Columnist

Switching jobs in 2017? Try these 3 tech sectors

For many of us, a new year can mean a new career. According to Jobsite, 41% of British adults look for new jobs in January. If you fall into this group, and you happen to have some expertise or experience in the world of tech, these three technology sectors might be just the areas you’ve been looking for to spice up your work life in 2017.

1. SAP

SAP is both a company and a type of software. SAP software is essential to the smooth running of many large firms. Put as simply as possible, SAP involves using live databases to coordinate the activities of different departments, meaning these departments can keep each other updated without having to communicate directly.

The SAP spectrum covers many jobs, but mostSAP professionals work as consultants, advising large companies on how best to implement any SAP software they already use, how to set up SAP software they do not already use, and generally how best to use SAP to their advantage.

The expertise needed to work in SAP is quite specific, so it may require training if you are not already well-versed in the area. According to SAP recruitment specialists Eursap, there are five steps you can take to increase your chance of getting a SAP job. These include networking within the SAP niche, keeping up to date with SAP developments and learning foreign languages (because many SAP consultants advise firms overseas).

2. Virtual reality (VR)

If 2016 was “the year of virtual reality“, 2017 will be the second year of virtual reality. In other words 2017 A.D. will be 2 V.R. All the progress the VR industry has made over the past twelve months is only set to be built upon over the next year.

The Oculus Rift is now available to consumers and simpler cardboard viewers (such as Google’s Cardboard viewer) have also proven popular. Everyone from the New York Times to John Lewis has made VR an important part of their brand experience, and more companies are likely to join in in 2017.

As UK VR production company Rewind explain in their article on breaking into the VR industry, there are several different disciplines within VR itself. Most prominently there are VR developers who must have a strong knowledge of C+ or equivalent code, and examples of any games or experiences they have previously worked on (professionally or in their spare time). Then there are 3D artists who should have demonstrable ability in designing and crafting 3D models. If either of these roles suit your current skillset, it is definitely worth making the jump from reality to virtual reality this year.

3. Cloud computing

2016 may have been dubbed the “year of virtual reality”, but it was also a huge year for cloud computing. Around 95% of businesses now use the cloud in some capacity according to RightScale’s State of the Cloud report, and Morgan Stanley has predicted 30% of Microsoft’s revenue will come from their cloud services by 2018.

With figures like these, it is clear the cloud is here to stay. As with the other sectors, there are several job types within cloud computing. Computer World can count ten. These jobs include cloud architect, cloud software engineer, cloud consultant and cloud product manager, all of which require different skills and knowledge.

To maximise your chance of getting a job in the cloud, you must have a broad range of knowledge covering all the major cloud systems, including those of Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google’s Cloud Platform. Expertise in Docker containers in particular has been a major deciding factor for many firms hiring new cloud employees.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Caitlyn Stevens .