The world will always need engineers. But as new developments and innovations ramp up and see widespread adoption, influencing key business practices and decisions, engineers will be more in-demand and specialized.
Here are the top technology trends that will impact engineering and offer high job satisfaction.
Top Technological Trends
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been getting a lot of attention in recent years. Though it’s been around for a while, it’s evolving so rapidly that it’s still considered a top technology trend. AI has the power to revolutionize the way we live, work, and play. From navigation apps to virtual assistants to image and speech recognition, there’s no limit to where AI can go in the future.
According to Markets and Markets, AI is expected to grow to $190 billion by 2025, $57 billion of which will be devoted to cognitive and AI systems. As AI expands into new industries and sectors, we can expect to see more positions for engineers. AI engineering also offers some of the highest salaries.
Machine learning, which is a subset of AI, isn’t far behind. As it sees more adoption and applications across industries, the demand for skilled engineers is increasing. According to Forrester, AI, machine learning, and automation technology will be responsible for 9% of the new jobs in the US by 2025.
Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the hottest technology trends. Both consumers and businesses are adopting IoT with appliances, vehicles, and other connected devices. Businesses can leverage IoT to enhance safety, efficiency, and decision-making from organizational data, and companies like Lantronix are leading the charge.
From customer service to healthcare to predictive maintenance, the current use cases for IoT are only scratching the surface. According to forecasts, IoT devices may reach 50 million globally by 2030, creating a huge network of connected devices. The global spending is expected to reach 1.1 trillion USD in 2022, and with it comes many job opportunities for engineers.
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
Another group of technologies that have been more common recently includes virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Though similar, VR is about an immersive experience, while AR enhances the existing environment.
Until now, VR and AR have been used mostly for entertainment purposes – namely gaming. Plenty of industries are seeing more opportunities for AR and VR, however, such as military training, immersive retail experience, and healthcare. The AR and VR market is expected to grow globally to over $209 billion by 2022, especially as more applications and use cases are realized.
Robotic Process Automation
Robotic process automation (RPA) is another hot technology that’s frequently used in automation. This technology facilitates the use of software to automate vital business processes, such as financial transactions, data processing, administrative tasks, and more. Essentially, RPA is taking on the repetitive and mundane tasks that humans used to do, freeing their time to focus on more creative work.
Though RPA is replacing human workers with automation, it’s also creating job opportunities for others. The majority of jobs can be partially automated, but designing, testing, and implementing this technology creates tons of career opportunities. Jobs in RPA also yield high salaries and offer a lucrative option for engineers.
Edge Computing and Quantum Computing
As organizations collect and process more and more data, edge computing is the new emerging technology trend. Addressing many of the limitations of cloud computing, edge computing is a solution to the latency and congestion that occurs when data is transferred from IoT devices to the cloud center. Instead, data is processed on the edge, close to the device and edge user, allowing businesses to process time-sensitive data in remote or inhospitable environments for real-time insights and actions.
As IoT adoption increases, edge computing is likely to increase. By 2022, edge computing is expected to reach $6.72 billion, creating a wealth of jobs for engineers and related professions at prestigious organizations like Lantronix.
Similarly, quantum computing is expected to grow. Quantum computing is a form of computing that uses quantum phenomena like quantum entanglement and interference to perform calculations. With its ability to process, query, monitor, analyze, and take action on large volumes of data, it has a lot of promise in the finance sector with fraud detection, credit analysis, and trading.
The quantum computing market is expected to grow to $2.5 billion by 2029. A lot of knowledge is needed for quantum computing, however, such as experience with probability, machine learning, and quantum mechanics.
5G
5G is the next generation of cellular technology and a major trend related to IoT. 3G and 4G have had their benefits for data-driven services and the internet, but 5G has the potential to revolutionize our lives. Many technologies rely on 5G, including AR and VR, cloud-based gaming, HD cameras, and smart technology.
Major telecommunications companies are developing 5G applications, which is driven, in part, by the increasing adoption of IoT devices. 5G networks are expected to cover roughly 40% of the world by 2024.
Cyber Security
Cyber security isn’t really an emerging or trending technology, but it’s evolving like the others on this list. Cyber threats are always present, and with the adoption of IoT devices and other technologies that provide ingress points for hackers, the risks are looming large. Hackers have access to sensitive customer and business data, not to mention the ability to hack devices to insidious ends.
As long as there are devices to hack, cyber security will be an important and ever-evolving technology trend. Cybersecurity jobs are growing faster than other tech positions. According to Gartner, 60% of organizations will use cyber security risk to evaluate business engagements and transactions by 2025, demonstrating the need for cyber security professionals.
The Future is Lucrative
Technologies are continuing to emerge and evolve, offering massive career potential for engineers in the near future. As the adoption of these technologies increases, the demand for skilled professionals will grow along with it. Start training now to position yourself for future success.
