech remains unpredictable, learning ability is entirely in your hands.
If this glimpse into 2030 convinced you of anything, make it the imperative of self-education. Commit to continuous upskilling, adjust mindsets to growing AI collaboration, and explore emerging tech applications.
The upside in ridesharing each new wave of innovation outweighs any temporary skills gap. For IT professionals building toward 2030, the time is now to start your future.