Over the last five years, cutting-edge tech jobs have been innovated and re-imagined at a staggering rate. In fact, North American hiring managers, who hadn’t heard of a UX designer or an e-business specialist in 2010, are now recruiting candidates who are qualified for these jobs without hesitation. As such, people who can thrive in these roles will be in continuous demand over the next decade and beyond. If you are a job seeker with a tech background, who is ready for a new challenge, you should definitely explore these career paths.
1) UX Designer
That’s a “user experience designer” in case you were wondering. Anyone who has used Amazon’s recently-innovated “1-click ordering” function has enjoyed the benefits of effective UX design. Increasingly, larger organizations are finding that a UX team led by a UX manager is the best way to ensure that their user experience needs are met. Websites, apps and e-commerce functions are vital to many companies’ marketing strategies and revenue streams. When customers find such experiences frustrating they are more likely to switch to a competitor that has made UX design a priority. If you have a computer science background that could be leveraged to enhance UX experience, you may be ready to enter the expanding field of UX design.
2) Digital Risk Officer
Over the last few years, several major news stories have shown how large corporations and even government organizations are vulnerable to digital risk. Hackers, cyber-crime, and the effects of natural disasters all sound very dramatic. But if an organization does not have a strategy in place to protect information and mitigate such circumstances, the effects of digital risk on revenue and customer satisfaction can be far-reaching. Digital risk officers are the individuals charged with managing these risks. Perhaps you are ready to use your tech experience, project management know-how and business background to protect the world’s digital assets!
3) Data Scientist
Data scientists have been around for a lot longer than five years. However, the rapid growth of the tools and technologies used by data scientists (and the users that they are analyzing) has meant that many of these roles are significantly different to their earlier incarnations. IBM claims that the role of data scientist “represents an evolution from the business or data analyst role.” Meaning that once data sets outgrew the applications that could handle them, companies had to find a way to manage their “Big Data.” It is data scientists that bridge this gap by spotting trends in Big Data, providing analyses, and creating solutions that improve data processes dramatically. Those job seekers with qualifications in applied mathematics, physics and computer science will love mining data in this expanding field of science.
4) E-Business Specialist
Like the role of data scientist, e-business specialists have been around for a while—eBay held two-million auctions in a single month way back in January 1997. Now, the number of e-business transactions being completed per month is almost incalculable. The rapidly changing world of e-commerce has meant that specialists do not just have to understand the tech side of this multi-billion dollar industry; they also have to grasp the business and marketing side of digital sales too. It should come as no surprise then that many business schools now offer MBAs with a specific focus on e-business. So, if you like the sound of taking ownership of a company’s e-commerce functions, you may be a natural e-business specialist.
5) Robotics Business Development Specialist
Some people fear that robotics is destined undermine the need for human resources and will eventually have a negative impact on the global job market. But until a robot is designed that can perfect a sales-pitch there will always be a demand for people to work in robotics sales. In fact, commercializing robots will be one of the 21st century’s most lucrative business opportunities. With new robots already being beta-tested in customer service, farming and industrial settings, ambitious salespeople who understand the technology stand to make a fortune in this emerging market.
Tech jobs are not the stuff of science fiction
Job hunters who are looking to retrain, or to use their existing tech knowledge for career advancement should keep in mind these five roles that have got recruiters around the world talking. Analytics, globalization, robotics and cyber-crime are no longer the stuff of science fiction: they are realities of the global job market that ambitious individuals should be looking to exploit.
