JAKARTA: Technology remains a hot sector for the job market and demand for talents accelerated when COVID-19 hit. STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) majors are at an advantage when applying for jobs in software development, engineering, IT, or tech-related fields. Senior Software Engineer at Forest Interactive, Mantiri Ade Putra was invited to give a talk at ‘Bedah Industri’ (Dissecting the Industry), a webinar hosted by Binus University recently.
Putra shared in his presentation about how the pandemic has positioned information technology in the spotlight. According to Gartner, worldwide IT spending is projected to reach a total of USD4.2 trillion in 2021, an increase of 8.6% from 2020. The spending includes IT professional hiring, devices, and software. McKinsey and Company also shared that the COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the digitization of customer interactions.
“Software engineering, user interface and user experience (UI/UX), mobile development, artificial intelligence (AI), IT engineering, and machine learning are high-demand jobs in the sector,” noted Putra. “Thus, basic skills you need to master if you are interested in working in this field include learning method, communication skill, technical skill, analytical skill, and comprehension on domain knowledge.”
“For the learning method, you need to sharpen your listening skill, pronunciation and speaking, as well as reading and writing. It is also worth to note that communication skills are as equally important as the technical skills. In a real IT company, only 2 out of 100 people have full technical skills, which include database management, company software proficiency, project management, customer service systems, IT security, data analysis, social media management and more,” continued Putra.
Meanwhile, for analytical and problem-solving skills, there are nine ways to develop them. They are; be observant, be proactive, be a part of any debate or discussion, start reading books, build your knowledge each day, say yes to brain teaser games, practice solving skills for problems, be curious and ask questions, and decision making. Last but not least, understanding domain knowledge means thinking about the business process.
Towards the end of his presentation, Putra also shared his advice for parents and teachers. First, facilitate the students with essential tools for them such as a laptop to practise. The last one is understanding the workflows. IT students tend to work differently. They need uninterrupted focus and extra time to practise, develop, and perform various testings.
-ENDS-
About Forest Interactive
Founded in 2006, Forest Interactive develops scalable mobile platforms to connect mobile operators, content providers, and game publishers with their subscribers. With over 15 years of industry experience, Forest Interactive has expanded to include a diverse workforce of 20+ nationalities in 17 regional offices.
Delivering content subscription services, digital voucher and e-commerce platforms, and mobile apps for all ages, Forest Interactive operates in more than 30 countries, servicing 90+ mobile operators and 100+ content partners with the capacity to reach over one billion subscribers worldwide. To learn more, visit forest-interactive.com.
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