The as-yet unfinished global nemesis, COVID-19, has pushed the borders in areas that most of us had not envisaged. Could anyone have foreseen the severity with which many sectors would be hit, that too, for so long, all over the world? Can you think of one soothsayer or scientist who got it right about this pandemic?
Retail, automobiles, tourism, overseas education, and many other sectors were badly mauled by the coronavirus. But the scene is not one of unbridled gloom. Did you know that technology not only did not get stunted, it grew by leaps and bounds over the past year-and-a-half?
Doesn’t this make learning of technology related areas something to really look forward to? So, if technology was more an exception than the rule during these dark past few months, which technologies should you be learning?
In this blog, I will list out the top 9 technologies to learn in 2021. These nine technologies are listed plainly because of the fact that they have been driving businesses around the world. An equally important reason for which they have been selected is that, as I mentioned a few lines earlier, they have been totally unaffected by the pandemic!
This is the list of the top 9 technologies to learn in 2021:
1. Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning:
In a nutshell: Our good old favorite, Artificial Intelligence, which traces its roots to the Cold War era, continues to be the technology to learn in 2021. If a technology can be as durable as this, let us get what it is: in simple terms, it is the technology that arms machines with the intelligence to carry out their tasks without being programmed to.
Why you should learn it: Well, by all means, don’t bother to learn AI if what the technology that is set to shape the future of this planet, offers- an average pay of $140,000 a year- is too small for you!
2. Internet of Behavior/Behaviors (IoB):
In a nutshell: We have heard about the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Internet of Everything (IoE), but who is this new kid on the block? You could consider IoB as the next version of these technologies. What IoB does is that it gets to the specifics of the data concerning consumer behaviors more precisely and accurately than its earlier avatar. It uses the field of human psychology to offer a more refined insight into consumer behavior patterns than these technologies.
Why you should learn it: There are at least two solid reasons for learning IoB: one, it is a fledgling technology, which means that there is a lot of interest in it, especially from the large global companies. Two, it is already being talked of as a potential multibillion dollar raker.
3. Quantum computing:
In a nutshell: We have heard of quantum leap in physics, haven’t we? Think of this concept in computers, and an idea of what it is, begins to emerge. Quantum computing is called so because it takes computing beyond its traditional binaries and takes computing to a hitherto unreached level.
Why you should learn it:
4. Edge computing:
In a nutshell: This technology is designed to overcome the shortfalls of cloud computing by bringing data closer to where it is meant to be used. This makes it the next and indispensable step in computing.
Why you should learn it: Fast forward to 2025, and you are likely to see the edge computing market grow to nearly $16 billion globally. Impressive as these figures are; what is more so is the spectacularly high CAGR of 34+% that is projected in this forecast.
5. Intelligent Process Automation:
In a nutshell: IPA is all about combining the abilities of AI, ML, Big Data and other technologies to help bots perform better over time and functions. In this sense, you could call it the extension of robotic process automation.
Why you should learn it: Investment flowing into this field is a very strong reason. Want to know how much is expected by 2025? A whopping $200 billion plus.
6. Virtual reality/augmented reality:
In a nutshell: These twins, our pals from the area of immersive technologies, take off from the gaming industry, and enable areas such as retail, defense, agriculture, medicine and many others to offer a closer than life experience to the user.
Why you should learn it:
Well, numbers again, sir, and very tempting ones at that:
7. Tactile VR:
In a nutshell: After the visual elements, now enters the tactile one. As the name suggests, tactile VR takes immersive technology to the next level by offering a new dimension to the human faculty of touch. It enhances the user experience to an unimaginable degree by being a new paradigm.
Why you should learn it: As the market for VR grows exponentially, tactile VR, in being a new component, can significantly disrupt this area and grow hugely.
8. Blockchain:
In a nutshell: Blockchain is a system in which your data is owned entirely by you. In the world of money, it has unimaginable ramifications, going all the way to eliminating unaccounted money from the global economic and financial systems.
Why you should learn it: Simple-it is the technology of unlimited use for decades more to come. The pay scale is mouth-watering if not anything else: $120-150,000.
9. 5G:
In a nutshell: Imagine a technological leap that will speed up your Internet by at least 40 times, and comes to you at a tenth of the price of traditional Internet services. That is 5G technology for you, which will facilitate the IoT ecosystem beyond compare.
Why you should learn it: How about being in a technological field that will occupy two fifths of all the world’s Internet traffic very soon?
In conclusion, technologies keep evolving. Isn’t this how technology has behaved all these years? So, this fact makes this list of top 9 technologies to learn in 2021 the ones to watch out for this year. Learning these technologies could make a significant difference to your career ahead. And, while doing so, bear the essential fact about technology learning in mind: keep learning everything you can, but keep your mind open to updating what has been learnt.
Feel free to share your thoughts about this blog!
