Entering 2012 With Promise and Concern

The new year has brought with it another year of change and evolution. The economies of the world are changing and making all of us make important decision on where we are going and how best to get there.

The economic crisis in Europe and the rest of the World keeps us on the edge of uncertainty. We are living today in a World with many questions and in many ways a lack of direction. The big concern becomes; where do we go from here. What is the next big thing? And how can we as a civilization contribute to a better overall community.

Well, I can’t solve the World’s issues in this blog, but at least we can look at how technology can help in the coming year and what we should expect based how technology is driving employment and the change to our working environment.

I read an article recently about the 5 Hardest Jobs to Fill in 2012 and what I discovered was that most of them are related to technology and ones knowledge of how to use the technology which is available. The list includes:

1. Software Engineers and Web Developers
2. Creative Design and User Experience
3. Marketing
4. Product Management
5. Analytics

All of these jobs show us what is hot. These jobs need people who are well versed in technology and the technology underlying these jobs is hot as well. Consider when we discuss Marketing and Analytic jobs, they both need people who can look at data and analyze it to draw out competitive differentiators. In the area of systems development we see the rise of the Mobile App, and understand that there is a shortage in this latest development technology. If you have tried to find an HTML5 developer you are well aware that they are few and far between.

Technology today is driving these needs. The database appliance as well as Big Data technology is making it easier for companies to collate there data into information repositories which provide significant value. Data is being delivered to users in effective and intuitive ways which enable the organization to achieve growth in these uncertain times.  The mobile device is changing the way we interact with information and making it more readily available when and where people want it. Times are changing and technology is the driver for our future. So take the time to see what is happening today and envision where you and your organization will take it in the coming years in order to survive and thrive.