IoT or the Internet of Things is one of the hottest areas growing on the internet. Track your vitals while you are running using FitBit? Scanning QR codes from the phone to make payments from your bank account? You name it, and IoT is there for you.
Well, the IoT, in layman’s terms, is to connect things to
the internet and be able to control or monitor activities in any scenario irrespective
of your location. With 5G under development, the Internet Of Things jobs are
foreseen to sell like hotcakes soon.
In this blog, we shall try to pen down some of the assorted
career opportunities in this domain.
IoT Career Opportunities
1. Data Analytics
In simple terms, it is one of the Internet of Things jobs
that is aimed at making sense of whatever data you collect using your IoT
devices which is otherwise just a heap of data. This role is essential in a
firm as in this job; you should be very strong in statistical understanding,
able to find correlations, tabulate your findings from data in a graphical and
presentable manner and have knowledge of working with statistics-based
languages like R, SAS as well as some Python libraries like NumPy, Pandas, etc.
An individual having all these skills is considered an asset to a company.
2. Network and the Networking Structure
In the world of IoT, the hardware setup to deploy solutions
can get complex, and the huge chunks of sensors and wires rigged up to different
peripherals and ports contribute majorly to this complexity. In case even a
single wire/connection fails due to some reason, the machine may not work as
desired or not work at all. Hence, this calls for the need for a Network
Architect. Professionals specializing in Network Setups and Networking would be
required to ensure that all the connections work well. In short, employees in
this field must be able to design an efficient network architecture that is
foolproof of several wiring problems and follows all the communication
protocols effectively.
3. Security
One of the core problems of the Internet is safeguarding the
users from hackers and malicious programs. Therefore one of the Internet of
Things Jobs is dedicated to securing your devices. If this part of your IoT
solution is compromised and a hacker gains control of one device, then
eventually, the network does not stand invulnerable anymore, and all your data
is put at risk. The professionals in this field are responsible for doing
regular testing and challenging the system’s integrity with different
techniques, find and fix security flaws wherever the system fails and put the
whole process of using an IoT Device under a smooth and secured connection
bubble. To work in this field, you must know Vulnerability Evaluation, Public
Key Encryption, and know techniques to secure wireless networks. Cyber Security
understanding is a good way to start towards this.
4. Hardware and Devices
What makes a device ‘Smart’? Is it just by connecting any
device to a network? Well, it is more than that. Organizations need to modify
their devices to be able to fit the networks and work accordingly. Though it’s
mostly an integration of several sensors and transmitters, it is one of the
core jobs in the IoT industry. To deem fit for this IoT job, professionals must
have the know-how of working with different sensor modules, transmitters,
protocols, and integrators like Zigbee, BLE, etc.; and keep themselves updated
with working towards any new device/technology that enters the mainstream.
5. User Interface
This IoT job seems easy to design compared to the jobs
mentioned above but requires a whole amount of creativity as it is the UI that
would sell your product in the market. A normal customer may not understand all
the specifications of the device but would leverage his choices based on how
comfortable it is to use it. An interactive and eye-catching UI that provides
all the controls to customers and understanding is one of the selling points of
your IoT product. There was a time when the computers only worked on a black
screen with the users using only the Command Terminal and are managed only by
some professionals but, with the onset of making all these devices available to
the people, it has become our daily essential, and their presentability has
changed more to User-friendly mode. If you choose to be a UI developer, your
task would be to ensure that users get the best experience (or UX) with your
creativity and designing skills. You should be able to put yourself in the
shoes of your customers, understand and fulfill their requirements.
6. Sensors And Actuator Professional
Diving deep into the field of hardware and devices, this job
will need you to be well versed with the knowledge of setting up the right type
of sensors or actuators that serves well for the application and meets the
design specifications and power requirements of your system. Your role would
also be to test different tools and continuously pick the most optimum solution
for any application. You would also be responsible for researching and staying
updated with the industry and researching several technologies. As a hobbyist,
one could start by buying a set of sensors and trying to do small projects
before upskilling to a professional level.
7. Embedded Programs Engineer
Another Internet of Things job dedicated to hardware is the
most crucial part of your IoT device since it handles the software and control
code. As an embedded programs engineer, your task would be to design several
PCBs that match the utility of the problem under consideration and access the
firmware of the device to program certain predefined and non-negotiable
functions to access the networking of your device across. Integrating software
engineering with non-computer devices and working closely with the hardware is
the key role of Embedded Programs engineer.
8. Artificial Intelligence
AI and Machine Learning Skills become essential when the task involves big data analysis and deriving findings. To create smart applications over huge volumes of data, technologies mentioned in AI and ML help in the long run. Job seekers need to understand algorithms designed in AI, ML, and different have a strong understanding of plotting libraries to represent data efficiently.
To sum up, an IoT developer would work on
- To
research, build, test, and document state-of-the-art IoT solutions with
integrated electronics and firmware development.
- To
develop innovative IoT mechanisms that help to monitor, execute, and
perform self-diagnostic processes.
- You
should be well-versed in embedded software architecture – prior experience
in working with UML use-case diagrams, class-diagrams, and sequence
diagrams to accurately depict system architecture is highly valued.
- To
develop MEAN stack solutions.
- To
learn the functionings of and implement new state-of-the-art
tools/techniques to showcase experience in quick prototyping methods and
structured implementation.
- To
design and work on different solutions for cloud-to-edge IoT applications
with customizable configuration abilities for deployment to different
clients with different needs.
- To
work on tackling complex real-world problems.
- To
plan and work on tools to optimize the process.
Notable Skills required to become an IoT Developer
- Consider
practicing coding with multiple programming languages like embedded-C/C++
and Python. In several cases, people lack DSA skills and therefore can opt
for courses like the one offered for free by Great Learning in DSA,
GeeksForGeeks’ DSA Self-learning courses, and much more. You can also
refer to Coursera for different programming specializations.
- Understanding
the Linux-OS and its several processes of file handling/ management and
process control can help a lot. Courses offered by The Linux Foundation,
Coursera, and Udemy can give a great start.
- You
should possess in-depth technical knowledge in working with 32-bit ARM
cortex M3/M4 controllers.
- You
should have prior experience in working with wireless stacks like Zigbee
or Thread or BLE-Mesh and expert knowledge in writing business logic on
embedded environments using test-driven methodology on RTOS and non-RTOS
platforms.
- You should be proficient in communication protocols including I2C, SPI, 1-wire, UART, MODBUS, DALI and have excellent communication, problem-solving, and analytical thinking abilities.
Conclusion
IoT is a very rapidly growing field. The IoT career opportunities that currently exist could never be even imagined or thought of before. There are many fields, as we discussed, to choose from currently, and you can either go into security, design the UI, or design the various subsystems like sensors, embedded software. The choices presented before you are endless.