5 Most In-Demand Technical Skills By Companies Post COVID-19

A wake-up call list to help you survive in the future tech world

Alan Watts once said, “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” However, his theory makes more sense in this current outbreak situation. Although we almost got rid of coronavirus, now here we’re again fighting against its second wave.

It’s been more than a year that this pandemic shook the entire world. In a blink of an eye, everything went from offline to online whether it’s student education, professional office meetings, or grocery shopping.

And it is pretty obvious that this pandemic — which isn’t going away anytime soon — will lead to various technological advancements or transformations in the IT world.

The virus will have a tremendous long-term impact on our whole society which has inevitably led many big organizations to consider specific technical skills such as Data Science, Cloud Computing, etc. while recruiting candidates to emphasize more on digitalization and automation processes.

Below are 5 most in-demand technical skills that you can consider to learn to gain some worthwhile career opportunities while being stuck in this pandemic:

#1 Digital Marketing

While the world was thrown into a COVID-19 whirlwind, there is no denying that digital marketing has played a critical role in helping businesses innovate to endure the impacts of the crisis.

Before the world even got hit by COVID, most of the people were already engaging with digital media and marketing — but COVID-19 not only boosted up the marketing on the digital platform but also amplified people’s need/desire to engage more online with other people. Here are some cool facts:

• According to Influencer Marketing Hub, 62% of U.S. consumers said they shop online now more than they did before the pandemic.
• 69% of marketers surveyed in June 2020 said they would prefer to attend virtual/online events until the pandemic conditions get settled down.
• More than 40% of consumers say they will shop online more frequently.

To become a proficient Digital Marketer, you need to learn about domains like SEO, Social Media Optimization (SMO), Content Writing, etc. Moreover, Digital Marketing skills will not only provide you various job opportunities but can also help you in areas such as blogging, affiliate marketing, etc.

“If anything, the presence of COVID-19 has taught us just how important a digital marketing presence can be. It allows you to communicate with your audience when other factors may be preventing you from interfacing with them in person. It’s like a lifeline.” — Katy Sloan, Content Specialist and mom to Speak Mascot Dexter

#2 Artificial Intelligence

“Artificial intelligence will be part of the home just like the light bulb.” — SupplyChainToday.com

In recent decades, Artificial intelligence (AI) has one of the most significant technological advancements across all industries.

Hiring growth for AI practitioners grew 32% between 2019 and 2020. Because of its increasing demand, AI specialists earned LinkedIn’s #1 emerging jobs spot in 2020 and is #15 on their 2021 list of “jobs on the rise.” The average annual AI engineer salary in the US is over $110K.

Many individuals and organizations have already approached the application of AI technologies before the pandemic but it has gained much wider acceptance in midst of the pandemic.

Businesses have also relied on AI technologies to pivot and manage resources as they navigate the effects of the pandemic and most of the companies are now looking for people with specific areas of expertise in AI.

“The Covid-19 crisis and associated challenges are being fought on the basis of numbers and data, and this has renewed interest in data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning,” says Kapil Bardeja, CEO and co-founder of Vehant Technologies.

According to a 2020 UiPath survey, 70% of C-level executives want even non-technical employees to have some automation and AI skills. C++, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Python are some of the top-notch skills that are within AI.

#3 Data Science

Data Scientist has already been mentioned as the “sexiest job of the 21st Century”, according to one of the articles published by Harvard Business Review. Data scientist’s job is one of the highest-paid jobs in the IT world.

According to a survey of Burtch Works, it’s found that the median base salaries for data scientists range from $95,500 to $165,000 depending on experience.

Furthermore, Burtch Works also tracked the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the data science community. They found that 7.6% of data scientists professionals reported their team actually increased hiring due to the Covid-19 crisis.

According to Ankush Singla, co-founder at Coding Ninjas, the tech job market will witness a sharp rise in data science roles because:

“…the pandemic is no longer about remote working alone, but also the significance of AI, ML, cloud computing and web applications being a major turning point in the lives of people.”

The required skillset to become a professional data scientist, you need to have a good command of programming (R, Python, SQL, etc) along with Machine Learning, Data Management, Software Engineering, etc.

#4 Machine Learning

“Machine intelligence is the last invention that humanity will ever need to make.” — Nick Bostro

One of the most innovative and exciting fields, Machine Learning is considered one of the hottest technologies out there and it is one of the most profitable skills you can learn for the future. From Siri and Alexa to self-driving cars, there are a ton of uses for this futuristic tech.

According to McKinsey, 49% of companies are currently exploring or planning to use machine learning. Talent with AI and ML skills already command top salaries, with machine learning engineers netting an average salary range of $125,000 to $175,000.

Also, Lakshya Sivaramakrishnan, Program Lead at Google believes that machine learning will massively gain traction in the post COVID era.

“This is because more and more companies will be looking for more adaptability and flexibility post the pandemic and would adapt to the required change to stay relevant.”

One report noted that skills like TensorFlow, Python, Natural Language Processing are critical for professionals to land on AI/ML Jobs that are highest in demand.

#5 Cloud Computing

“Every kid coming out of Harvard, every kid coming out of school now thinks he can be the next Mark Zuckerberg, and with these new technologies like cloud computing, he actually has a shot.” –Marc Andreessen

Cloud computing is the centerpiece of the world’s technical response to the COVID-19 crisis. COVID cloud adoption has surged in recent months, with cloud computing, data storage, and other cloud services rapidly gaining popularity since many companies got shifted to a remote working environment due to social distancing and lockdown.

A recent Forbes article summed it up aptly in a quote from Devan Adams:

“…data center operators are experiencing massive surges in consumer usage of compute resources due to school closures, social distancing, and government work-at-home mandates.”

With the rise in the cases of COVID-19, cloud software solutions are facing a substantial hit. Many organizations are utilizing cloud automation and increasing their online presence by developing commerce websites on cloud platforms to decrease the impact of COVID-19 on productivity and operational efficiency. IDC forecasts that worldwide spending on public cloud services and infrastructure will nearly double, to around $500 billion by 2023.

Meanwhile, Google Cloud Platform, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure are some of the prominent cloud platforms that you have to get good command over, along with other respective concepts of cloud technology, to become proficient in Cloud Computing.

On one last note, I would like to add few words of Ankush Singla, co-founder at Coding Ninjas:

“Although the pandemic has brought the entire world to a standstill, it has initiated a discussion on the much-needed methods of working efficiently, giving major mileage to virtual and digital working methods.”