Question: As the economy turns
around, what IT skills will be most in demand this year?
Our advice:
The IT skills perpetually in high demand are typically the softer,
interpersonal ones, rather than hard, technical skills. But the technical
skills in demand right now look strong for the next several months.
In a study of 40,000 IT workers that's updated quarterly by Foote Partners (a
TAC affiliate), the following skills have grown the most in value in the past
12 months and will continue to be in demand in 2004. They are, in order of
value: Linux, WebSphere, voice over IP, Gigabit Ethernet, and XML.
As for certified skills, these have been on a hot streak lately in value growth
and employer demand:
Security management and administration (Certified Information Systems Auditor
and Certified Information Systems Security Professional);
GIAC Certified Windows Administrator;
GIAC Certified Unix Administrator;
Citrix systems administration (Citrix Certified Administrator and Certified
Enterprise Administrator);
Linux (Red Hat Certified Engineer);
Networking (Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert); and
Project management (Project Management Professional).
Then there are skills that have been earning higher pay compared with the
skills mentioned earlier. They've all had long, successful runs, which should
extend into 2004:
Microsoft SQL Server;
Oracle database and applications skills;
Project-level security skills; and
Rapid application development and extreme programming.
This also is true for certified skills. Add to the list of high-paying
certifications popular with employers the following:
Microsoft's Certified Trainer, Certified Solution Developer, and Certified
Database Administrator certifications;
Oracle Certified Professional/DBA;
Cisco's Certified Enterprise Administrator and Certified Network Professional;
and
Master Certified Novell Engineer.
Among "soft" skills and qualities perpetually in high demand, six appear
regularly in the IT hiring plans across a broad spectrum of employers:
A tolerance for ambiguity;
Adaptability and flexibility;
Facility for risk taking;
A team-wise outlook;
Vision; and
Accepting responsibility.
Moreover, in 2004, employers will be keen to hire and develop the following
skills instead of simply "renting" them via contractors and consultants:
negotiation; marketing; collaboration; business process; risk analysis; project
management; conflict resolution; customer satisfaction; facilitation; problem
solving; evaluation; prototyping and modeling; relationship and team building;
interpersonal skills; and coaching/mentoring.
Finally, as frozen budgets begin to thaw, expect to see hiring for workers
skilled in: storage; Web-enabled analytics; and security-related areas
including identity management, intrusion detection and prevention, security
event and information monitoring, vulnerability assessment and security
monitoring, and hard-factor authentication.
-- David Foote
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