Technology today is evolving at a rapid pace, enabling faster change and progress, causing an acceleration of the rate of change. However, it is not only technology trends and emerging technologies that are evolving, a lot more has changed, making IT professionals realize that their role will not stay the same in the contactless world tomorrow. And an IT professional in 2024 will constantly be learning, unlearning, and relearning (out of necessity, if not desire).
What does this mean for you? It means staying current with emerging technologies and latest technology trends. And it means keeping your eyes on the future to know which skills you’ll need to know to secure a safe job tomorrow and even learn how to get there. Here are the top 18 emerging technology trends you should watch for and make an attempt at in 2024, and possibly secure one of the jobs that will be created by these new technology trends. Starting the list of new tech trends with the talk of the town, gen-AI!
Generative AI, a cutting-edge technology, has revolutionized various industries by enabling machines to create content that resembles human-generated work. It encompasses a wide range of applications, from text generation to image synthesis and even music composition. After mastering generative AI, individuals can pursue exciting job roles in fields such as artificial intelligence research, data science, and creative industries. The ever-expanding applications of generative AI promise a bright future for those who master this technology, offering opportunities to shape how we interact and create content in the digital age. Some of the top job roles include:
Computing power has already established its place in the digital era, with almost every device and appliance being computerized. And it’s here for even more as data science experts have predicted that the computing infrastructure we are building right now will only evolve for the better in the coming years. At the same time, we have 5G already; gear up for an era of 6G with more power in our hands and devices surrounding us. Even better, computing power is generating more tech jobs in the industry but would require specialized qualifications for candidates to acquire.
From data science to robotics and IT management, this field will power the largest percentage of employment in every country. The more computing our devices will need, the more technicians, IT teams, relationship managers, and the customer care economy will flourish. One essential branch under this field that you can learn today is RPA, i.e. Robotic Process Automation. Here are the top jobs you can target after RPA:
Artificial intelligence has played an essential role in making our world smarter and smoother. It is not just simulating humans but going the extra mile to make our lives hassle-free and simpler. These smarter devices are here to stay in 2024 and even further, as data scientists are working on AI home robots, appliances, work devices, wearables, and so much more! Almost every job needs smart software applications to make our work life more manageable. Smarter devices are another addition to the IT industry that is of high requirement and demand as more companies transform into digital spaces. Almost every higher-level job requires good IT and automation proficiency to thrive. Here are the best jobs you can venture into:
Datafication is simply transforming everything in our lives into devices or software powered by data. So, in short, Datafication is the modification of human chores and tasks into data-driven technology. From our smartphones, industrial machines, and office applications to AI-powered appliances and everything else, data is here to stay for longer than we can ever remember! So, to keep our data stored correctly and securely and safely, it has become an in-demand specialization in our economy.
Datafication leads to a higher need for IT professionals, data scientists, engineers, technicians, managers, and so much more. Even more useful is that anyone with a sound knowledge of technology can do a certification in data-related specializations to find a job in this space. Data jobs are more about skills than big-level qualifications. Let’s look at some popular data careers:
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Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has already received a lot of buzz in the past decade. Still, it continues to be one of the new technology trends because of its notable effects on how we live, work and play are only in the early stages. AI is already known for its superiority in image and speech recognition, navigation apps, smartphone personal assistants, ride-sharing apps and so much more.
Other than that, AI will be used further to analyze interactions to determine underlying connections and insights, to help predict demand for services like hospitals enabling authorities to make better decisions about resource utilization, and to detect the changing patterns of customer behaviour by analyzing data in near real-time, driving revenues and enhancing personalized experiences. With AI spreading its wings across sectors, new jobs will be created in development, programming, testing, support and maintenance, to name a few. On the other hand AI also offers some of the highest salaries today!
Machine Learning the subset of AI, is also being deployed in all kinds of industries, creating a huge demand for skilled professionals. Forrester predicts AI, machine learning, and automation will create 9 percent of new U.S. jobs by 2025, jobs including robot monitoring professionals, data scientists, automation specialists, and content curators, making it another new technology trend you must keep in mind too!
