Top 10 Software Skills for 2014 and Beyond

by HSG on Jul 26, 2013 in Articles from Software Fans

Before we go to the list do you know what makes software skills most sought-after and hence more valuable than most of the other job skills? It is simply because unlike any other skill, software skills are global and are not at all location specific! With the evolution and penetration of internet technologies, the physical distance between the client and service provider hardly matters. So, with more advancement in technology, it is indeed going to rain opportunities on the right skilled developer. I’ll take the liberty to reproduce the following quotes here to prove my claims statistically:

 

Teaching You Tools to Become Empowered
To build a successful business and career, you must always keep up with changes in the IT Marketplace. AWS, Office 365, LinkedIn, Sales Force, SEO, Social Media are just a few examples of where knowledge is a huge factor for success.
Training with HSG addresses your knowledge gaps and provides you with the requisite tools to outpace the competition.

Demand for “cloud-ready” IT workers will grow by 26 percent annually through 2015, with as many as 7 million cloud-related jobs available worldwide.

---IDC White Paper (November 2012).

 

In the United States, the IT sector is experiencing modest growth of IT jobs in general, with the average growth in IT employment between 1.1 and 2.7 percent per year through 2020.

---U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 

Although the global unemployment rate is higher than ever before, yet unfortunately 1.7 million IT and cloud related positions were unoccupied in 2012 because of lack of right skill and training needed to work in a cloud-enabled world. This trend continues in 2013 and will continue in near future as well. Prepare yourself to grab the opportunity as every organization is talking about Cloud first and Mobile first approach. In 2014 we are going to see more of this as companies will be hiring you to make applications for smart TV, Google Glass, Car, and the newly launched Google’s Chromcast and what not, i.e. any device you can think of. But the road to cloud computing may not be so easy as you need to learn or upgrade yourself with essential skills like web services, virtualization, security and APIs. Yes, there is no shortcut to success and the route to a cloud/IT career goes through at least any one of the following.

 

The Evergreens

1.     Java / C# / PHP– Apart from being popular, Java and C# are also the best Object Oriented Programming languages. C# powers most of the enterprise application built on ASP.Net web application framework. Similarly Java too has a good market share in enterprise application and has recently got an edge over C# as it is now used for developing popular Android Apps as well. Despite a lot of issues PHP is still very popular as the server side scripting language as it powers approximately 75% of the server sides scripts on the web. Do you know Facebook’s UI is built on PHP!

2.     Python / Ruby–  Many modern days web application are built using Python or Ruby language. Ruby on Rails (RoR) web framework has been used to design incredibly good looking web 2.0 apps such as Slideshare, Scribd, Basecamp etc. Similarly Django (Python’s web framework) powers very popular Pinterest, Disqus and Instagram.

3.     C++ / C–  Old is gold. Which language would you use to build - device drivers, embedded systems, Operating Systems, Browsers or anything that is close to hardware? Linux is written in C. Email client Thunderbird and browser Firefox are written in C++ . MySQL and OS like Windows 95, 98 ... Windows XP were developed on C++.

4.     SQL– Despite all the hype surrounding NoSQL databases, SQL still has an edge for many practical database use cases. Also, it’ll be required for maintenance of already existing millions of databases built on Oracle, SQL Server or MySQL.

 

Hot Skills for 2014 and Beyond

5.     JavaScript – You may hate it but you can’t ignore it. In spite of all its limitations and short comings it has become the universal script/language of the web for cross browser, platform independent apps. From past 1 year or so, after the server side capability provided to JavaScript by Node.js, its popularity has almost exploded! Also, with the evolution of cloud and mobile computing, cross browser and device independent apps are the getting highly popular and are in great demand.

6.     Hadoop: Yes, BigData is everywhere and the Hadoop elephant is on steroids in terms of growth. If you know Java and SQL it’s easier for you to get an entry to Hadoop’s world. Simply speaking, Hadoop is all about getting useful analytics from massive amount of unstructured data.

7.     Node.js Perfect choice for data-intensive real-time applications that run across distributed devices. Node.js is a platform built on Chrome's JavaScript runtime for easily building fast, light weight and scalable network applications. Currently on the rise as big IT giants (Microsoft, Yahoo, Google etc.) are putting their weight behind it.

8.     HTML5, CSS and JQuery– Needs no introduction. These are must have skills for front end developers. HTML5 and JQuery are red hot in terms of demand right now as they are supported throughout the industry for mobile apps development.

