What do the cities of Chicago and Sacramento have in common? Or, what about Atlanta and San Francisco? Here's a hint - it's not a new NBA or NFL expansion team. These cities, along with Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Raleigh/Durham and Silicon Valley, are among the best for high-tech opportunities.
One trend across the board is that companies are looking for IT professionals with soft skills including good communications, leadership and management skills. Also in demand are well-rounded individuals who understand business as well as technology. All expect to see the IT professional pursuing continuing education to maintain and expand their skills.
Listed below are the markets that continue to recruit and hire high-tech professionals, and within each city the specific technologies or skills that are in demand.
Chicago
Java programmers, Unix technicians, networking professionals, Oracle and project leadership
Boston
Project managers, network managers, system programmers and programmer/analysts in the areas of networking, routing, data communications, database and application (Oracle Suites, PeopleSoft)
New York
Business analysts, network specialists, Unix experts, web developers, internet hardware specialists
Atlanta
Java, HTML, distributed applications and databases
Philadelphia
Web and LAN skills, and some COBOL
Washington
Networking, databases, systems programming, application programming, C++, Java
Raleigh/Durham, N.C.
Java, Microsoft Transaction Server development, infrastructure management, web development, coding, data center management
Silicon Valley
Project managers, network managers, network administrators, security specialists, application-specific integrated circuit designers
San Francisco
Java programmers, database administrators, technical project managers
Sacramento
Oracle DBA, SAP professionals, Unix and Windows NT administrators and web developers, ERP and CRM programmers and systems analysts
The coming year looks good for IT professionals in the area of web development and networking, along with project managers and system administrators. Also in demand are those with a background in both business and technology, along with good "soft skills" including communication and leadership skills.
If you're looking to break into IT, this may be one of the best times to get your foot in the door. The reality of supply and demand is that there are not enough IT professionals to the available fill open positions. The market is full of opportunities in high-tech, so take the time to assess the needs in your area, and match up your qualifications with a hot job. You can also use this as an indicator of possible future opportunities and tailor a continuing education or certificate program to meet the needs.
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