Mastering AI and machine learning will help you secure jobs like:
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Extended reality comprises all the technologies that simulate reality, from Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality to Mixed Reality and everything else in-between. It is a significant technology trend right now as all of us are craving to break away from the so-called real boundaries of the world. By creating a reality without any tangible presence, this technology is massively popular amongst gamers, medical specialists, and retail and modeling.
Regarding extended reality, gaming is a crucial area for popular careers that don’t require high-level qualifications but rather a passion for online gaming. You can pursue game design, animation or even editing programs to pursue a successful career in this specialization. Meanwhile, check out the best jobs in AR, VR as well as ER:
With people being accommodated and tangled with devices and technologies, confidence and trust have been built towards digital technologies. This familiar digital trust is another vital trend leading to more innovations. With digital conviction, people believe that technology can create a secure, safe and reliable digital world and help companies invent and innovate without worrying about securing the public’s confidence.
To create a safer space for digital users, cybersecurity and ethical hacking are the major specializations you can check out. In these two, there is an array of jobs you can discover from junior to senior levels. For ethical hacking, you might have to take up professional certifications, while for cybersecurity, a diploma or even a master’s qualification is sufficient to aim for a high-salary role. Here are the top jobs you can find in cybersecurity and ethical hacking:
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A key trend in innovation and technology is 3D printing which is used to formulate prototypes. This technology has been impactful in the biomedical and industrial sectors. None of us thought of printing a real object from a printer, while right now, it’s a reality. So, 3D printing is another innovation that’s here to stay. For companies in the data and healthcare sector that require a lot of 3D printing for their products, various jobs pay well and are international. You only need a sound knowledge of AI, Machine Learning, Modeling, and 3D printing. Let’s check out the best jobs in this specialization:
Imagine a technology that can study and use your DNA to improve your health, helping you fight diseases and whatnot! Genomics is precisely that technology that peruses upon the make-up of genes, DNAs, their mapping, structure, etc. Further, this can help quantify your genes and result in finding diseases or any possible problems that can later be a health issue. When it comes to a specialization like Genomics, one can find a variety of technical as well as non-technical roles. Technical jobs in this area are all about designing, analyzing, and diagnostics, while non-technical jobs are concerned with higher levels of research and theoretical analysis. Here are the top jobs in Genomics:
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The world has agreed to be greener for the sake of its landscapes and the energy we use. This results in cars running on electricity or battery and houses using greener choices like solar and renewable energy. What’s even better is that people are conscious of their carbon footprints and waste; thus, minimizing it or turning those into renewable energy is even more helpful.
This gave rise to another technology trend – energy solutions! This alternative energy arena is also boosting environment-related and data-oriented careers. These careers pertain to those in Science specializations and social science qualifications. Let’s take a look at the top jobs you can find in New Energy:
Like AI and Machine Learning, Robotic Process Automation is another technology that automates jobs. RPA is the use of software to automate business processes such as interpreting applications, processing transactions, dealing with data, and even replying to emails. RPA automates repetitive tasks that people used to do.
Although Forrester Research estimates RPA automation will threaten the livelihood of 230 million or more knowledge workers or approximately 9 percent of the global workforce, RPA is also creating new jobs while altering existing jobs. McKinsey finds that less than 5 percent of occupations can be totally automated, but about 60 percent can be partially automated.
For you as an IT professional looking to the future and trying to understand latest technology trends, RPA offers plenty of career opportunities, including developer, project manager, business analyst, solution architect and consultant. And these jobs pay well- making it the next technology trend you must keep a watch on! Mastering RPA will help you secure high-paying jobs like:
Formerly a new technology trend to watch, cloud computing has become mainstream, with major players AWS (Amazon Web Services), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform dominating the market. The adoption of cloud computing is still growing, as more and more businesses migrate to a cloud solution. But it’s no longer the emerging technology trend. Edge is.
