Top 10 In Demand Technology Skills to Learn in Kenya

If you want to start a career in technical field, make a lateral move into another field, or advance up the ladder at your current job, learning this top 10 in demand technology skills is an excellent place to begin your transition.

Of course, tech is a broad field, and there are a lot of interesting directions you can go in. In this article, we’ll look at the various areas of tech, how much demand exists for each skill, and where to go to start your learning journey.

Let’s take a look at the top 10 in demand technology skills to learn in Kenya

Skill #1: Artificial Intelligence

In today’s world, technology is growing very fast, and we are getting in touch with different new technologies day by day. Here, one of the booming technologies of computer science is Artificial Intelligence which is ready to create a new revolution in the world by making intelligent machines.

AI is rapidly changing the landscape of work in Kenya, making it an exciting time for programmers looking for something new. Hiring growth for AI specialists in Kenya has grown 74% annually in the past 4 years.

Why Artificial Intelligence?

Following are some main reasons to learn about AI:

  • With the help of AI, you can create such software or devices which can solve real-world problems very easily and with accuracy such as health issues, marketing, traffic issues, etc.
  • With the help of AI, you can create your personal virtual Assistant, such as Cortana, Google Assistant, Siri, etc.
  • With the help of AI, you can build such Robots which can work in an environment where survival of humans can be at risk.
  • AI opens a path for other new technologies, new devices, and new Opportunities.

Prerequisite

Before learning about Artificial Intelligence, you must have the fundamental knowledge of the following so that you can understand the concepts easily:

  • Any computer language such as C, C++, JavaPython, etc.(knowledge of Python will be an advantage)
  • Knowledge of essential Mathematics such as derivatives, probability theory, etc.

Skill #2: Machine Learning

Machine learning is a growing technology which enables computers to learn automatically from past data. Machine learning uses various algorithms for building mathematical models and making predictions using historical data or information.

In Kenya, it is being used for various tasks such as image recognition, speech recognition, email filtering, Facebook auto-tagging, recommender system, and many more.

Skill #3: Data Science & Analytics

Data Science has become the most demanding job in Kenya in the 21st century. Every organization is looking for candidates with knowledge of data science.

Why should you take Data Science?

  1. The number of Data Science and Analytics job listings is projected to grow by nearly 364,000 listings by 2025 – Forbes
  2. The average salary for a Data Scientist is $120k as per Glassdoor
  3. Businesses analysing data will see $430 billion in productivity benefits over their rivals not analysing data by 2030

The Data Science course offers:

  • In-depth knowledge of Data Science Life Cycle and Machine Learning Algorithms
  • Comprehensive knowledge of various tools and techniques for Data Transformation
  • The capability to perform Text Mining and Sentimental analyses on text data and gain an insight into Data Visualization and Optimization techniques
  • The exposure to many real-life industry-based projects which will be executed in RStudio
  • Projects which are diverse in nature covering media, healthcare, social media, aviation and HR
  • Rigorous involvement of an SME throughout the Data Science Training to learn industry standards and best practices

Skill #4: Data Visualization (Power BI)

Data visualization is a way to help people understand the significance of data by placing it in a visual context. For instance, by turning spreadsheets or reports into charts and graphs that can be easily understood.

Think of this career as a bridge between technical and non-technical roles. You’re taking the data collected by analysts and transforming it into a form anyone can understand.

Why Learn Power BI?

Power BI is a business analytics service provided by Microsoft. It provides interactive visualizations with self-service business intelligence capabilities, where end users can create reports and dashboards by themselves, without having to depend on any information technology staff or database administrator.

Power BI provides cloud-based BI services – known as Power BI Services, along with a desktop-based interface called Power BI Desktop. It offers Data modelling capabilities including data preparation, data discovery and interactive dashboards.

Skill #5: Information Security (Cybersecurity)

Cybersecurity is the protection of Internet-connected systems, including hardware, software, and data from cyber attacks. It is made up of two words one is cyber and other is security.

Cyber is related to the technology which contains systems, network and programs or data. Whereas security related to the protection which includes systems security, network security and application and information security.

Why learn this Course?

