Discover the technical and soft skills to jumpstart your IT career in 2024.

Amid widespread technological advancements and shifts in organizational priorities, understanding the roles employers want to fill in the coming months (and beyond) is essential for career-minded IT professionals.

This post will highlight ten of the most sought-after IT skills for 2024. For each skill set, we’ll explore key demand drivers and identify some of the roles, platforms, and certifications you can pursue to capitalize on emerging trends.

Here are our top ten in-demand IT skills for 2024:

ITCareerFinder analyzes the latest technology trends and employment data to identify 10 IT skill sets that will boost your market value in 2023 (and beyond).

With more employers moving toward skills-based hiring and compensation models, acquiring new, in-demand skill sets is the key to remaining relevant and commanding higher pay in the coming year.

Assessments of recent job posting data confirm that skills, not degrees, are fast becoming the new currency of work.

For instance, the professional networking site LinkedIn has seen a 21% rise in job postings that advertise for skills and responsibilities rather than qualifications and requirements. Given the trend, there’s never been a better time to boost your abilities and your paycheck.

If you’re looking to advance your career by acquiring new technology skills in 2023, here are ten of the hottest areas you may want to consider and some of the best skills to learn in each:

ITCareerFinder interviews technology, business, staffing and education leaders to identify the most desirable skills in the post-Corona IT workforce.

The global pandemic has thrown organizations large and small into turmoil as offices shuttered overnight, and employees began a trial-by-fire adjustment to home office environments.

This has had a profound impact on the IT needs of businesses, and offers those in the tech job market a series of opportunities in the areas of IT service management (ITSM), unified communications, security, and a host of areas where businesses will need to ramp up their acumen—quickly and permanently.

“The most shocking thing about the pandemic was not that people were starting to work from home, it was how quickly it happened,” explains Shirin Mangold, senior director of IT at software and information solutions specialist Deltek.

She notes the company immediately lost their ability to go in and pick up IT equipment, and had to support employees who had never worked outside the office. This requiring providing an avalanche of information her team needed to communicate to people working remotely, without the ability to rely on traditional in-office communications.

“We had an increased reliance on online collaboration tools and that became extremely important for communicating information to people,” she says. “As people went home, they asked for support on consumer products, home printers, WiFi and cable providers, and it challenged our ability to troubleshoot, so we really had to share knowledge more creatively.”

She sees business needs for IT Service Management and Unified Communications ramping up dramatically as IT departments struggle with a deluge of tickets, a view shared by Matt Hackney, regional vice president for the New York region at the staffing firm, Robert Half Technology.

If you want to break into the technology field, proactive training and experience – validated by industry-recognized IT certifications – is a great way to begin. These certifications are the best for beginning IT pros looking to land an entry-level position.

The COVID-19 pandemic has cost millions of Americans their jobs and made it difficult for 2020 college graduates to find work. Additionally, the advent of a larger remote workforce means the state of jobs today looks pretty different than it did just one year ago. Perhaps you’re looking to change careers. Now may be the perfect time. If information technology is a field that interests you, here’s what you need to get your resume noticed and your foot in the proverbial door.

Train Before You Get the Job

Yes, IT skills are in-demand right now. If you’re researching a career in IT you’ve probably read about the IT skills gap. Essentially this means that there are more technology jobs available than qualified professionals to fill them. The good news is, there are plenty of resources out there to skill up to get one of these in-demand positions. One of the best ways to validate your knowledge in the technology industry is via IT certification.

Certifications aren’t just about adding a gold star to your resume. The skills and knowledge gained through proper certification training and exam prep is exactly what IT departments need. The skills gap is slowly hurting organizations and the best solution is upskilled employees. Preparing for, and earning, an IT certification(s) is one of the best ways to gain the critical skills employers need.

The Best Certs for IT Beginners

Before we get into the best IT certifications for beginners, let us first define “best.” It is, after all, a subjective term. Does best mean it will make you more money? Lead to more interviews? Or does best mean that employers are specifically looking for these credentials?

We have decided the “best” certifications for IT beginners are those that will help you get an entry-level job. To that end, we’ve matched desirable entry-level tech roles with the skills needed to land that job, then paired the most marketable certifications with those skills.

Here are the best IT certifications for beginners, segmented by 3 of the hottest technical domains:

Talented cloud application developers are in high demand, but to build secure applications that protect their employer (and job), they need these vital expertise in cloud and server security.

The cloud brings enterprise-grade infrastructure within reach of every application developer. High-quality databases, frameworks, and tooling are freely available, making it easier than ever before to build powerful, custom applications. But building an app and securing it are not the same thing. Developers must also have a solid understanding of the security issues their app is likely to face.

Here are 5 skill sets developers need to build secure, cloud-based applications:

Blockchain, the distributed ledger supporting bitcoin, is finding its way into an increasing number of domains. Here's an intro to this exciting new technology along with tips on getting started in a blockchain development career.

Along with other technology trends like Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality, blockchain has become a buzzword in Silicon Valley and beyond. Blockchain is the distributed ledger that powers bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Now it’s proving its potential in other fields including the Internet of Things, supply chains, finance and entertainment

Tech giants such as IBM and Microsoft are starting to invest in blockchain and plan to incorporate its features and innovations into their businesses. Experts believe that blockchain will be a defining factor in the future of the Internet and online business.

Consequently, knowledge of blockchain use cases and development can help your business in the long run, and your career as a technology expert and software developer. Here's what you need to know about getting started with blockchain development.

Cloud computing is often talked about as a technology that will make IT departments obsolete as companies seek to outsource computing needs. This analysis misses the complexity of what's actually happening in IT departments.

The actuality is that cloud technologies are running in conjunction with on-site systems, and many companies are choosing to operate and maintain their own servers - even if they have a few Cloud applications up and running. This adds a layer of complexity to effectively managing the IT needs of an organization. Rather than eliminating the role of in-house IT professionals, the cloud is merely changing the skill set and job functions of the IT department.

In my experience, here are the top 5 skills IT professionals will need to learn to work in cloud computing: