Top 10 IT Skills in Demand for 2025 & Beyond
January 26, 2025
Introduction
A year ago, we brought to you some of the top IT skills to learn in 2024. While a lot has changed ever since then, many of those IT skills are still very much useful.
If I am to define the IT ecosystem in one word, it should be dynamism, and this is why techies all over the world are constantly trying to upskill themselves, learning new skills and working on already pre existing skills.
It’s 2025 and I am going to bring to you 10 of the top IT skills you should watch out for and ideally get into this year. These skills aren’t just coding or programming specific skills. Like the title says, they are in IT, so they cut across various domains in Information Technology.
Enough of prep talk and let’s get into it.
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
What were you expecting? I know, but even if you don’t like it, that’s where the entire IT space is migrating actively to. In the past few years, we’ve seen big tech giants struggle to dominate the AI industry. Every platform now incorporates AI into their services, sometimes even as a Chatbot. None of them wants to be left behind, and all of these indicate one singular thing; AI is coming so fast.
While we can’t tell if it’s going to be a bubble, there is a high possibility that it will forever change how IT works, just like the internet completely changed computing and shaped it into what it is today.
Today and in the future, we would see the application of AI in virtually every aspect of our lives, cutting across tech to areas like governance and even our personal lives.
But, all of these won’t be possible if not for Machine Learning, an older technology that isn’t going extinct soon. Understanding the fundamental technologies that powers AI models gives you an upper hand in the scheme of things.
Now, taking AI as a skill you want to learn is cool, you can choose different subsets of it and that’s fine, but if you love the underlying engineering behind it, you can shift your focus more on ML, creating the actual instructions that gives AI a mind of its own. It’s all your shot to make.
2. Cybersecurity:
If I am being quite honest here, I’ll tell you that I was a bit conflicted on which IT skill is to come first in this list, AI/ML or Cybersecurity. As one who is in the industry, I can tell you that cybersecurity is a big thing to look out for if you are looking for a skill to learn this year that wil survive for decades to come. From 2023 to 2033, this industry is expected to grow by over 30%, causing lots of empty roles to be made available by the end of each year.
With the surge in cyberattacks, the need for cybersecurity professionals has never been greater. Roles such as SOC Analysts, Penetration Testers, and Security Engineers are in high demand. Proficiency in threat detection, risk management, and compliance will be crucial.
But, hey, this skill, along with most core IT skills here are highly paid skills, but they require great proficiency to actually stand out.
Guess what? You don’t necessarily need to be in core tech to be in cybersecurity, fields like GRC are more concerned with the legal aspects of the field and if you are interested in that path, you can pick it up.
3. Cloud Computing:
The days of manual onsite data storage are long gone. Everything has gone to the cloud.
The reliance on cloud-based solutions continues to grow as businesses seek scalability and cost efficiency. Certifications like AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Microsoft Azure Fundamentals, and Google Cloud Professional are highly valued.
Combining these certifications with mastery of cloud solutions are invaluable and will remain invaluable skills even after 2025.
4. Internet of Things (IoT)
As more and more devices are being given internet access, both developers and engineers focused on creating IoT devices are now becoming highly in demand. For instance, Air conditioners, Refrigerators and even doors are now being connected to networks and this means that they would require specialized programming to help them connect to home networks and sometimes, the larger internet.
This market is expanding rapidly, connecting devices across homes, industries, and cities. Professionals skilled in IoT architecture and hardware integration will play a significant role in this field.
5. Blockchain and Web3:
Blockchain technology and Web3 are revolutionizing industries beyond cryptocurrencies, including supply chain management, digital identity, and healthcare.
The internet is rapidly moving from the centralized nature of Web2 to the decentralized nature of Web3 and it is not too late to get into this decentralization.
When it comes to benefits, one key benefit of blockchain is its ability to maintain integrity, a needed utility in IT and this has made it an fast emerging field.Combining blockchain technology skills with Web3 solidifies one's ability to retain relevance in IT.
6. Software Development:
Perhaps you might have heard that software development itself is going to get replaced by bots and AI in general, but I kid you not, software development is more than just writing codes, over time, it has evolved into something big.
Yeah, while AI can code, it is still at a stage that it simply can’t obliterate the entire software development industry, and even if it manages to displace some coders, it still runs on software which requires someone to feed it with instructions. Software developers remain indispensable guiding these AI tools when available to create software.
There are different branches under software development, and you can choose from anyone. There is even no-code software development using tools like WordPress.
7. UI/UX Design:
Creating intuitive and engaging user experiences is a skill that merges technical skills with soft skills like psychology making it an invaluable IT skill.
Knowledge of tools like Figma, Adobe XD, and Sketch, coupled with an understanding of user behavior, is essential for UI/UX designers.
8. AI-Powered Automation:
This is like a combination of AI and software engineering, but it is on its own league. Learning Automation tools, driven by AI, are transforming industries by reducing manual tasks and improving efficiency. Professionals who can design and implement AI-driven workflows will find significant opportunities.
Many organizations are looking for automated software and hardware tools, automated flows and learning this skill in 2025 using AI agents will make you in high demand.
9. Data Analysis:
While being an industry that is expected to be highly impacted by AI, the need for skilled data analysis professionals continues to rise. Quoting Google “In the next few years, every tech company will be a data company”
The entire IT industry relies heavily on data and this growing importance in data has made professionals skilled in using data to derive actionable insights a needed asset in IT companies globally.
10. People Skills:
You can’t be in IT without people skills. The entire job of IT professionals is to serve people with products and services and understanding what goes on inside the minds of the potential users of your product or service is a leverage in staying relevant.
Asides getting people skills to understand potential users, to excel, you need to build relationships with fellow colleagues. Many have gone from being a skilled IT practitioner to actually building unicorn companies. We know many of them, and they were able to successfully do this because they’ve mastered people skills.
At this point, it is safe to say that you won’t succeed much in IT if you have core IT skills, but lack the necessary people skills.
How to Get Started
And that’s a wrap, our top 10 IT skills for 2025 and beyond.
Now, you might be asking, “How or where do I learn these IT skills?” Well, we are going to create detailed articles for each of our top 10 IT skills.
In the article, you will get to see basic requisites for getting started in this skill and where you can learn them. Meanwhile, you can join our WhatsApp community to mingle with fellow techies and even get tech roles based on your skill.
Wrap Up
The IT industry is constantly evolving, and staying relevant requires continuous learning and adaptation. By mastering these top 10 skills, professionals can position themselves for success in 2025 and beyond. Start today and embrace the opportunities these skills present in shaping the future of technology.
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