5 courses in 2018 that lead to a job in the technology sector

Last year in the USA alone, there were 672,000 unfilled jobs in the technology sector. The industry, which is the fastest growing industry in America and the UK, continues to grow. In fact, there are more than 7.3 million people collectively working in technology.

But still the industry continues to exceed the growth of workers. The industry is so desperate for workers, in fact, that enterprises are launching their own training programs in a bid to educate those interested but who don’t know how to get into the industry.

As a recruiter, a hiring manager or even someone working in technology, it’s up to us to ensure those interested in a career in tech know where to look to become qualified. Without further ado, then, here are five courses to take that can lead to a job working in technology.

1.    For hackers: CEH certified ethical hacker

The CEH certified ethical hacker course is a part-time course led both online and in a classroom. For those interested in working in cyber security, the course aims to equip students with the vital knowledge and skills needed for cyber defence.

The 10th iteration of the course (the one currently live) brings with it a lot of new content, including two new modules that cover vulnerability analysis and IoT hacking. And at the end of each module, there are hacking challenges that aim to test learning.

The course consists of:

• 20 modules

• 140 labs, including 29 brand new labs

• 340 attack techniquesNearly

• 400 new tools added

Containing a mixture of exams and assessments, this course aims to educate students to a ready position for work in cyber defence. There are no pre-requisites, either, and at a cost of £1,240, it’s a course perfect for those serious about a career in tech. Find out more here.

2.    For web developers: CompTIA A+ technician course

Awarded by Edinburgh Napier University, the CompTIA A+ technician course is a self-study program for students looking for a career in website development. This level 5 diploma is broken into four streams:

• Stream Zero: The introductory pre-boot camp module that ensures you have sufficient basic skills.

• Stream One: Front end tech and scripting with JavaScript libraries and frameworks.

• Stream Two: Back end technologies and server-side scripting with Python libraries.

• Stream Three: Relational Databases and Django full stack framework.

With a starting salary averaged at £25,000 and with 81 percent of course graduates in full-time employment within 6 months of graduating, the CompTIA A+ Technician Course is perfect for readying even a novice web developer.

3.    For cloud users: introduction to cloud computing training

Cloud computing is a relatively new term, and many enterprises are now making the switch to cloud technology, but many employees struggle to learn all the features available. This introduction to cloud computing course is perfect for those looking to better understand their job roles.

Lasting for three days, students learn:

• Exploit the benefits of the different cloud service models: SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS.

• Leverage services provided by the major public cloud providers.

• Configure and provision resources on a private IaaS cloud.

• Apply tips and best practices when adopting the cloud.

Take the class in person, online or conduct private team training at your place of work. After this 17-hour course, you’ll be able to evaluate and assess the business and technical benefits of cloud computing, gain the foundation to analyse cloud applications for use in your organization and learn how cloud computing can provide efficient solutions to technical, business, and administrative challenges.

4.    For cyber security: Cisco Certified Network Associate Security

In this course run by Cisco, a network professional demonstrates the skills required to develop a security infrastructure, recognise network threats and mitigate security risks.

The CCNA Security curriculum emphasises core security technologies, the installation, troubleshooting and monitoring of network devices to maintain integrity, confidentiality and availability of data and devices, and competency in the technologies that Cisco uses in its security structure.

The course focuses on security principles and technologies, using Cisco security products to provide hands-on examples, and finishes with an exam to test students’ learning.

5.    For professionals: IoT and Big Data

Curtin University are running this 5-week course for free for those looking to develop their IoT and big data knowledge. Students can add a verified certificate for a little more than £100.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Appreciate the software needs of an IoT project.

• Understand how data is managed in an IoT network.

• Apply software solutions for different systems and Big Data to your IoT concept designs.

• Create Python scripts to manage large data files collected from sensor data and interact with the real world via actuators and other output devices.

Big data and IoT are the next big waves of evolution for the technology industry, and Industry 4.0 is already transforming the way we’re using this technology to improve efficiencies.

Learners do not need prior programming experience to undertake this course, and will not learn a specific programming language - however Python will be used for demonstrations. This course will focus on learning by working through realistic examples.