Since the early 80s, India's Information Technology (IT) sector has grown consistently putting India and Indian engineers on the global map. India today is among the world’s most prominent names when it comes to IT solutions and services and is one of the most favourite destinations globally for businesses across verticals who have large operations.
While the IT sector in India is poised for excellent growth in the years ahead, there are also challenges. The IT landscape globally is changing with more automation expected, powered by AI and ML. There is also increasing competition from other geographies and there is the issue of talent shortage. These challenges also present opportunities for service providers to provide innovative services and meet customer expectations.
Trends and career opportunities that one could expect in the coming years in this space.
Rise in Digital Technologies - A significant increase is expected in the adoption of digital technologies - cloud computing, data analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI), in the coming years. These technologies are poised to transform business operations and enable organisations to become more efficient and responsive to market dynamics. This would also translate to an increasing demand for professionals with skills in these areas.
Demand for Cybersecurity - As an increasing number of businesses adapt digital technologies, there would be a need for competent cybersecurity professionals to protect the elaborate IT infrastructure of businesses, to prevent hacks and cyber threats. This trend is expected to create several new job opportunities for security professionals.
The Significance of Data Science - Data Science and its importance is growing across a wide range of industries considering that businesses are looking to analyse and interpret the data they collect from their day-to-day operations to increase their efficiency and performance. Considering this, an increasing number of data science professionals will get attractive job opportunities over the coming years. AI and ML will be among the sought after skills.
Increase in usage of Agile Methodologies - Agile development focuses on rapid iterations and continuous delivery and the IT industry follows this extensively for their projects. These can help organisations in responding quickly to market changes and deliver value to customers. Professionals with skills in Agile development will be in great demand over the coming years.
Remote Working - There is an increasing trend towards project based engagement of talent and remote working in the IT industry. Many organizations look for IT professionals who are flexible and able to work on a project basis, remotely. This trend is expected to continue in the future and this is a shift in the rules of engagement.
Emerging Skills - There will be a greater emphasis on digital skills going forward in the areas of AI, data analysis, ML, Blockchain etc. IT professionals in India with these skills will be in demand. This apart, skills that help companies in digital transformation from digital marketing to cloud migration would be in demand.
According to estimates, the Indian IT industry is on track and expected to grow to approx. US$ 350 billion in revenues by 2030 (Source: hindubusinessline.com). The segment has the potential to double its employment capacity in the next 10 years according to industry leaders.
So the skills that would be in demand in the coming years would be:
Networking: Considering the increasing dependency of businesses on the internet, professionals with a sound knowledge of the architecture, protocols, security, management, and troubleshooting would be in great demand.
Cybersecurity: Skills in cybersecurity are essential and crucial considering the amount of precious data businesses have on remote servers.
Cloud computing: Skills in cloud architecture, cloud deployment models, cloud security, cloud management, and cloud development would be in demand as more and more organisations are increasingly depending on the cloud.
AI and ML: The industry’s buzz words are more than just buzz words considering the amount of investments companies have made in them and continue to make. These technologies are all pervasive and impact a wide range of verticals – from manufacturing to healthcare to automotive. Considering the exciting developments today and those being worked on by some of the largest corporations, skills in AI, ML and data science will be among the most sought after in the coming years.
So, the future is bright and positive for Indian IT. The industry is mature and robust enough to navigate challenges and adapt to newer technologies and practices, to sustain its position. In addition to a strong and visionary leadership and favourable policy, quality education is essential to power the industry.
Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering (DSCE), part of Dayananda Sagar Institutions (DSI), offers UG and PG programs in various streams of engineering. Subjects in AI and Robotics are imparted to students across streams depending on their relevance to their areas of specialization.
The campus is WI-FI equipped with a large bandwidth internet facility. The College has good faculty strength with the highest professional integrity and is committed to academics with transparency in their actions. Each faculty takes the responsibility of mentoring a certain number of students through personal attention, paving the way for the students' professional growth.
The faculty are research-oriented, having a number of sponsored R & D projects from different agencies such as the Department of Science & Technology, Defense R & D organizations, Indian Space Research Organization, AICTE, etc. Equipped with modern infrastructure and qualified & experienced faculty, DSCE constantly upgrades its curriculum in consultation with professionals from the industry. In fact, the institution has forged robust alliances with some of the leading names in the industry from across verticals.