Since present supply and demand falls in favor of the IT candidates, it only makes sense for students and anyone who wants to enhance or change their career course to consider the IT avenue. Even in IT, however, there are particular skills and areas of expertise that rise above the rest. If you want to move forward in the IT field, consider these top choices.

Programming & Application Development
Companies recognize that superior software – from internal systems to front-end apps – equates to business growth. They not only are hiring programmers to maximize existing systems, but also to design and develop new apps. According to IEEE Spectrum, the top ten programming languages to master are:

• Java
• C
• C++
• Python
• C#
• R
• PHP
• JavaScript
• Ruby
• Matlab

Project Management
With the increasing scope and complexity of IT projects, companies have a high demand for Project Managers, who not only are highly skilled in IT, but also have in-depth business acumen – with a solid grasp on goal setting, time management, budgeting, leadership, etc. PMI’s Project Management Professional (PMP) is the premier credential for general PMs.
Technical Support
An obvious mainstay in an increasingly techy business world, there will always be a high demand for IT support professionals – especially, but certainly not limited to, those with mobile expertise. High Demand skills include:

IT Support
• Mobile Device Management
• Windows Desktop Support
• Linux Administration
• Effective Communication
• Time Management
• Customer Support

Soft Skills
• Verbal Communication
• Written Communication
• Time Management
• Customer Service
• Problem Solving

Information Security
Security breaches continue to rise – growing in scope, frequency, and sophistication. With the steady migration to cloud-based computing, wireless trends, and the Iot, comes increased potential for compromised security. Thus, the need for InfoSec Professionals who can assess, detect, and prevent security threats continues to rise. In-demand skills include:

• Wireless Network Security
• Ethical Hacking
• Risk Assessment
• Cloud Security

Web Development
Being in business requires a website and with the steadily rising increase in startups, the need for web-developers continues to rise. In fact, in 2014 the unemployment rate for web developers was .7% – practically non-existent. Skills to focus on include:

• Responsive Web Design
• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript
• PHP

Database Administration and Business Intelligence
As business collect record amounts of information, there is an ever-increasing need for database administrators to process/manage this information and BI professionals to analyze it – often in outside-the box methods, and then accurately and clearly communicate it to assist companies in making smarter marketing decisions. Database and BI skills in demand include:

• Oracle
• Microsoft SQL Server
• IBM DB2
• MySQL
• PostgreSQL SQL Development
• IBM
• Cognos
• Tableau
• Oracle BI
• SAS BI
• SAP Business Objects

Additional soft skills include presentation, critical thinking, and creative problem solving.

Mobile Development & Device Management
The increasing application market and the explosion of mobile devices in business – made more so by BYOD policies – has created a high demand for mobile application developers. Companies need staff to manage, secure, and support the ever-growing supply of devices. The greatest demands fall on:

• iOS App Development
• Android App Development
• BYOD Support
• Mobile Security

Whether you choose a career in IT or in another field, Springborn Staffing is here to help you connect to top companies in Bangor and Portland, Maine. Contact us today. Let us help you along the way to success.