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 this year due to the outbreak of COVID-19 making IT professionals realize that their role will not stay the same in the contactless world tomorrow. And an IT professional in 2021-22 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. All bows to the worldwide pandemic, most of the global IT population is sitting back, working from home. And if you wish to make the most of your time at home, here are the top 9 emerging technology trends you should watch for and make an attempt at in 2022, and possibly secure one of the jobs that will be created by these new technology trends, that includes:
9 new emerging technologies are the followings:
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
- Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
- Edge Computing
- Quantum Computing
- Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
- Blockchain
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- 5G
- Cyber Security
1. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence has already received a lot of buzz in the past decade, but 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. Artificial Intelligence 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 Artificial Intelligence 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.
The Artificial Intelligence market will grow to a $190 billion industry by 2025 with global spending on cognitive and Artificial Intelligence systems reaching over $57 billion in 2022. With Artificial Intelligence 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 Artificial Intelligence also offers some of the highest salaries today ranging from over $1,25,000 per year (machine learning engineer) to $145,000 per year (Artificial Intelligence architect) – making it the top new technology trend you must watch out for.
Machine learning the subset of Artificial Intelligence is also being deployed in all kinds of industries, creating a huge demand for skilled professionals. Forrester predicts Artificial Intelligence 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 Artificial Intelligence and machine learning will help you secure jobs like:
- Artificial Intelligence Research Scientist
- Artificial Intelligence Engineer
- Machine Learning Engineer
- Artificial Intelligence Architect
2. Robotic Process Automation
Like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Robotic Process Automation is another technology that is automating jobs. Robotic Process Automation is the use of software to automate business processes such as interpreting applications, processing transactions, dealing with data, and even replying to emails. Robotic Process Automation automates repetitive tasks that people used to do.
Although Forrester Research estimates Robotic Process Automation will threaten the livelihood of 230 million or more knowledge workers or approximately 9 percent of the global workforce, Robotic Process Automation 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 Information Technology 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. An Robotic Process Automation developer can earn over ₹534K per year – making it the next technology trend you must keep a watch on.
Mastering Robotic Process Automation will help you secure high paying jobs like:
- Robotic Process Automation Developer
- Robotic Process Automation Analyst
- Robotic Process Automation Architect
3. Edge Computing
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.
Edge computing will increase as use of the Internet of Things devices increase. By 2022, the global edge computing market is expected to reach $6.72 billion. And this new technology trend is only meant to grow and nothing less, creating various jobs, primarily for software engineers.
Keeping in line with cloud computing (including new-age edge and quantum computing) will help you grab amazing jobs like:
- Cloud Reliability Engineer
- Cloud Infrastructure Engineer
- Cloud Architect and Security Architect
- DevOps Cloud Engineer
4. Quantum Computing
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.
5. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
The next exceptional technology trend Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality and Extended Reality. Virtual Reality immerses the user in an environment while Augmented Reality 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 2022, 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, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality 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.
6. Blockchain
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 the simplest of 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 the use of blockchain technology increases, so too 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. The average yearly salary of a blockchain developer is 469K.
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 to have hands-on experience of programming languages , the fundamentals of OOPS, 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:
- Risk Analyst
- Tech Architect
- Crypto Community Manager
- Front End Engineer
7. Internet of Things
Another promising new technology trend is Internet of Things . 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. 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 Internet Of Things. 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.
8. 5G
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 Networks will cover 40% of the world by 2024 handling 25% of all mobile traffic data making it an emerging technology trend you must watch out for, and also save a spot in.
9. Cyber Security
Cyber security might not seem like an emerging technology, 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 who are trying to illegally access data are not going to give up any time soon, and they will continue to find ways to get through even the toughest security measures. It’s also in part because new technology is being adapted to enhance security. As long as we have hackers, cyber security will remain a trending technology because it will constantly evolve to defend against those hackers.
As proof of the strong need for cybersecurity professionals, the number of cybersecurity jobs is growing three time faster than others tech jobs. 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 income, and roles can range from
- Ethical Hacker
- Malware Analyst
- Security Engineer
- Chief Security Officer
