Here's Why the Tech Industry is Ready for Rapid Growth

Tech boom or bubble? While some tech companies say recent layoffs at large tech companies point to a slowdown in the industry, others, like President of Creative Strategies, Inc. Tim Bajarin,  say there’s a huge need for more tech talent in the pipeline.

Bajarin, a leading tech industry consultant and analyst, says that “the tech industry is in for a sea change, leading to a potential tripling of demand for tech-related goods and services over the next decade.”

He points to seven specific areas of growth, including health care, IoT, virtual and augmented reality and more (read more about them here). 

We caught up with Bajarin to find out what’s set to explode and how you can be a part of it.

You’ve outlined the areas we can expect to see growth in the next decade, is there an underlying technology or technologies that candidates must know before looking for a job in tech?

As technology becomes the cornerstone of a great deal of economic growth in the next 10-15 years, a great majority of jobs needed to enable that growth are rooted in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). We will need hundreds of thousands of new software engineers and programmers, semiconductor and hardware engineering designers, mechanical engineers, engineers capable of creating technology to implement 5G wireless networks, etc.

Is a lack of tech talent in the pipeline that many fear something you see changing or is the problem going to continue as the tech space expands? 

It is still a huge problem since we just don’t have enough kids in the educational pipeline focused on STEM based disciplines. The good news is thanks to the Maker Movement and a stronger focus on STEM being pushed by the White House, and state and local school systems, we are starting to see more kids get interested in STEM. Hopefully this will push them toward an educational path that allows them to be the hardware and software engineers of tomorrow. However, that is a slow process and needs to be accelerated if we plan to meet needs of a growing tech industry in the near future.

Do most job seekers today enter the field with an engineering degree? What are the minimum requirements these days for a job in tech? 

The majority of those who are at the heart of creating the next generation of hardware, software, wireless networks, etc. have degrees in one of the STEM disciplines. Our surveys confirm that to get the best jobs in tech one has to have a degree in these sciences.

We hear all the time about people getting hired at a startup without having a degree, much less a master’s in mechanical engineering. We see that companies would rather have the right fit and teach someone the required skills. Can you talk about why cultural fit matters so much? 

That is true to some extent but in our experiences the key people behind these “startups” do have a strong background in tech in one form or another, or once they start the company they immediately seek out the kind of tech talent they need to create their products and grow their company.

But cultural fit does matter as it helps mold the team and if they have the same interests and work to keep everyone on the same page pushing towards that goal. Many startups do employ various support people without degrees, and if the entire team that has a mix of STEM related skills as well as the people needed to support a growing company and they all have the same goal, then that chemistry goes a long way toward helping them be successful.

What about math and science, it sounds like it’s not just women who need to focus on STEM skills.

Every kid going through the education system needs to have a chance to learn about STEM and hopefully through that process will get excited about making a career in one of these disciplines. Tech companies are going to hire the people with the best skills regardless of their gender.

What emerging technologies will be used in healthcare IT and where are the job opportunities for this field in the future?

There are two key areas where tech will have a big impact in healthcare. The first is the digitization of healthcare records and systems. It is surprising to me how much of our healthcare data and systems are still on paper and even worse, not sharable between doctors and health professionals easily.

The second focus is on using technology to help us monitor our health and keep us from getting ill. That is why Fibit, Jawbone, Apple Watch etc. has had strong growth.  This is heavily backed by all of the healthcare firms as they know it is cheaper to help keep us well than it is for us to get sick and incur serious hospital costs.

Jobs in this area mostly need tech degrees or ones related to healthcare itself such as RN’s, medical caretakers and of course doctors.

What about augmented and virtual reality, what kind of training and education do you need to work in this emerging field? 

They mostly need STEM-based disciplines but with specialties in User Interface design, game design, visual imaging, optical sensors and other areas that will be needed to create the next generation of AR and VR based products and services.