Needs and desires drive technological improvements, which are made possible by brilliant minds using knowledge, skill, technique, and extensive research. Technology is evolving quickly, enabling faster change and progress and accelerating innovations.

To start with, blockchain’s ability to revolutionise the financial system through decentralised finance (DeFi) has shaken governments and banks. Governments are now looking to introduce their own centralised cryptocurrencies. The Bahamas, for example, was the first country to officially test and introduce the Sand Dollar in 2020, which is the digital equivalent of its Bahamian Dollar. China, too, launched the pilot version of the virtual Yuan at the beginning of January 2022, begging the question, “Will my country be next?”.

However, baby steps must be taken until more states permit the use of centralised digital currency. And since you’re here, you probably like keeping up with the news, so do you own an account on a popular platform and check the Ethereum price USD often? After all, it’s an excellent example of a technological advance that propelled governmental action to create and launch their own centralised cryptocurrency. Now, the GBP, Euro, and US Dollar are expected to launch on their own.

But enough with the talk, and let’s see what other trends will mark this year.

Blockchain 

Although blockchain is generally associated with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, there’s more to this technology than digital coins. It offers security that’s useful in many ways because you can’t change previous blocks. In layman’s terms, it is data you can only add to, not take away from or modify, hence the term “chain,” because you’re creating a data chain.

Plus, because blockchains are consensus-driven, no single party can take control of the data, and no trusted third party is needed to oversee or confirm transactions.

Did you know that many industries seek skilled professionals who know blockchain? Here are some examples of fields where mastering this technology can help you scale up:

• Crypto community manager
• Front end engineer
• Tech Architect
• Risk analyst.

According to Gartner, the commercial value added by the blockchain will surpass $176 billion, which is why it has transitioned from being a technology just for the financial sector or more related to digital coins to being adopted in various sectors.

As industries evolve and implement blockchain, its use increases, and so do the number of jobs and career opportunities. If you’re interested in blockchain, now’s the perfect time to start taking advantage of it. You’ll need hands-on experience with programming languages and knowledge of web app development, networking, data structures, and the fundamentals of OOPS. For expertise, you can enrol in a blockchain training course. And if you have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science or tech-related fields, all the better!

Internet of Things (IoT)

The number of IoT devices worldwide is expected to rise from 9.7 billion in 2020 to over 29 billion in 2030, according to Statista. The highest number will be found in China, with approximately 5 billion consumer devices. Nowadays, there are more than 15 billion IoT-connected devices worldwide, and global spending is expected to reach 1.1 trillion USD. New technologies such as 5G are projected to drive market growth in the following years.

As a consumer, you already benefit from the IoT, whether you lock your doors remotely or preheat your oven on your way home. Businesses can benefit from this technology as well, with improved safety, decision-making, and efficiency as data is collected and analysed. It can speed up medical care, enable predictive maintenance, improve customer service, and provide other hard-to-imagine benefits.

Smart devices are becoming increasingly prevalent in people’s personal and professional lives. Yet, there have been some problems in communication due to different operating systems and platforms. As a result, 2023 will be the year for developing global standards and protocols for more effective communication.

If you want to work with this hot technology, what’s stopping you? Here are some fields that will require knowledge:

• AI and machine learning fundamentals
• Hardware interfacing
• Information security
• Data Analytics
• Networking
• Automation

Digital Twins 

Digital twins have been presenting themselves as one of the leading technological trends for several years, especially when talking about the industrial sector. They’re not just digital replicas of objects, processes, physical systems, or spaces helping to obtain better products, predict potential errors, and reduce expenses. They also break new ground regarding evaluating and simulating whether an industrial plant’s behaviour is adequate, for example.

Here’s how digital twins can benefit industries, companies, and, ultimately, the world:

Predictive maintenance and quality control can be optimised

Physical entities can be digitised from point clouds

Data can be systematically segmented and tagged

Supply chains can be created and tagged.

This technology enables changing components in the digital world until they’re optimised and obtain their best real-world version. It will change how business processes are developed and improve efficiency while saving construction, healthcare, aeronautics, and education costs, among others.

If you’re into this technology, here are some digital twin careers to pursue:

• Digital transformation programme manager
• Process/operational excellence associate
• Senior digital engineer
• Digital project manager
• Digital business analyst.

Digital Trust 

Trust and confidence have been built towards digital technologies as individuals are accommodated and tangled with technologies and devices. With digital conviction, they believe tech will create a reliable, safe, and secure digital world and assist companies in inventing and innovating without worrying they’ll lose the public’s trust.

Ethical hacking and cybersecurity are two significant specialisations you can check out if you want to create a safer space for digital users. In these two, you can find various junior and senior jobs.

For cybersecurity, a master’s degree or diploma is enough to aim for a good salary. However, for ethical hacking, you might need professional certifications.

Here are the top jobs you can find in ethical hacking and cybersecurity:

• Security automation engineer
• Network security analyst
• Cybersecurity analyst
• Penetration tester
• Security Architect
• Security engineer.

All in all, living in the digital age is quite exciting. Whether you’re into artificial intelligence, cryptography, or data analysis, there’s a career you can work for and pursue.

So, what have you set your mind to?