Three Vital Skills Every IT Worker Needs in 2024

If you’re planning to start your IT career in 2024 then you’ll want to be on the lookout for the most in demand skills. IT is, and always has been, a field where the right skills at the right time can take you a very long way making it perfect for those who are looking to dedicate themselves for the long run.

In this article, we’ll be discussing three skills that are perfect for furthering your IT career development in 2024, and how you can learn them to get a head start on your peers in this competitive field.

1. Triage

While it might not be new and flashy, knowing how to properly triage is one of those timeless skills that every IT professional should have.

As an IT professional, no matter what exact field you go into, you’re inevitably going to spend a lot of time ‘putting out fires’. If you can do that quickly and effectively, then your coworkers will be extremely grateful.

But being able to triage isn’t just about saving time – it’s also about getting an accurate assessment of the problem. Without a proper triage it can be possible to fix a problem but the underlying cause may still be there, waiting to rear its head again at a later date. If you want to fix a problem for good then you need to be able to break it down and find the right solution.

The final, and perhaps most important, benefit of a proper triage is to make sure you’re assigning the right person/level of importance to a job. In this sense, IT triage is just like triage in a hospital – you need to be able to rank the severity of the problem and assign a certain level of resources to fixing it. Doing this well can make an entire department more effective.

2. Basic Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is one of those IT fields that can go very deep and even the world’s experts can’t always be 100% confident in any solution. Every year governments and companies spend vast sums of money to constantly improve and update their cybersecurity as part of an ever more advanced digital arms race.

All that being said, most cybersecurity isn’t as advanced as it might seem from the outside. In fact, for most companies, the majority of threats are far more opportunistic, relying on the fact that, sooner or later, a less tech-savvy member of staff may make a mistake, leaving a vulnerability in the system.

As such, experienced IT staff with a good knowledge of basic cybersecurity who are able to effectively communicate that knowledge within a company and build systems that encourage best practices, are highly sought after. Put simply, when it comes to cybersecurity, a good general knowledge built on solid foundations will get you a long way.

3. Research

It might seem like the odd one out on this list, but research is every bit as much of a skill as triage and cybersecurity and the benefits are much further reaching.

The reality is that we live in a day and age when the most in demand IT skills are constantly changing and really valuable people are those with a broad understanding who know how to learn quickly. It’s not just about being able to pick up the basics in a short amount of time, but about having a mindset that’s open to learning.

The best IT staff are those who don’t flinch when presented with a new problem or technology. They’re the ones who are always looking for ways to develop and improve their existing knowledge. Most importantly, they’re the ones who can communicate outside of their comfort zone and take instruction in one topic while being the expert in another.

Put simply, when the ability to research new topics gives you a versatility that will be incredibly competitive, especially when it starts to show up on a CV. If you join a company for one role but find ways to excel beyond the boundaries of that role, then future employers will see that you’re a person who brings more than knowledge to their work – you bring passion.

Do you want to push your IT career to the next level? Want to make sure you’ve got the perfect competitive 2024 IT skills? If you’d like to learn more about the topics in this list so you can nail that IT role you’ve always wanted, then today’s the day to join Career Navig8r!

With Career Navig8r, you could have an expert mentor who works in the IT industry and can give you first hand knowledge and advice about how to get a job. They’ll guide you each step of the way so you can feel confident that you’re on the road to success.