Networking is predicted to become the second fastest growing occupation in the U.S., faster than the average for all occupations, and should continue to grow as we invest in new, quicker technology and mobile networks. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for network administrators, network support specialists and computer network architects alone is projected to grow by more than 20 percent by 2018.
Here's an infographic to show the industry's growth, what the future of tech looks like and the skills that will be in demand.
The combination of new security threats, regulatory compliance mandates, and the need to protect customer and organizational data has driven the demand for a more efficient use of network security technologies within architectures. The increasing complexity of network security responsibilities with mobility, social networking, voice, video, virtualization, cloud computing and physical safety and security requirements is driving greater specialization and advanced skills on the products that facilitate these solutions, including virtual private networks, firewalls, authentication and intrusion prevention.
Explosive data growth and new transformational technologies such as cloud computing, converged infrastructure, unified networking and big data are changing the way organizations are running their businesses today. These new technologies affect not only IT systems and infrastructures, but also the practitioners that design, install, operate and manage them.
The hyper-growth of video traffic over IP networks demands that all related staff begin to speak the language of "jitter, loss, and latency" for the CEO's broadcast messages to employees, for the factory floor's use of digital signs to control production systems, and for the mobile professional viewing video conferences on a mobile tablet.
Staying in touch with these industry advancements is necessary to survive and thrive in this rapidly changing world. It's never been a better time to enter into this market or re-skill employees. This is an exciting career opportunity for anyone that wants to be at the forefront of what technology can do for business.
In this video, I discuss the changing role of the Internet, and its fueling of the next generation of jobs in the industry.