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1)
What are the hottest computing careers today and what does It take to get there?E-commerce and all the underlying technologies like Internet! web, network security and integrity, & distributed computing, mobile computing, software agents, etc., to name a few, are the hottest computing areas today. What’s coming is technologies underlying online communities that include many of the above areas and also natural interaction through speech or haptic devices, network performance, educational software etc. And of course, organisation-wide IT-driven solutions that have spawned areas such as knowledge engineering, data warehousing and data mining, are also in demand. Entertainment and the game sector, particularly the 3D domain is another hot area today.
Also, Web programming involves large back-end databases telecommunication software, SAP / oracle applications and Java programming are hot computing areas. One of India’s best software export houses -Mastek-agrees that these are the best areas to be in computing today.
2)
What are the skills required to succeed in these areas?As far as the skills required for these areas go, professionals should be skilled in Java, C, C++, Oracle, SQL, SAP, Corba and COM / DCOM. Skills in PowerBuilder, Visual Basic, Developer 2000 and Active Server Pages are also required.
3)
What about academic qualifications?Before all these skills, what most companies look for is an engineering degree (Be / BTech), MCA and post-graduate qualifications. MBA's too are welcome. Since a majority of Indian software companies depend on export-oriented software
-development projects, the minimum qualifications required for obtaining an American H1 visa appears to dictate the companies’ decisions to a very large extent.This amounts to at least 16 years of, full time education, along with adequate qualification / proof of knowledge in computer science / IT / software. Due to the difficulties in obtaining and retaining adequate numbers of qualified computer science graduates / post-graduates, many companies also recruit Bachelors and Masters from all other branches of engineering .
4)
Experience Is vital too, isn’t it?Yes, besides skills and formal qualifications, experience is also vital, especially if you aim to make a career abroad. And the more recent the experience, the better chances you have of getting a seat on an airplane heading westwards and flying you to your dream job.
However, if you are not an engineer or MCA, don’t give up all hope. You can still be a certified professional in some area and some of these are highly lucrative. Novell, CISCO, Oracle, SUN and Microsoft certifications are useful to have for opportunities abroad. Even engineers / MCA's require these certifications since they are the first filter used by clients abroad to shortlist remote candidates.
5)
When joining a private computer institute, what factors should one look out for?Make sure it’s an accredited one, especially if you want better career prospects later. Certified and accredited courses are important since they provide a kind of benchmark for specific skills and knowledge.
Besides, since certification is platform / supplier-specific, the scope is limited to projects that are end-user solutions and not in technology development projects. Accredited courses, particularly those by - government agencies, or by recognised university bodies provide a much needed stamp of acceptance of qualifications.
6)
What are the technologies that will rule tomorrow?According to Dewang Mehta, President of NASSCOM, the apex body of software companies in India, the computing technologies that would emerge five years hence would Include e-commerce, e-business and a gamut of supporting technologies for selling and consulting through the electronic medium. Software will be increasingly embedded on chips; there will be a mix of new Web technologies with earlier legacy systems and client/server.
Companies will increasingly shift much of their development away from client/server and move towards IP based projects. The inherent advantages of Internet computing (open standards, cheaper deployment costs, and more efficient processes) strongly influence this trend.
Data warehousing, data mining, Artificial Intelligence will also be some of the top Computing Technoiogies in five years. Distributed computing (integrating suppliers, manufacturers and consumer chains creating large cyber corporations); multi-media applications, voice recognition and other modes of input will also be very important.
Providing innovative cost-effective online services, creation of virtual digital assets, design and implementation of software for use as part of online communities and providing integrated system level solutions for applications are also other areas that will be at the cutting edge of technology in five years from now.
7)
Will there be a change in the skill sets?Of course, the ground rules (an Engineering degree or MCA) will remain. Most of the skill sets too will remain similar to what we have today, except for the normal up-gradation of skills that will place in the course of time.
However, non-technical skills will also be important. These skills include presentation skills, teamwork, creativity, learning mode attitude, business acumen and communication skills. If you take these skills lightly you are doing it at the risk of your own career.
