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The Top IT Skills to Master in 2024

It’s renew or die in the world of technology. As an IT expert, you must always keep your eyes peeled for the new top IT skills that will help you stay relevant and advance your career. But the constant evolution of IT tools and the shifting business climate brought about by the pandemic can make it difficult. For example to decide where to focus your upskilling efforts in the year ahead.

While softer skills like communication and time management are life-long partners of success; technical knowledge needs to be periodically revisited and updated to keep up with enterprise trends. The rise of data science, the AI boom and the strong momentum of cloud computing are all setting the agenda for the most in-demand IT skills.

So, where to begin? This list is a good starting point for anyone looking to strengthen their CV/resume or redirect their career.

Top IT skills:

Python: Unmatched Versatility and Popularity

Python continues to dominate the programming language landscape, solidifying its position as a must-have skill for IT professionals. With roots dating back to the late 1980s, Python has evolved into the leading language, especially in the developer community. Its applications in data science and machine learning make it indispensable, while its clean syntax remains appealing to coders.

Looking to get your feet wet? Here are some Python projects to try, from beginner to advanced.

SQL: Managing Data in a Connected World

Structured Query Language (SQL) is a domain-specific language for handling data stored in a relational database management system – a database structured in rows and columns in which all data points are related to one another.

Developers and database administrators use the language’s code to perform actions such as inserting, retrieving and deleting data. Thanks to its database structure, SQL also allows for quick data processing and is used by some of the most popular database management systems, like Oracle’s MySQL or Microsoft’s SQL Server. 

Java: A Quarter-Century of Relevance

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Java remains a powerhouse among programming languages. Renowned for its “write once, run anywhere” portability, Java retains its position as one of the top three most popular languages. Its vast ecosystem, ranging from the Spring Framework to enterprise application servers, underscores its adaptability and continual relevance. Regular updates and refinements further emphasize Java’s commitment to staying cutting-edge.

Cloud Computing with AWS and Microsoft Azure: Navigating the Sky

In the post-COVID business world, cloud computing has become more critical than ever. Amazon Web Services (AWS) continues to lead the cloud platform space, with Microsoft Azure as a formidable competitor. Proficiency in either of these platforms enhances career prospects significantly. Whether it’s AWS’s established position or Azure’s rapid strides, having cloud expertise is a valuable asset in today’s tech landscape.

Would you like to know about life in the cloud? Check out our Microsoft Azure career overview and discover all the paths you could take.

Docker: Containerization for Modern Development

Lat but not least, Containerization, with Docker at the forefront, has become essential for future-oriented developers and IT teams. The benefits of scalability, rapid deployment, and enhanced security make Docker a vital skill. Containers enable the creation and deployment of applications in self-contained units, providing efficiency and bug-free operation across diverse computing environments. Understanding Docker’s capabilities is crucial for staying at the cutting edge of modern development practices.

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Growing your career: permanent & freelance IT Consultants

A Microsoft Technologies Careers Guide

Learn all about Microsoft careers and the various paths one can take within the Microsoft Technologies ecosystem with this guide.


It was not that long ago that Microsoft seemed on track to take a more secondary role in the future of enterprise technology.

Software sales had been sluggish for some time, and the company seemed unable to keep up with the pace of innovation of its competitors. Well, things change quickly, especially in IT.

To the surprise of some, Microsoft has managed to bounce back in just a few years. It has indeed delivered its finest OS to date, Windows 10, created a new line of successful hardware products like the Surface. Thus it become a top contender in the cloud wars. Moreover, Microsoft is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the current situation. Being incredibly fortunate with cloud-based collaboration tools ranging from Azure and Office 365 to Microsoft Teams.

Hence, investing time and resources in pursuing one of the many Microsoft careers is a solid career bet. Here is a little roadmap that we hope helps guide you on your journey to personal and IT professional success.

Microsoft careers: a solid IT career investment

Microsoft careers: a solid career investment

The surge in remote work caused by COVID-19 has greatly helped the cloud industry. Microsoft’s Azure business keeps on growing, consolidating the company’s position as the world’s second-largest cloud provider with only Amazon ahead. In turn, the increased demand for cloud know-how has led to a severe drought of talent, especially in areas like cybersecurity. Both cloud and security are highly coveted these days.

Additionally, in a world dominated by data, business intelligence is key. Here, Microsoft also reigns supreme with tools like Microsoft Power BI — a business intelligence platform that caters to business users. As an IT professional, knowing your way around MS Power BI will make you a great asset in today’s enterprise. There will always be someone in need of an expert to set up the environment, train end-users and troubleshoot.

