The Top Emerging Tech Careers – And How to Land One
Published on: April 10, 2024
The technology that powers are lives is constantly evolving, with new inventions, innovations, and systems always on the horizon to impact how we live. With that constant change comes an ever-growing need for skilled individuals to work with that technology – it's why tech careers are such a reliable path. However, the specific jobs and fields within the world of tech are always evolving as well to keep up with current demands and technology.
To help you and other students of Husson's School of Technology and Innovation make the most informed choices about future career prospects, we spoke with James Westhoff and Joe McGovern, both from Husson's Career Services to identify some of the top emerging tech careers, and provide their advice on how you can best empower yourself to land one of these in-demand jobs.
What Are Some of the Top Emerging Tech Careers?
As Director of Career Services and Career Coach respectively, Westhoff and McGovern help guide Husson students toward jobs that not only will suit the students' interests and passions, but also give them plenty of opportunity to build long-lasting and rewarding careers. As such, a key part of their jobs entails paying close attention to various industries and what opportunities are emerging for new graduates. This gives them valuable insights into what some of the most in-demand tech jobs are today. To that end, Westhoff and McGovern identified a few key career areas that are currently surging.
AI
One of the first areas they identify for emerging tech careers is artificial intelligence, or AI. "With the proliferation of AI applications across industries, the demand for professionals who can develop and deploy AI models will be continuously growing," McGovern explains. These careers are likely to include opportunities for creating new algorithms to power these AI applications and for creative individuals to put together prompts and instructions that ensure the AI applications deliver the desired result.
XR
Another area of growth is extended reality (XR), an umbrella term encompassing the interconnected fields of augmented reality and virtual reality (AR and VR). A wide of variety of industries, including gaming, entertainment, education, general training, healthcare, and even architecture are finding applications for XR technology. And with new consumer products making XR experiences more accessible, it's likely this area will continue to grow rapidly. "With Apple's new release of the Vision Pro Goggles, there's going to be a spike in consumer interest, which then expands to a variety of opportunities," McGovern says.
Cloud Engineering
Cloud engineering – working with cloud computing and storage – has been a boom area for the last decade or so, Westhoff and McGovern say, and is likely to continue growing. "As infrastructure increases across industries, companies continue to emphasize the development of agile and scalable cloud based solutions," McGovern says. "When you think about financial technology, for example, the different apps that are coming up things like Robin Hood are continuously getting more sophisticated. They're talking amongst each other so you can invest in five different portfolios across five different apps. And to make sure that experience is seamless requires a lot of cloud computing."
Cyber Security
It's not a new area, but cyber security continues to be a major area for career opportunities. With more and more of our data and business online, and hacking and phishing scams growing more common and sophisticated, the need for more cyber security experts is, according to Westhoff and McGovern, "non-negotiable." Explains McGovern, "Most of us all have digital fingerprints all over the internet. So businesses need to make sure they're fortified and are keeping their employee and customer information safe. It's fundamental at this stage."
How You Can Prepare for a Career in These Tech Fields
With so many opportunities awaiting you, finding the right career and getting your foot in the door may seem daunting. But Husson's Career Services department offers many ways to help.
The process begins with identifying what you want to achieve. Fortunately, students can begin working with career counselors as early as freshman year to ensure they're on the right track. "Our mantra at Career Services is 'Explore, Prepare, Connect," says Westhoff. "We can begin working with interested students day one of freshman year to bridge the gap between academia and career readiness. It's our job to help students explore not just what they want as a job title, but what kinds of problems they want to solve."
Another key question to answer is where you want to work. Opportunities for tech careers can be found just about anywhere, but there are a few major cities where much of the industry is centered: San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, Raleigh, as well as emerging areas like Raleigh, Atlanta, and Boulder, Colorado. That said, new start ups are opening in different places across the nation (including Maine locations like Bangor and Portland). Plus, more and more companies are allowing remote work, with a focus on finding the best person for a role rather than the best person in a particular location.
In other words, while some areas are likely to have more job openings, you can truly build a tech career from anywhere you'd like. "It's choice based," says Westhoff. "It's values based – what's important to you? Your goals are going to dictate where you go."
Once you've identified what you want to do and where, your next step is getting your foot in the door. Career Services can help there as well. Westhoff, McGovern and the rest of the Career Services team work closely with students on essential career building soft skills, including resume creation and how to excel in interviews. They also provide valuable guidance on networking and how to build valuable connections over social media. "We talk a lot about using LinkedIn, and how that site works in a professional setting," McGovern says. "We discuss how it's not exactly like Instagram or TikTok and show how you can utilize it to network not only with your fellow students and professors but also to connect with Husson alumni and beyond."
Career Services also hosts job fairs, mock interviews and personal career coaching and counseling. It all adds up to a solid foundation of professional soft skills that combined with the knowledge and skill you get from your degree program will go a long way to making you stand out amongst other job seekers.
Find Your Role in the Future of Tech with a Degree From Husson
Wherever your passion and interests take you, your journey towards a career in technology begins with your college degree. And with high-quality programs in Computer Information Systems, Extended Reality (XR), Software Development, Business Analytics, and a minor in Integrated Technology, Husson can offer you an education that will ready you for the future's challenges and opportunities.
Request more info about Husson today or apply online today to get started. And once you're here at Husson, don't hesitate to visit Career Services and begin planning your future!
Back to All Articles