IoT Careers, 2020: Many Hands On Deck

The rise of the Internet of Things has a lot of possibilities for technology-oriented careers — and so many directions to go. “IoT professionals are currently a hot commodity,” according to a report out of CompTIA, the computer industry trade association. “From engineering and development to product testing and device security, the IoT already needs many hands on deck and will be actively expanding its workforce as society becomes more and more connected.”

See also: Seven Career Paths Opening With the Industrial IoT

Many parties get involved in IoT systems, the report points out. “Developing an IoT product involves hardware design, hardware testing, and integration of the hardware with the firmware. Then the hardware and firmware have to be integrated with the software, and all those things must be integrated with the network and the server back end.”

The CompTIA report outlines the following hot IoT jobs:

• IoT/cloud software developer: “Software developers are integral to the production of IoT devices.”
• IoT infrastructure architect: “Solve business problems by implementing IoT devices such as intelligent sensors, security appliances, and networking devices.”
• IoT systems administrator: “Crucial to the success of the IoT.”
• Vulnerability/cyber engineer: “Manage security solutions, monitor the network and roll out patches.”
• Test engineer: “Verify and validate that IoT is functioning properly once they’ve been fabricated.”

A perusal of current job listings unveiled the skills employers are currently seeking:

IoT solution software engineer: “Fuse signals from sensors with AI and machine learning to craft hybrid cloud IoT solutions that leverage mobile devices, on-premises compute environments, and cloud compute environments…. design and implement end-to-end IoT solutions from the edge to the cloud, contribute to the development of an overall IoT ecosystem device management strategy, partner with security analysts to ensure that vectors of attack are identified, and risks mitigated, establish and meet high standards in software quality and operational excellence.”

IoT architect: “Work with smart cities strategist and CTO on a roadmap for IoT and cloud solutions for the business, staying ahead of technology advancements. Must have IoT understanding from connectivity and data management perspective. Must understand customer’s technical & business requirements to produce a comprehensive plan for technical architectures, deployment plans, etc.”

Embedded systems (IoT) manager: “Manage embedded software development projects as well as the embedded systems team, to deliver high-quality motorized solutions for customers. Manage a team of embedded systems engineers to architect, design, develop, deliver and support reliable, scalable and maintainable solutions for motorized window coverings. Develop and enforce standards, manage unit test protocols, and merge and build code releases. Review embedded system code, integrate with existing automated testing frameworks, and operate in continuous integration (CI) pipelines using unit, regression and acceptance testing.”

As the CompTIA report observes, “many workplaces and industries, both current and future, will have abundant IoT opportunities. Nearly every industry in the world will have job roles for workers who understand technology and can navigate the rapidly expanding technological world.”