Finally, Microsoft’s sheer size and reach, as well as its tools and platforms focused on developers. This means that a vast amount of applications and solutions are developed using Microsoft’s technology.

Ubiquity, scalability, flexibility and endless possibilities are the words that come to mind when trying to explain what Microsoft stands for in this day and age.

In addition, the Redmond, Virginia company is almost everywhere and in everything, connecting the world economy across industries, practices and solutions.

This Microsoft careers guide connects the dots and providing a holistic perspective on the Microsoft ecosystem and the various career paths one can take within.

The Microsoft Technology Stack

Microsoft careers: The Microsoft Technology Stack

Ubiquity, productivity, scalability, flexibility. These are some of the words that come to mind when trying to explain what Microsoft stands for in this day and age. The Redmond, Virginia company is almost everywhere and in everything, connecting the world economy across industries, practices and solutions. Cloud, operating systems, repositories, collaboration tools…

But, as an IT professional, you would encompass more than enough by focusing on the company’s core solutions. Here are the principal technologies in the Microsoft Technology Stack.

The different IT career paths within Microsoft

Microsoft careers: The different career paths within Microsoft

Given the breadth and depth of Microsoft’s tech stack, the number of jobs and specialties that the environment comprises is practically impossible to capture completely and concisely at the same time. There are just too many.

However, you can identify a series of recurrent role across the various technologies. The company itself highlights these common career paths in its training programs.

Also explore our article on Microsoft career paths for an overview of the different career paths within the Microsoft ecosystem.

Developing your Microsoft expertise

Microsoft careers: Developing your Microsoft expertise

As with other proprietary families of technologies, the best way to go about learning the basics and getting a foot in the door is through official Microsoft certifications. These provide you with a solid technical foundation while validating your expertise in front of recruiters and the overall industry.

In conclusion, there is a myriad of certifications one can obtain, based on desired role or IT career path, or depending on the specific skills you would like to acquire.

Here’s a quick guide to the world of Microsoft certifications.  

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Weekly News: Artificial Intelligence, Minecrafting the Real World

Since 2018, the Generative Design in Minecraft (GDMC) competition challenges participants to push the limits of artificial intelligence and come up with realistic cities from scratch.

If you are unfamiliar with Minecraft (I doubt it), the cube-based video game lets players build all sorts of structures with almost absolute freedom. In other words, cubic freedom.

Participants must leverage a combination of various Artificial Intelligence techniques in Minecraft to level terrain, build roads and bridges and erect buildings. It is a very complex task involving everything from path-finding algorithms to machine learning, but it’s starting to come together. 

Surely the technology is still years away, but it looks like city planners and designers will soon have a new digital partner for their construction projects.

Your future apartment building might well be designed by an AI architect. At least parts of it.

Racist Artificial Intelligence strikes again

And speaking of artificial intelligence I, yet another poorly trained algorithm has put yet another Internet giant in serious trouble. This time it was Twitter’s turn. 

Have you ever wondered how the platform decides what parts of a picture to crop in preview mode? It is, of course, an image-cropping algorithm. Using a combination of tools, Twitter tries to prioritise faces and text, unless your face is black. 

Ironically, the issue was discovered when a PhD student was trying to tweet about another racially-biased algorithm he had encountered on Zoom. The videoconferencing service had erased the image of his black colleague after failing to recognise his face. Twitter decided that wasn’t enough and erased his colleague from the screen capture too. 

Although the company was quick to apologise for not testing the algorithm thoroughly enough, Twitter feeds quickly filled up with people doing experiments to test the flaw. Some even tried posting images of differently coloured dogs. 

Time for lessons to be learnt.

Announcements from Microsoft Ignite

Microsoft has kickstarted its annual Ignite user-focused conference by announcing a series of additions to its cloud and productivity portfolios. 

Teams is getting new security and compliance-related features, as well as a suite of new tools to help companies better support remote workers. The latter are mainly data insights to assess the overall wellbeing of employees, made available to users and managers to help them improve productivity and reduce burnout.

The company has also teased Virtual Commute, an upcoming Teams functionality aimed at helping workers unwind after a long day of work. Hmm, how about not being on Teams after working hours to start with?

Plans to expand Azure Stack’s hybrid cloud capabilities have also been announced. The platform lets businesses run public cloud-like workloads within on-premise data centres. Users will be now able to run and deploy containerized applications on the setup, while the Azure Stack Hub will incorporate GPU support for broader machine learning capabilities. 

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Weekly News: How brain-like should AI be?

How brain-like should AI be? Cloud and clear, Microsoft… News from the frontlines… Discover our Tech & IT weekly news.

How brain-like should AI be?