As the quantity of data organizations is dealing with continues to increase, they have realized the shortcomings of cloud computing in some situations. Edge computing is designed to help solve some of those problems as a way to bypass the latency caused by cloud computing and getting data to a data center for processing. It can exist “on the edge,” if you will, closer to where computing needs to happen. For this reason, edge computing can be used to process time-sensitive data in remote locations with limited or no connectivity to a centralized location. In those situations, edge computing can act like mini datacenters.
Keeping in line with cloud computing (including new-age edge and quantum computing) will help you grab amazing jobs like:
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The next remarkable technology trend is quantum computing, which is a form of computing that takes advantage of quantum phenomena like superposition and quantum entanglement. This amazing technology trend is also involved in preventing the spread of the coronavirus, and to develop potential vaccines, thanks to its ability to easily query, monitor, analyze and act on data, regardless of the source. Another field where quantum computing is finding applications is banking and finance, to manage credit risk, for high-frequency trading and fraud detection.
Quantum computers are now a multitude times faster than regular computers and huge brands like Splunk, Honeywell, Microsoft, AWS, Google and many others are now involved in making innovations in the field of Quantum Computing. The revenues for the global quantum computing market are projected to surpass $2.5 billion by 2029. And to make a mark in this new trending technology, you need to have experience with quantum mechanics, linear algebra, probability, information theory, and machine learning.
The next exceptional technology trend – Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), and Extended Reality (ER). VR immerses the user in an environment while AR enhances their environment. Although this technology trend has primarily been used for gaming thus far, it has also been used for training, as with VirtualShip, a simulation software used to train U.S. Navy, Army and Coast Guard ship captains.
In 2024, we can expect these forms of technologies being further integrated into our lives. Usually working in tandem with some of the other emerging technologies we’ve mentioned in this list, AR and VR have enormous potential in training, entertainment, education, marketing, and even rehabilitation after an injury. Either could be used to train doctors to do surgery, offer museum goers a deeper experience, enhance theme parks, or even enhance marketing, as with this Pepsi Max bus shelter.
While some employers might look for optics as a skill-set, note that getting started in VR doesn’t require a lot of specialized knowledge – basic programming skills and a forward-thinking mindset can land a job; another reason why this new technology trend should make up to your list of lookouts!
Although most people think of blockchain technology in relation to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, blockchain offers security that is useful in many other ways. In simplest terms, blockchain can be described as data you can only add to, not take away from, or change. Hence the term “chain” because you’re making a chain of data. Not being able to change the previous blocks is what makes it so secure. In addition, blockchains are consensus-driven, so no one entity can take control of the data. With blockchain, you don’t need a trusted third party to oversee or validate transactions.
Several industries are involving and implementing blockchain, and as blockchain technology's use increases, so does the demand for skilled professionals. From a birds eye view, a blockchain developer specializes in developing and implementing architecture and solutions using blockchain technology.
If you are intrigued by Blockchain and its applications and want to make your career in this trending technology, then this is the right time to start. To get into Blockchain, you need hands-on experience in programming languages, OOPS fundamentals, flat and relational databases, data structures, web app development, and networking. Mastering blockchain can help you scale up in a variety of fields and industries:
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Another promising new technology trend is IoT. Many “things” are now being built with WiFi connectivity, meaning they can be connected to the Internet—and to each other. Hence, the Internet of Things, or IoT. The Internet of Things is the future, and has already enabled devices, home appliances, cars and much more to be connected to and exchange data over the Internet.
As consumers, we’re already using and benefitting from IoT. We can lock our doors remotely if we forget to when we leave for work and preheat our ovens on our way home from work, all while tracking our fitness on our Fitbits. However, businesses also have much to gain now and in the near future. The IoT can enable better safety, efficiency and decision making for businesses as data is collected and analyzed. It can enable predictive maintenance, speed up medical care, improve customer service, and offer benefits we haven’t even imagined yet.
And we’re only in the beginning stages of this new technology trend: Forecasts suggest that by 2030 around 50 billion of these IoT devices will be in use around the world, creating a massive web of interconnected devices spanning everything from smartphones to kitchen appliances. And if you wish to step foot in this trending technology, you will have to learn about Information security, AI and machine learning fundamentals, networking, hardware interfacing, data analytics, automation, understanding of embedded systems, and must have device and design knowledge.
