While many IT jobs are currently held in high demand by the nation's employers, only some present a career path that could lead to long-term growth for applicants. For example, cloud computing is becoming increasingly more common, as businesses turn to new ways to conserve server space and allow employees the flexibility to work at home, thereby reducing office size and related costs.
Due in part to the shifting characteristics of the American workplace, a December report from Robert Half Technology found that system and networking engineers who had secured computer training in cloud computing would be among the job seekers that were in the highest demand for the coming year. The report cited that this was due to the desire of many businesses to invest in software as a service and virtualization, other cloud computing initiatives.
"Those with combined skills in server, software and networking are most sought after," the report said.
A separate report from InformationWeek regarding the salary changes that industry professionals can expect over the next 12 months suggested that cloud computing professionals could also increase their earning power due to this demand.
Other salary increases are predicted to occur for mobile application developers, user experience designers and data warehouse analysts, the news source indicated, with each of these jobs expected to net more than 6 percent annual salary growth over the course of the year.
As a result, job seekers – those who are unemployed or currently looking to secure more lucrative positions – may want to invest in a Cisco or Microsoft training certification that can provide them with these essential skills. Since many institutions offer online classes from certified computer instructors that can relate these skills to students in a Web-based setting.