What constitutes intelligence and how do we replicate it? Computer experts and neuroscientists have long been after a universal theory of intelligence. The idea is simple — the more we understand how the brain works, the better our AI will be.

Well, not exactly. 

Kelly Clancy, a neuroscientist working with Google’s DeepMind, delves deep into the issue in this WIRED article. Her main point? Two different roads often lead to the same place. 

AI developers should keep in mind that what works for our brain might not work in machines, and vice versa.

Not enough AI in your life? Here’s a list of books on artificial intelligence that you can read.

Learn more about Microsoft with our Microsoft Technologies Careers Guide

Cloud and clear, Microsoft

Speaking of AI – during its annual Built conference, Microsoft unveiled a new partnership with OpenAI to develop an Azure-hosted AI supercomputer.

The computer will be among the 5 most advanced supercomputers in the world. It will be deployed to test large-scale models and advance towards general artificial intelligence.

Microsoft also announced its first industry-specific cloud offering for the healthcare sector. The solution, which is now available in public preview, connects products like Microsoft 365 for marketing and customer service and Azure IoT. 

Use cases include the development of a “patient journey” that helps manage patient care and maximises positive outcomes.

News from the frontlines…

One more week means one less week until things start looking normal again. This is what the tech world is doing to help in the fight against COVID-19…

If the pandemic has taught us anything about retail IT is that, unlike larger companies, SMEs don’t always have the means to shift to digital operations when needed. In what is big news for e-commerce, Facebook has launched Shops, a new service that will allow companies to sell products on its platforms.

The debate over the effectiveness of contact tracing technology rages on. Industry competitors and researchers are teaming up against all odds to create apps that respect user privacy, but poor adoption could undermine all these efforts. Nature magazine takes an in-depth look at the issue

Plenty going on with tech these days. Even Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, used his keynote speech at this year’s Build to congratulate the tech industry’s response to the global crisis.

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Growing your career: permanent & freelance IT Consultants

Give a boost to your career with these free resources for MS developers

So… it’s almost February — How are those New Year resolutions panning out? Any of them involves learning a new skill? Probably not. Going to the gym rather than just paying for it. Dry month. Quit something. So torturous. We suggest a more positive approach. You’re already a pro. We know that. But there’s always room for improvement. In tech, you must stay up to date if you want to remain relevant. That means updating your dev toolkit and skills on a regular basis. And, because we are aware that you’re a busy person and you don’t always have the time to drop by your local Microsoft Ignite conference. We wanted to share a few tips and resources for MS developers to make your CV look shinier than ever.

Resources for MS developers: information is power

First things first. If lately you have been taking a break from the media, spend a few minutes catching up on the most relevant app-dev news of the last year. TechTarget’s David Carty has compiled a very useful list of the top 5 new stories of 2019 that will dictate what happens in software development in 2020.  

Of special relevance — GitHub’s decision to open its licensing to include unlimited private repositories, a great move for small teams of developers. Also worth mentioning, the enhancement of Microsoft’s Power Platform, which now provides better tools for developers wanting to easily build chatbots and apps for data analysis or business process automation.

Upgrade your toolkit

Another resources for MS developers is to make sure you check out the recommendations that Infoworld’s Simon Bisson makes for platform developers looking to strengthen their abilities. From NET 5 and WinUI 3.0, to AKS, WSL 2 and Azure Sphere, Bisson proposes a great toolkit development routine; to start the year ahead of the competition

You can also take advantage of the myriad of free resources that are available online.

Although Microsoft discontinued MSDN Magazine last November after more than three decades. All of its issues are available on the company’s digital archive. The site packs tons of valuable information, from how-to guides to introductions to various technologies, tools and languages.  For example, the last MSDN magazine featured a practical guide for iterating with async enumerables in C# 8. And an article exploring Python functions and coding tips.


How To Learn Python With Rune


For more up-to-date resources, Microsoft Docs has loads of deep technical content. You can also check out devblogs.microsoft.com for helpful in-depth technical blog posts. Visual Studio’s Subscriptions portal offers great training resources, and Visual Studio Dev Essentials has a full catalogue of useful development tools to explore.  

If you want to get serious, Microsoft’s Virtual Academy is a no brainer. With hundreds of online training courses spanning from Azure and Microsoft Dynamics to cloud development, the portal is a true gold mine for skill enhancement. We suggest you obtain the company’s official certifications in your desired area of expertise, as they will validate your expertise among the community and boost your career prospects.   

Get your feet wet with AI

Hungry for more? Try something different. If you haven’t yet played with AI, Azure Machine Learning has made it easier than ever to build AI models at scale. You can easily set up an account that grants you 12 months of access to a suite of useful and popular products. All for free — Unlike the gym to which most likely you’re not going.  

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