Top 10 Career Skills Of 2016 Part 1

1. Cloud and Distributed Computing

It is easy to see why this is listed as the Top skill of the future. Cloud computing involves sharing computer processing resources and data to computers and other devices on demand.These storage solutions provide users and enterprises with various capabilities to process their data in third-party data centers that may be located far from the user–ranging in distance from across a city to across the world. This on-demand access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., computer networks, servers, storage, applications and services)helps to  achieve coherence and economy of scale, similar to a utility (like the electricity grid) over an electricity network. Distributed Computing studies distributed systems in which components located on networked computers communicate, interact and coordinate their actions by passing messages  to achieve a common goal. A computer program that runs in a distributed system is called a distributed program, and distributed programming is the process of writing such programs.

What you need - This is for IT professionals,who can see the big picture. Cloud architects and engineers must have a foundational understanding around everything that makes up cloud. A cloud engineer must be a jack-of-all-trades with an understanding of many technologies. Managers hiring for cloud infrastructure look for cloud engineers with a diverse background

Some online courses you could dig through -Cloud Computing, Distributed Algorithms, Distributed Computer Systems Engineering.

Rackspace has its Open cloud academy which offers core concepts around cloud computing.There are various technical certifications including ,MCSE ,Private Cloud,VMware Certified Professional -Cloud and Amazon Web Services Certified solutions Architect.Getting an EMC or NetApp certification to help you understand how storage works in the cloud . Cisco, VMware, Citrix, and Microsoft certifications are among those that can help.Think of how well  the certifications can architecturally define what they support and where they fit into an overall cloud framework.

2.User Interface Design

User interface design  is the design of user interfaces for machines and software, such as computers, home appliances, mobile devices, and other electronic devices, with the focus on maximizing usability and the user experience. The goal of user interface design is to make the user's interaction as simple and efficient as possible (user-centered design).Interface design is involved in a wide range of projects from computer systems, to cars, to commercial planes all of which involve some basic human interactions yet also require some unique skills and knowledge. As a result, designers tend to specialize in certain types of projects and have skills centered on their expertise, whether that be software design, user research, web design, or industrial design.

What you need - A desire to work in Tech, an interest in Visual design backed by product thinking. You will need to need to know about Graphic design and typography, business logistics, functionality requirements and need some skills in design from colors, layouts, photoshop to fireworks,UI, UX  and the basic understanding of best practices.This also requires an understanding of complex front end UI and data transfer like Ajax (Javascript) soap and xml.

Online courses that you could dig through - There's a bunch of free stuff on Medium, Hack Design, UI Design Coursera, UI design

3. Web Architecture and Development Framework

A web framework  is a software framework that is designed to support the development of web applications including web services, web resources and web APIs. Web frameworks aim to ease the overhead associated with common activities performed in web development. For example, many web frameworks provide libraries for database access, templating frameworks and session management, and they often promote code reuse. They are applicable to development of dynamic and static websites.

What you need - Web developers need to be proficient in HTML and using various software programs (e.g. JavaScript, version control, CSS) and CSS frameworks such as Backbone, Bootstrap, and Foundation. To build applications, developers should be proficient in back-end languages such as Ruby, Java, PHP and tools such as Oracle and SQL Server.An understanding of the process as a whole is required, especially the specialization to work in -  user interface design, mobile application development, or front-end development.Coding languages can be learnt independently. You can become a web developer with or without a formal education but you need an foundational knowledge of web development principles and practices, project management and situations that require problem-solving, and encourage critical thinking. Practicing coding and get used to using sites like Github that prepares developers to work as part of a team, as well as manage complicated site and application builds.

Online courses  that you could dig through : Web Architecture Coursera,  Web Development - Microsoft,  Web Development - Aptech

4. Storage Systems and Management

The term storage management encompasses the technologies and processes organizations use to maximize or improve the performance of their data storage resources. It is a broad category that includes virtualization, replication, mirroring, security, compression, traffic analysis, process automation, storage provisioning and related techniques.By some estimates, the amount of digital information stored in the world's computer systems is doubling every year. Expanding  their storage capacity is an expensive proposition for companies.In order to reduce costs and improve the capabilities and security solutions, organizations turn to a variety of storage management solutions.

What you need - This one is for computer hardware engineers or those with bachelor's degrees in areas related to computer sciences. Professionals must know about multiple operating systems, applications and hardware components.Additional courses in business communications would help.Employers may prefer different technology credentials, but several employers preferred these - Cisco systems, SAN switches and systems, IBM and Microsoft.The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) also offers the Certified Storage Engineer (SCSE) designation for individuals who have mastered the basics of networking management and administration.

Online courses that you could dig through :Data Storage and Management EDX,

5. Statistical Analysis & Data Mining

Statistical analysis is a component of data analytics. In the context of business intelligence (BI), statistical analysis involves collecting and scrutinizing every data sample in a set of items from which samples can be drawn.The goal of statistical analysis is to identify trends. A retail business, for example, might use statistical analysis to find patterns in unstructured and semi-structured customer data that can be used to create a more positive customer experience and increase sales. Data mining is the process of discovering patterns in large data sets involving methods that use artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistics, and database systems. Aside from the raw analysis step, it involves database and data management aspects, data preprocessing, model and inference considerations, interestingness metrics, complexity considerations, post-processing of discovered structures, visualization, and online updating.The overall goal of the data mining process is to extract information from a data set and transform it into an understandable structure for further use. Data mining is the analysis step of the "knowledge discovery in databases" process, or KDD.

What you need - You need a Mathematics background for this.If your maths is up to Multivariable calculus and linear algebra, you will have enough background to understand most of the probability/statistics/machine learning for the job.A foundation in a programming language is needed,preferably Python. Statistics and computer science at the school level will give a good foundation.

Few online courses that you could dig through: Data Analytics - Statistics, Data Analysis Statistics - EDX, Data Analytics - Coursera, Data Mining - Coursera, Data Mining - RD, Data Mining - Stanford

The rest 5 skills will be followed up in the part 2 of this post.