The tech jobs in big demand for 2018

The tech industry is changing fast, and with that comes jobs requiring fresh skillsets. It’s an exciting time if you work in the tech sector – opportunities are opening up in fields such as virtual reality, AI and data science. There’s probably no better time than now to be embarking on, or in the midst of, a career in tech.

With 2018 just around the corner, it might even be worth thinking about those next job steps now. According to research from HR Magazine, January is the most popular month for job changes, with workers citing salary concerns and a desire for a new challenge as reasons for seeking a switch.

As New Year quickly approaches, here’s a look through some of the tech jobs in big demand over the next 12 months – and how you can put yourself in the frame to get hired courtesy of Udemy.

Video Game Developer

The video game industry is big business, pulling in more money than Hollywood thanks to expansion across consoles, PCs, tablets and mobile. According to Newzoo, the industry’s revenue for 2017 will surpass $100 billion as gaming companies evolve into all-encompassing global entertainment firms.

If this sounds like a tempting career path, then Udemy’s Learn to Code by Making Games course opens the door to Unity, the game development platform allowing you to build 3D and 2D games with C#. Furthermore, the Unreal Engine Developer Course gives you the chance to get to grips with C++ and create a video game from the ground up. The latter game engine has previously been used to create titles such as Gears of War 4, Tekken 7 and 2018’s eagerly-awaited Nintendo Switch offering Yoshi.

Solutions Architect

As more and more of our digital life, both work and personal, shifts to the cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is fast becoming a key platform for employers looking to build resilient, scalable websites.

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect course from Udemy will guide students through the Associate Exam and take them from beginner to Amazon Certified across bitesize 5-12 minute video lectures. The course will be continuously updated throughout 2018, so there’s no danger of failing the AWS certification test due to missing out on new content.

VR Developer

Virtual reality is changing the entertainment landscape, both in how we consume content and engage with it. The Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets sit at the pricier end of the spectrum, but you can also experience VR with a smartphone and Google Cardboard or Samsung Gear VR.

With mobile gaming revenue soaring to $46.1 billion in 2017 – the highest share of the global games market at 42% – VR for Android or iOS devices is swiftly increasing in popularity. Udemy’s specialist course, Make Mobile VR Games in Unity with C# for Google Cardboard, aims to arm students with the skills to create a VR game from scratch with C# and Unity. Vital job skills that could make you invaluable to potential employers.

AI Engineer

Artificial intelligence is evolving at such a rate that Google’s own AI-building AI recently built a fully-functional AI child that’s more capable than any created by humans. Though this may evoke memories of Terminator’s Skynet, AI is still in its relative infancy and a level of human understanding is required to guide its advancement.

Udemy’s Artificial Intelligence A-Z™: Learn How To Build An AI course will teach key AI concepts, dive behind the theory and demonstrate how to build a virtual self-driving car. As a starting point, this hits on all the introductory basics to set students on a path to a career in AI.

Data Scientist

If artificial intelligence is the science of building smart machines, then machine learning, getting computers to act without being programmed, is what truly pushes things to the next level.

It’s essential to have a grasp of the latter if you’re seeking a career as a data scientist, a job once coined the “sexiest of the 21st century” by The Harvard Business Review. The Machine Learning A-Z™: Hands-On Python & R In Data Science Udemy course represents a step-by-step tour through machine learning models, ideally suited to anyone eager to make the leap into data science.

Data Protection Officer

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will be big news in 2018 as organisations seek to bring themselves in line with new laws around the information they hold. GDPR is a significant change, not just for DPOs, but for employees who’ll need to know their responsibilities when the legislation comes into effect on 25 May 2018.

Udemy’s EU GDPR – Data Protection Employee Awareness Training course will offer a way for DPOs to educate staff when it comes to their approach to data privacy. Failure to adhere to the new regulations could see company’s fined up to €20 million or 4% of their global annual turnover. Work on GDPR will extend beyond the 2018 date, and those with knowledge of its intricacies are sure to be highly valuable to businesses.

Web Developer

The tools and technologies required for a career in web development are myriad. Creating websites goes far beyond understanding HTML and CSS, and Udemy students will be well-served should they want to pursue a career in this field.

The in-depth Web Developer Bootcamp course has students covered for JS, Node and Bootstrap, and there’ll come out the other side having built real web applications and browser-based games. The results are particularly impressive, with 94% of students going on to get full-time developer jobs.

Ethical Hacker

Companies spend millions making sure their networks are protected from cyber threats. Any security flaws can have huge ramifications, as the NHS discovered earlier this year when it fell victim to the WannaCry attacks.

It’s now common practice for firms to hire ethical hackers with a view to penetrating a network and finding vulnerabilities hackers could exploit. Udemy’s Complete Ethical Hacking Course: Beginner to Advanced offers the chance to work in virtual hacking environment and learn exactly how to secure a network from malicious intruders.

Find out more about Udemy’s online courses.