Technology focus areas such as containers and edge computing are booming, and the demand for developers and system administrators who can integrate, collaborate, and innovate in this field is increasing.
As the global economy moves closer to a digital future, companies and organizations in every vertical industry are grappling with how to further integrate and deploy technology in their business and operations. While IT companies are largely ahead of the curve, their experiences and lessons have been applied across all industries. Despite a national unemployment rate of 4.1%, the overall unemployment rate for tech professionals was 1.9% in April, and the future of open source jobs looks particularly bright. I work in the open source networking space and am witnessing how innovation and opportunities are changing the way the world communicates.
It used to be a slow-moving industry, but now the network ecosystem, consisting of network operators, vendors, system integrators, and developers, is adopting open source software and moving toward virtualization and software-defined networking running on commercial hardware. In fact, nearly 70% of global mobile users are served by LF Networking operator members. These network operator members are committed to coordinating projects that form the open network stack and adjacent technologies.
Skill Requirements
Developers and system administrators in this field are adopting cloud-native and DevOps approaches to develop new use cases and address the most pressing industry challenges. Focus areas such as containers and edge computing are booming, and the demand for developers and system administrators who can integrate, collaborate, and innovate in this field is increasing.
Open source software and Linux make this possible. According to the recently published 2018 Open Source Jobs Report, up to 80% of hiring managers look for candidates with Linux skills, and 46% want to hire talent in the networking field, saying “networking skills” play a crucial role in their hiring decisions.
Developers are in high demand, with 72% of hiring managers looking for them, followed by DevOps developers (59%), engineers (57%), and system administrators (49%). The report also notes that the staggering growth in demand for container skills aligns with what we’re seeing in the networking space, namely the creation of Cloud Native Functions (CNF) and the surge in continuous integration/continuous deployment approaches, such as the XCI initiative in OPNFV.
Getting Started
The good news for job seekers is that there’s a wealth of content about open source software, including free Linux introductory courses. Good jobs require multiple certifications, so I encourage you to explore more areas and seek training opportunities. For computer networking, check out the latest training courses on OPNFV or the ONAP project, or take this Introduction to Open Source Networking Technologies course.
If you haven’t already, download the 2018 Open Source Jobs Report for more insights, plan your course in the vast world of open source technologies, and find the exciting career waiting for you on the other side!
Click here to download the complete Open Source Jobs Report and learn more about Linux certifications.
Reprinted with permission: Developer Relations »
