Future proof your career

Today’s world is starting to look and feel different. It is constantly evolving. As a skilled immigrant, if you received training or formal education in information technology (I.T), it is imperative that you keep abreast with all the changes and advances happening within the tech sector. In Canada, Information Technology (I.T) is an emerging sector.

Technological and consumer demand advances drive the emergence of a sector or occupation. According to Robert Half, there is an upsurge of jobs in the Technology, Healthcare, Financial Services, and Retail Sectors, all offering competitive salaries. To succeed in the tech industry, you have to possess the essentials skills to be competitive.

One way of achieving this is constantly upgrading your skills through upskilling, attending boot camps, and continuing education courses specific to tech trends such as computer coding languages, robotics, virtual reality, data mining, project management, data analytics, and gaming.

As technology continues to advance, many jobs are becoming automated, and technology is what drives automation. We have seen this in industry, such as car assembly plants and business, through the rise of e-commerce. Mastering your tech skills, such as how to build, install, test, repair, and maintain computer systems (both hardware and software) and other essential skills, will lead you to career success. Also, in this work from home era presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, there is high demand for I.T professionals by companies with employees working remotely to maintain data access and security.

According to the Canada Emerging Jobs Report published on LinkedIn Business, the three I.T job trends are Tech, Data, and Soft skills. “The roles emerging within the country range from traditional engineering to more cutting-edge jobs in robots and artificial intelligence, so there’s something for nearly every technical skillset represented,” reads part of the report. It also identifies data as the new gold and how organizations need competent people to convert it into profit. It is the opportune moment for skilled immigrant I.T professionals to meet this demand.

Windmill has identified the following the top ten emerging occupations in the sector: I.T Project Manager, Artificial Intelligence Specialist, I.T Administrator, Engineers (data, security, software, network, DevOps, clod), Data Scientist, Cyber Security Specialist, Network Engineer, Business System Analyst, Experience Designer, and Robotics.

The in-demand tech skills to have, according to Randstad, are Java, Linux, JavaScript, SQL, Python, C# / .NET, C / C++, and Cloud Technologies.

While you may not necessarily need to go back to school and start from scratch to get another I.T Diploma or Degree, the following certifications will ensure your skills are relevant and enhance your chances of gaining employment and achieving career success in the sector: Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Information Assurance Management (IAM) and Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA).

Certification and continuing education courses within the tech sector are costly and may seem out of reach for most skilled immigrants working in underemployment. As Canada’s largest and most successful microlending charity for skilled immigrants and refugees, Windmill Microlending understands this. We address the underemployment of skilled newcomers by offering affordable loans of up to $15,000 to pay for the credentials, licensing, relocation, career change, training, upskilling or professional development needed to achieve career success in Canada.