As technology changes, so do the skills necessary to succeed in the workforce. All the research and studies say there will billions of connected devices by 2020. It stands to reason that for these devices to work well together, someone had better be good at designing them, monitoring them, understanding the data and making sure they are secure. Insufficient expertise and technological inexperience are huge barriers for organizations looking to implement IoT.  Just check the numbers of job postings. Here are a few of the skills that are in huge demand.

Engineers and Programmers:

We need people to build the Things. Engineers with hybrid skills — both software and hardware capabilities — are the backbone of the industry.   A thorough understanding of APIs to help design the connections between devices will also be a plus. Programming in C, C++, Java and Python are all relevant in the IoT sector.

 Analytics and Big Data:

Data scientists with business intelligence backgrounds and expertise in sensor data analysis, predictive analytics, and programming will be useful across many industries. Extracting data and building algorithms to find insights and analytics out of the data requires experts in big data management and machine learning.

Artificial Intelligence:

Investing in AI skills will become increasingly useful as AI integration in the IoT world continues. Titles like machine learning engineer, computer vision engineer, and data scientist are among the most in-demand AI jobs, as companies search for candidates to help bring AI to their workplace or external efforts.

Cybersecurity:

Data security is a massive concern in the IoT world. Customers are unlikely to purchase IoT devices if they are worried about compromising their personal data. Knowledge of cybersecurity vulnerabilities and solutions is already scarce. Software and endpoint security are critical in the IoT world.

And let’s not forget that digital transformation is about breaking down silos and working collaboratively.  As well as specific technical skills, we need those people with a more holistic view of the whole ecosystem. We will also need communicators, people that connect the disparate groups working on solutions. These communicators will also need to interact with customers and translate customer needs into specific technology solutions. So, build your skill set and get to work in the new world of IoT. And talk to people. Chances are, there’s a job out there that hasn’t been created yet. You can be the one that creates it.