US technology titan IBM Corp said the job skills of the future include savvy with smartphones, tablet computers and software hosted in the Internet “cloud,” rather than standard desktop computers.
IBM Tech Trends Survey results that were to bereleased yesterday show that a majority of business technology specialists expect that by 2015 more business software will be made for smartphones and tablet computers than for traditional office systems.
About 91 percent of the 2,000 respondents from 87 countries agreed that within five years it will be more popular for companies to use programs offered online as services than for firms to manage in-house computer networks.
SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS
“I think the social implications are going to be huge,” IBM vice president of alliances Mark Hanny said while discussing the survey findings.
“It is important for people to embrace technology; it is a key determent in all kinds of professions,” Hanny said.
From medicine to media and beyond, needed job skills will include mastering software applications on the booming array of mobile gadgets linked to the Internet, according to Hanny.
“Mobile devices are putting a lot more power into the actual users’ hands,” he said. “In a way, we are empowering professionals in all kinds of careers to get and leverage information they need to get their jobs done.”
SOFTWARE CAREERS
The implications of the study should resonate strongest with people aspiring to careers in making software.
“We are going to see a major change in how software is developed and by whom,” Hanny said. “If you were a young kid in college right now you might want to start thinking about knowing how to do software for mobile devices.”
IBM said that the company works with an array of universities to integrate technology into the curriculum.
Mobile and cloud computing were followed by social media and analytics as technology career opportunities that survey respondents predicted will be hottest next year.
TECHNOLOGY CAREERS
Telecommunications, financial services, healthcare and energy and utilities were ranked as the top industries for technology careers.
“A lot of companies we work with today are not only taking advantage of mobile, but are putting IT [Information Technology] skills in the hands of all kinds of professionals,” Hanny said.
Analysts predict mobile applications sales will expand from US$6.2 billion this year to nearly US$30 billion by 2013, according to figures cited by IBM.
The survey of IBM developerWorks’ 8 million registered users was conducted in August and last month, according to the company.
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