Future challenges in the profession of an IT-specialist
Information technology, according to the dictionary (Merriam-Webster), is “the technology involving the development, maintenance, and use of computer systems, software, and networks for the processing and distribution of data.” Information technology is one of the most fast growing fields where new gadgets are introduced almost every year, and people turn away from their old habits, and dive into the world of technological process which is possible only because of the IT specialists.
Even though some people enjoy old and well-known things, the younger generation tends to look into the future more than glancing at the past. Probably, this feature of our thinking allows progress to take all new and exciting horizons. But sometimes there is a wish to simply dream about. The progress is not simple to dream up, and to stay as the certain predictor who made bold to tell about the future prospects. Let's predict, for example, what will be the IT specialist of the future look like? What changes will happen in the next two-three years, what stands behind them, and what challenges the occupation of an IT-specialist might hold. Many people believe the IT field will be the seeking highly qualified specialists who are going leg to leg with the modernity, and that would be the main challenge for the ones going into this field. One of the challenges that the IT specialists will face is the ability to be competitive on the market. To be successful in a workplace does not mean to only come to an interview in a suit and a tie. This ability to be guided in labor market and to possess information on popular trends in the field of IT technologies. It means not only ability to freely communicate with colleagues on department and absolutely strangers, but also ability to competently build a line of conduct. Ability to be successful in a career is also a culture of behavior and speeches. Not simply a habit to speak "hello" and "good-bye", and ability adequately to behave in society. It is culture, erudition and knowledge of universal culture and culture of people from various countries (Laskowski 54). To be able to be successful at the IT industry is means to create round itself a positive information background. The help the colleagues, to participate in open projects, performances and presentations on various actions, publications of articles on a professional subject – is formed of all this idea of this person. This factor will be not less important for the IT specialist of the future, than the beautiful summary and a pile of certificates on a table. It means that the IT specialist of the future has to have knowledge in the field of economy, psychology and law, to be aware of the current situation and to be able to present himself to people around. At the same time ability to hold on to a job means big activity, including concerning work change. The matter is that the world round us constantly changes, something dies off, something is improved and to wait that the person accepted to a certain position during continuous term will continue work in the same position – at least fondly. Constant removability of technologies, and also professional growth and an unstable economic situation will push both employers, and workers to shorter periods of cooperation. If now the annual contract is considered the certain settled norm, further this term most likely will be reduced before half a year and up to three-four months further.
Another challenge that the information technology field will hold is the constant growth and willing to learn new things. Times when the programmer knowing the one and only FORTRAN more than anything could count in any domestic enterprise, passed long time ago. Now the main achievements in the field of IT technologies happen just on a joint of various specialties. Now even the modest 1C programmer has to know both a programming language, and the principles of operation of the SQL server, to understand how the operating system works, a local network and hardware of the computer, and also it is quite good to understand accounts department, a personnel record, say, everywhere where it is applied 1C. In the future this tendency will only amplify. Undoubtedly, experts of a narrow profile with profound knowledge of the area will also be demanded, but they should broaden the horizons, for example, knowledge of the main tendencies of development, to skills to work with people and ability of to sell. It is the most probable that for experts with narrow specialization "the market of the employer" when professionals with profound knowledge in one area queue on interview on not numerous vacancies in which this or that technology is still demanded will work. While for IT specialists of wider profile will be in conditions of "the market of the candidate" and anymore not the employer, but the competitor makes the decision, he wants to work in this company or not. And versatile knowledge will be necessary not only in the area which is directly connected with its work, and in the most various spheres. For example, how much is kilowatt of the electric power and why the lessor won't be able to provide big power.Most likely the profession of "the system administrator technical support" will die off in the form in which it is present at many companies. People after all slowly get used to use new technologies. Therefore, it is a quite habitual picture when the young employee of technical support again and again explains to the elderly accountant work elements in MS Excel, most likely in the future will become a rarity (Wyatt 77). Over time the loading caused by computer illiteracy of users will be will decrease. At the same time notorious race of technologies will throw new "objects for studying". As a result the role of technical support will be reduced generally to support of operability of the equipment and the help in introduction of new technologies (The Computer Bulletin 45.1 34).
Simple devices that are daily used nowadays will disappear from the market. Sooner or later changes in IT structure will concern, apparently, such firm monster as printers. Still documents with "the blue press and the signature the violet handle" are "a sacred cow" of the document flow. But time goes and everything slowly changes. Fiscal services agree to accept the reporting on electronic media for a long time. E-mail gradually replaces mailing of various receipts, notices and all that sent in paper envelopes earlier. Therefore "the repairman of the printing equipment" will become not too widespread profession over time. Approach to safety will strongly change. The concept of perimeter of a network, limited, including, walls of office, will gradually come to naught. Virtualization, remote access and cloudy infrastructures together with "mobile gadgets" will gradually wash away habitual working space (Standage 65-89). Therefore shortly there will be a decrease in demand for the administrators of safety able to adjust a firewall so that "the fly without passport didn't fly by". But demand for specialists in systems of enciphering will increase.It is connected by that over time critical IT services will gradually move to "cloud" to a data-center platform where they will be absolutely served by strangers. The task of IT departments is to create applications available to employees in any place and at any time that will allow business to develop quicker and more flexible. The purpose in exempting business from the restrictions imposed by traditional infrastructure and to pass into the world where everything is provided "as service". It creates differential speed, causing the necessity of transition to the services delivered through a cloud.
All in all, the occupation of an IT-specialist holds lots of challenges within itself. Such a rapid growth in technology makes a specialist learn new things all throughout his career, and come up with new ideas in order to stay on the market.
References
I.word.com,. 'Information Technology | The Technology Involving The Development, Maintenance, And Use Of Computer Systems, Software, And Networks For The Processing And Distribution Of Data'. N.p., 2015. Web. 28 June 2015.
Laskowski, Jeff. Agile IT Security Implementation Methodology. Birmingham: Packt Pub., 2011. Print.
'Spotlight: Electronic Publishing Specialist Group'. The Computer Bulletin 45.1 (2003): 34-34. Web.
Standage, Tom. The Future Of Technology. London: Economist in association with Profile Books, 2005. Print
Wyatt, Sally. Technology And In/Equality. New York: Routledge, 2000. Print.