The next technology trend that follows the IoT is 5G. Where 3G and 4G technologies have enabled us to browse the internet, use data-driven services, increased bandwidths for streaming on Spotify or YouTube and so much more, 5G services are expected to revolutionize our lives. By enabling services that rely on advanced technologies like AR and VR, alongside cloud-based gaming services like Google Stadia, NVidia GeForce Now and much more. It is expected to be used in factories, HD cameras that help improve safety and traffic management, smart grid control and smart retail too.
Just about every telecom company like Verizon, Tmobile, Apple, Nokia Corp, QualComm, are now working on creating 5G applications. 5G Network subscriptions will reach 4.4 billion by the end of 2027, making it an emerging technology trend you must watch out for, and also save a spot in.
Cyber security might not seem like an emerging new technology trend, given that it has been around for a while, but it is evolving just as other technologies are. That’s in part because threats are constantly new. The malevolent hackers trying to access data illegally will not give up any time soon, and they will continue to find ways to get through even the toughest security measures. It’s also partly because new technology is being adapted to enhance security. As long as we have hackers, cybersecurity will remain a trending technology because it will constantly evolve to defend against those hackers.
According to Gartner, by 2025, 60% of organizations will use cybersecurity risk as a primary determinant in conducting third-party transactions and business engagements. You must note that however challenging the field is it also offers lucrative six-figure incomes, and roles can range from
offering a promising career path for someone who wants to get into and stick with this new trending technology.
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Full stack development refers to the practice of developing both the front-end (user interface) and back-end (server-side) components of a web or software application. Full stack developers are proficient in multiple programming languages and technologies, allowing them to work on the entire software stack. This trend has gained momentum as businesses seek versatile developers who can build end-to-end solutions efficiently. Full stack development streamlines the development process and enables faster product development and deployment.
DevOps is a set of practices that focuses on collaboration and communication between software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) teams. It aims to automate and streamline the software development and deployment lifecycle, allowing for more frequent and reliable releases. DevOps practices include continuous integration, continuous delivery, infrastructure as code, and automated testing. Adopting DevOps leads to faster development cycles, improved software quality, and greater agility in responding to changes and customer needs.
The metaverse is a virtual, interconnected digital universe where users can interact with each other and digital environments in real-time. It combines augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and various technologies to create immersive, shared experiences. Companies are exploring metaverse applications in gaming, social networking, education, healthcare, and beyond. This trend represents a convergence of digital and physical worlds and is expected to have far-reaching impacts on communication, entertainment, and business collaboration.
Digital twins are virtual replicas of physical objects, processes, or systems. These digital representations are created using data from sensors, IoT devices, and other sources. Digital twins enable organizations to monitor, simulate, and analyze real-world assets and operations in a virtual environment. They find applications in manufacturing, urban planning, healthcare, and more. By creating digital twins, businesses can optimize processes, improve decision-making, and enhance efficiency, safety, and sustainability.
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Although technologies are emerging and evolving all around us, these 18 technology trends offer promising career potential now and for the foreseeable future. And most of these trending technologies are welcoming skilled professionals, meaning the time is right for you to choose one, get trained, and get on board at the early stages of these trending technologies, positioning you for success now and in the future.
Technology trends refer to the prevailing developments, innovations, and advancements in the world of technology. These trends often shape the direction of industries, businesses, and society as a whole, influencing how we interact, work, and live.
Following technology trends is crucial for individuals and businesses alike because it allows them to stay competitive and relevant in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. By keeping abreast of emerging technologies, one can make informed decisions about adopting new tools, improving processes, and leveraging opportunities for growth.
You can stay updated with technology trends by following reputable technology news sources, subscribing to industry newsletters, attending conferences and webinars, participating in online communities, and engaging in continuous learning and skill development.
Nikita Duggal is a passionate digital marketer with a major in English language and literature, a word connoisseur who loves writing about raging technologies, digital marketing, and career conundrums.
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