Microsoft Insights 2013 - Emerging opportunities

By Sarah Morgan

This week, Microsoft kicked off a series of live online events, entitled Microsoft Insights. The first interactive event featured live panel discussions with industry professionals, as well as in-depth conversations with IT experts.

Don’t worry if you’ve missed it, a recording is now available at Microsoft Virtual Academy. And if don't want to wait until then, just read our re-cap of the discussions.

The discussion panel focused on emerging opportunities in technology fields, with emphasis on how training and certifications will put you ahead of the pack and increase your earning potential.

What changed?

Salaries in the IT sector were hit hard by the recession, however they were among the first ones to recover and have been outperforming other industries ever since. All panellists agreed that the IT industry changed fundamentally in the last 5 years and it is now offering excellent opportunities at every level. Although Security, the Cloud, Big Data and Virtualisation were named as the four hottest and most rapidly evolving fields, it was unanimously agreed that IT has become fundamental in all sectors. Fashion, manufacturing or the oil industry, you can now do IT everywhere and anywhere.

The most popular fields within IT

Now is the time

With these enormous emerging opportunities, more and more people are encouraged to find their passion and broaden their skills. As mentioned in our live Twitter coverage of the event, “Entry levels to IT haven't been this low for the last 5-7 years” so if you’re passionate about it, now is the time to join in, because demand is extremely high. It is important to remember that you do not have to have a degree in computer science or any IT related subject to enter the IT industry. Certifications are the IT equivalent to a degree, so if you are committed, you can succeed just look for the right training.

Youngsters, pay attention

As young people’s unemployment levels hit the roof in many countries, including the UK, the panel’s experts talked about the importance of work-based learning and how it can kick-start your career. If you are thinking about attending higher education or pursuing a profession, you should consider apprentice and intern opportunities, even if they are unpaid, because as Maureen Majury said “in the long term they can be the deal-breaker”. 

About the Author:       
Sarah writes for Firebrand Training on a number of IT related topics. This includes exams, training, certification trends, project management, certification, careers advice and the industry itself. Sarah has 11 years of experience in the IT industry.