9.     Windows Azure / OpenShift / Cloud Foundry – With the rise of Cloud PaaS proprietary Windows Azure or open source OpenShift and Cloud Foundry are going to be your choice for a passport to Cloud Computing world. Developers with Java or PHP background can target Cloud Foundry or OpenShift. ASP.Net developers can target Windows Azure. (Note: Windows Azure is a polyglot PaaS i.e. it supports multiple languages - Java, PHP, Ruby, Python etc.)

10.   PhoneGap – Everyone needs a mobile app, and with exponential growth of smartphones in developing countries the demand is certainly going to be exponential! PhoneGap is free open source framework for creating mobile apps using the web technologies you know: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

 

Before I conclude let me tell you that there’s no dearth of opportunities in software development and it’s going to increase with every passing day. In fact there’s a huge demand and supply gap. Right training on the right technology at the right time may help you to get that job you were always dreaming about. Yes, now is the right time to start preparing for 2014.

other blog entries

Course Directory [training on all levels]

Upcoming Classes
Gain insight and ideas from students with different perspectives and experiences.

Interesting Reads Take a class with us and receive a book of your choosing for 50% off MSRP.

did you know? HSG is one of the foremost training companies in the United States

Information Technology Training that enables companies to build better applications and expertly manage the software development process.

Our courses focus on two areas: the most current and critical object-oriented and component based tools, technologies and languages; and the fundamentals of effective development methodology. Our programs are designed to deliver technology essentials while improving development staff productivity.

Personalized courses for unique business and technology needs

An experienced trainer and faculty member will identify the client's individual training requirements, then adapt and tailor the course appropriately. Our custom training solutions reduce time, risk and cost while keeping development teams motivated. The Hartmann Software Group's faculty consists of veteran software engineers, some of whom currently teach at several Colorado Universities. Our faculty's wealth of knowledge combined with their continued real world consulting experience enables us to produce more effective training programs to ensure our clients receive the highest quality and most relevant instruction available. Instruction is available at client locations or at various training facilities located in the metropolitan Denver area.

Upcoming Classes

consulting services we do what we know ... write software

Design and Development
Application lifecycle management
We generate use cases, UML documentation, architect the system, create an object model, iteratively develop the system, unit and system test and modularize where necessary. These types of engagements are typically longterm and, almost always, incorporate a variety of software technologies.
If you are in need of expertise but only require the assistance of one or two engineers, the Hartmann Software Group can be of help. Instead of procuring talent by way of a placement agency who is likely to contact us, come to the Hartmann Software Group directly. You may realize some savings.
Mentor
The best way to learn is by doing.

The coaching program integrates our course instruction with hands on software development practices. By employing XP (Extreme Programming) techniques, we teach students as follows:

Configure and integrate the needed development tools

MOntitor each students progress and offer feedback, perspective and alternatives when needed.

Establish an Action plan to yield a set of deliverables in order to guarantee productive learning.

Establish an Commit to a deliverable time line.

Hold each student accountable to a standard that is comparable to that of an engineer/project manager with at least one year's experience in the field.

These coaching cycles typically last 2-4 weeks in duration.

Provide Expertise
Services for your business growth.
With the introduction of smart devices, e-marketplaces, electronic forms, SEO practices, big data, virtual office environments, media streaming and so much more, there is hardly a business whose livelihood is not, in some way, dependent upon the inclusion of such software functionality into its online presence, work environment and product offerings. Such inclusion often presents a complex array of challenges that are far beyond the expertise of the business as it demands an understanding of technological options, modular decomposition, backend systems integration and web services. Most importantly, the business requires IT talent and expertise; this is where the Hartmann Software Group shines. To that end, here is an overview of some of the services that we offer:

Business Rule isolation and integration for large scale systems using Blaze Advisor

Develop Java, .NET, Perl, Python, TCL and C++ related technologies for Web, Telephony, Transactional i.e. financial and a variety of other considerations.

Windows and Unix/Linux System Administration.

Application Server Administration, in particular, Weblogic, Oracle and JBoss.

Desperate application communication by way of Web Services (SOAP & Restful), RMI, EJBs, Sockets, HTTP, FTP and a number of other protocols.

Graphics Rich application development work i.e. fat clients and/or Web Clients to include graphic design

Performance improvement through code rewrites, code interpreter enhancements, inline and native code compilations and system alterations.

Mentoring of IT and Business Teams for quick and guaranteed expertise transfer.

Architect both small and large software development systems to include: Data Dictionaries, UML Diagrams, Software & Systems Selections and more