There are currently over a million Cyber Security job openings globally, and demand is greatly outpacing supply – which means more opportunity, job security, and higher pay for you!

With nearly 40 hours of intensive training, by the time you’ve completed these course, you will be a pro at protecting organizations, individuals, and networks from digital attacks.

Skill #6: Cloud Computing/AWS

Cloud computing jobs are on the rise in Kenya because more and more companies are switching from the classical server infrastructure to cloud solutions. According to Gartner, the market for public cloud services is projected to grow by 17% in 2025 to total $266.4 billion.

Amazon Web Services is one of these cloud platforms, featuring content delivery, database storage, networking, and more–over 50 services in total. Since it is currently the biggest platform, we’ll highlight some specific facts about AWS in this section.

What is AWS?

Amazon web service is a platform that offers flexible, reliable, scalable, easy-to-use and cost-effective cloud computing solutions. AWS is a comprehensive, easy to use computing platform offered Amazon. The platform is developed with a combination of infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and packaged software as a service (SaaS) offerings.

Applications of AWS services

Amazon Web services are widely used for various computing purposes like:

  • Web site hosting
  • Application hosting/SaaS hosting
  • Media Sharing (Image/ Video)
  • Mobile and Social Applications
  • Content delivery and Media Distribution
  • Storage, backup, and disaster recovery
  • Development and test environments
  • Academic Computing
  • Search Engines
  • Social Networking

Skill #7: Internet of Things (IoT)

Internet of Things(IoT) is a network of physical objects or people called “things” that are embedded with software, electronics, network, and sensors that allows these objects to collect and exchange data.

The goal of IoT is to extend to internet connectivity from standard devices like computer, mobile, tablet to relatively dumb devices like a toaster.

Why Learn IOT?

Internet of Things is considered as the next big technology revolution after invention of Internet. It is supposed to make tremendous impacts on lives and may possibly lead to betterment of millions of lives throughout the world. According to Cisco, over 60 million devices are expected to be connected to IoT by 2025.

Healthcare, Logistics, Aviation, Education, Information Technology name any thing and IoT will become an integral part of all these verticals. Internet of Things is believed to bring about the singularity which will ultimately converge into becoming the Internet of Everything.

IoT has therefore become a leading interest of technologists in Kenya and is perceived to be the NEXT BIG THING in IT industry. Learning IoT will not only provide you a career boost but you will also be able to gain insights on how technology has affected the world and will continue to do so in the coming decades.

Skill #8: Mobile Development

There are 3.5 billion smartphone users in the world today, and that number is continuing to grow every year. This means that companies in Kenya who want to stay relevant don’t just need websites; they need apps. Having mobile development skills also comes with the perk that if you can build apps for others, you can build and sell your own as well–so it’s an ideal career path for aspiring entrepreneurs.

One interesting direction that mobile apps are headed in is augmented reality. Apps like Pokémon Go and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite game engage with the real world, blending technology and reality.

Why Learn Android App Development?

Android is fast becoming one of the biggest platforms for programmers in Kenya today. There is a huge demand for skilled Android developers all over the world. Most businesses across multiple domains are building Android Apps both for enterprise and retail products.

Skill #9: Blockchain

BLOCKCHAIN can be defined as a chain of blocks that contains information. The technique is intended to timestamp digital documents so that it’s not possible to backdate them or temper them. The purpose of blockchain in Kenya is to solve the double records problem without the need of a central server.

The blockchain is used for the secure transfer of items like money, property, contracts, etc. without requiring a third-party intermediary like bank or government. Once a data is recorded inside a blockchain, it is very difficult to change it.

Quick Facts About BLOCKCHAIN As A TECH Career:

  • Average salary: between $150,000 and $175,000
  • According to Gartner, the business value of blockchain will be $3.1 trillion in by 2030.
  • Between late 2017-late 2018, demand for blockchain engineers increased by 400 percent
  • Tech giants like Facebook, Amazon, IBM and Microsoft are working on blockchain

Skill #10: Robotics

Robotics is a branch of Artificial Intelligence (AI), it is mainly composed of electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and computer science engineering for construction, designing and application of robots.

Robotics is science of building or designing an application of robots. The aim of robotics is to design an efficient robot.

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