Future-Proofing Your IT Career: Trends to Watch in Computer Applications

The world of computer applications is ever-changing, and modern technologies are being developed to respond to eventual needs. Organisations in this fast-moving landscape need to be more technologically savvy than ever before. A study shows that more than 70% of companies are prioritising growth as their primary focus, and early adopters benefited from not only significantly higher levels of revenue and profitability but also faster overall business growth. 

CIOs and CTOs are learning about cutting-edge computer application trends, along with software products that may facilitate their operations to continue being competitive. Emerging new technologies in software development are estimated to grow to over $1 billion by the year 2025. 

In this blog post, we will look at the top trends that will define the future of work and your IT career.

1. Tech Industry is Investing Heavily in Progressive Web Apps

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) were first introduced by Google in 2015. The global PWA market size is projected to cross USD 10.44 billion by the end of 2027 The rising use of mobile devices made PWAs an ideal solution for businesses to boost their website with app-like interfaces which is cost-effective.

If you want to make an IT career as a PWA Developer, concentrate on learning technologies such as React and JavaScript along with service workers. Create app-like web experiences, improve mobile performance, and reduce costs of development. 

It will be ideal if you know HTML, CSS, and JavaScript frameworks (a good experience with React), including responsive design and offline capabilities.

2. Blockchain Technology to Move Beyond Finance in Computer Applications

Beyond financial transactions, blockchain technology is instrumental in creating systems that are distributed and decentralised – making it impossible to hack or alter them. The healthcare, manufacturing and supply chain management sectors can benefit significantly by adopting blockchain technology and the projected value of the decentralised market is $20 billion. 

Blockchain developers around the world build robust, distributed computer applications (outside of financial transactions). To make an IT career in this field, build your expertise in blockchain frameworks such as Ethereum. the development of smart contracts, cryptography, and knowledge or familiarity with DLT (distributed ledger technology).

3. 2024 is The Year of 5G Technology

5G technology is rolling out so quickly and, you’ll soon find new levels of connectivity. Almost 1.4 bn individual devices around the world are expected to be connected to 5G networks soon, accounting for nearly one in seven of all global connections.

With less latency, 5G is expected to revolutionise the way in which we communicate and interact with digital experiences. This can only mean that certain software development technologies like IoT, AR or AI will greatly benefit from this development. The demand for new 5G Network Engineers or IoT Developers with skills related to wireless communication or network architecture, and programming for IoT devices and AR/VR applications will see a sharp hike.

4. Growing Popularity of IoT

Smart devices continue to worm their way deeper and deeper into our lives as the Internet of Things (IoT) expands rapidly. Though the IoT market faced certain disruptions in 2020, it has recouped rapidly and is forecasted to reach USD 437+ billion by 2025 across Asia Pacific alone. The gap between the physical and digital worlds has all but been bridged thanks to IoT solutions, providing essentially unparalleled visibility along with predictive ability.

IoT Solutions Architects, who aspire to design and integrate IoT systems in areas such as smart cities, healthcare, and industrial automation among others, must develop expertise in embedded systems, sensor integration and machine learning as well as relevant domain experiences. Edge computing and cybersecurity are some other computer application trends that are relevant to this field.

5. Low Code Development is Here to Stay

Low-code application development is the need of the hour. This technology allows developers to build an app with very little coding. According to forecasts by Gartner, more than 50% of tech companies will use a low-code application development platform in the next five years. This is to enable businesses to get their applications created and distributed faster, which means less development time and costs.

Specialising in rapid application development with platforms like Mendix, Appian or Microsoft Power Apps is essential to become a Low-Code Developer. This computer application trend is about assisting businesses to move away from traditional development methods using your knowledge of business process automation and basic coding skills.

6. Artificial Intelligence Everywhere

AI (Artificial Intelligence) is becoming a part of everyday business operations. It is believed that AI is all set to cross a half trillion dollar mark this year. Computer applications like predictive analytics and data-driven decision-making are based on AI.

To capitalise on these computer application trends, budding AI engineers should specialise in Natural Language Processing (NLP), Machine Learning (ML), and Automated Analytics solutions. Python and deep learning frameworks are some other things you will need to master.

7. Era of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

AR and VR are changing e-commerce – offering new ways for businesses to engage with their customers. These technologies allows customers to see products in their space and businesses benefit from engagement results as well as sales.

To become an AR/VR Developer, work on developing engaging experiences for e-commerce, gaming and education-based computer applications using AR/VR tech. To make an IT career in this field, you should have Unity or Unreal Engine knowledge,  along with 3D Modelling expertise and experience in AR/VR frameworks such as ARKit, ARCore, and WebXR.

8. FinOps and GreenOps

FinOps and GreenOps as the case may be are rising trends in Cloud Computing. FinOps specialists deal with cloud financial operations management while GreenOps specialists deal with associated sustainability practices in the IT infrastructure. 

In this role, you will need skills like cloud cost management at scale sustainability analytics, and knowledge about cloud infrastructure & operations among others.

9. Enterprises to Adopt Distributed Computing

The distributed computing trend helps businesses avoid centralised data sharing, and even do power processing at different servers. In distributed computing support careers, you will help businesses address the shift and scale their operations more efficiently for greater profits.

Distributed Systems Engineers are responsible for architecting and maintaining distributed computing systems to support computer applications that are both scalable and resilient. These facets include a deep understanding of distributed systems, cloud computing, microservices architecture and network communication protocols.

10. Evolution of Cloud-Native Technologies

Cloud-native technologies help companies build, run and manage applications in cloud environments. This way, they offer flexible application development options to dynamic work environments and are certainly going to redefine the future of work.

A Cloud-Native Developer builds and deploys cloud-native apps with microservices, containers & serverless architecture. Employers here are looking for knowledge of Kubernetes, Docker, microservices architecture; and CI/CD pipelines and carry their workloads across cloud platforms such as AWS Azure or Google Cloud etc.

Other computer application trends you should keep an eye on are:

• Internet of Behaviour (IoB) combines information from various sources to detect user habits to provide some beneficial results for businesses. With an emphasis on tailoring user experiences and guiding decisions, IoB is now solidifying its place in our everyday lives.
• Microservices Architecture is an approach to software development in which a large application is built as a suite of modular services. Large businesses have sparked the trend, which involves developing and deploying apps faster — making it a top trend in the field of computer applications.
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is the process of managing and provisioning computer data centres through machine-readable definition files. The automation of IT infrastructure management is a key trend in the future of work landscape.
• DevSecOps makes security a shared responsibility throughout the IT life cycle. Hence, security becomes embedded in development. This is a crucial trend to safeguard businesses from up-and-coming cyber threats.
• Kubernetes (K8s) is an open-source container orchestration platform and Docker stands for a containerisation engine which uses OS-level virtualisation to deliver software in packages called containers. It is quickly getting adopted to run containerised applications on a large scale. It has the ability to manage workloads across multiple clouds.
• Go, Swift or Rust are new programming languages that perform better than traditional programming languages (such as C and Python). They are being widely used by the major tech companies.
• Predictive Analytics help businesses predict emerging trends and patterns as well as consumer behaviour & market trends. This pattern propels payment based on information and brings up profits.
• Digital Immune System is crucial when it comes to protecting critical information assets. It is a kind of adaptive cybersecurity.
• Quantum Computing is a next-generation technology that promises innovation in countless industries. This trend could change the way we solve complex computational problems that traditional computers cannot handle.

These computer application trends open up many avenues for you and can help you prepare for the future of work in computer applications. Adapt to these dynamic changes in tech trends and future-proof your IT career.