I’m preparing to go to college, and would like to hear some people’s thoughts on what skills would be valuable to have in ten years, from an IT perspective. I’m initially majoring in computer science, and have thought of doing quantum computing electives/research opportunities. What do you think will be the skills to have in 10 years?
College curriculums are barely teaching skills that are directly relevant in the industry <i>today</i>, let alone 10 years from now, and that is by design. The best approach to your career as a student is to get a solid knowledge of the basics. Coding, data structures, algorithms, statistics, combinatorics, proofs, compiler design, computer architecture, cryptography, operating systems, databases. And work on the non-technical areas as well – teamwork, communication, technical writing.<p>All of this will provide a foundation that you can build on for the rest of your career, no matter which direction the industry happens to go in.
From an IT perspective, social skills. All the soft stuff that's impossible to measure. I'd put some more points into charisma because people aren't going away. gone are the days of being an eccentric genius who's good with computers. there's a less eccentric smart person who's just as good at computers, and they even take regular showers. being able to code is table stakes in today's competitive world, you need to be able to do far more to be competitive. So the skills to last are all based on an understanding of human psychology. If I sell you something at $5 that's one thing. But how about I tell you that it's normally is $10 and I'm giving you a deal because you're special. The technology stacks will wax and wane, any specific guess is going to look hilarious in 10 years. Typescript? Cuda? Linux? Who knows! What isn't going to change is change. Change is going to remain constant, so be prepared to keep learning new things in 20 years.
It's difficult to predict, but I don't see the classics going away: Java, JavaScript, SQL.<p>But overall, the goal should be to get a broad range of experience in different platforms so the technology you use is irrelevant. From that point on you just need to decide where you want to invest your time.<p>For example, when I was doing internships in college I invested in getting Java experience because I knew that it was used by large companies (companies who pay more). This paid off and I was hired by a company who paid me a lot of money to use Java straight out of college. Now I'm paid a lot of money by another company to use Java.<p>So you want to have the capability to code in anything, but you have to decide which technologies to put on your resume based on what's out there. Knowing Java, JS, and Web Application Development is never a bad idea.
There will always be demand for people that can:<p>1. Solve problems.<p>2. Communicate complex issues in a way everybody can understand.<p>3. Discover the real problem that is trying to be solved instead of the perceived problem or per-determined solution.<p>The technical tools at your disposal are constantly evolving but the principles remain the same.
If you want a clear path avoid IT. The best advice is learn to learn and don't ever stop. In my over 40 years the only constant was change. Whatever you learn at college don't assume you will end up using it.
Honestly, the most important skill is to learn how to learn. There are some basics that will always be useful such as SQL or any of the popular high level programming languages. But in 10 years, the demands of whatever sector you want to work in will have changed in ways that we can only guess. But learning how you learn, what techniques help you stay focused are much more useful in the long term.<p>If you are serious on going into research, seek out (abstract) mathematics. It's a language in itself and (in my experience) takes the longest to become comfortable with.
Communication and marketing. Nobody really knows what will be important on the technical side, especially as 10 years is a good timeframe for disruptive changes from AI. But being able to communicate well, with other humans, with yourself, and maybe even AIs, and marketing yourself on at least the basic level, are skills, which are very important in any business.
Tbh, idk. Idk even what skills are the most in-demand right now, because everything is getting constantly and rapidly disrupted. Most likely in the next 10 years, skills which will be most demanded are skills which won't be easily replicated by AI.
If LLMs are in an early phase, in 10 years we would be in the declining phase (with better tech replacing it?). Something akin to React today. So I think going 100% in on LLMs is a risky but high profitable road to take.
Electronics, machining and manufacturing<p>Knowing how to actually apply computers directly to solve problems quickly is always quite valuable outside silicon valley
The best skill is understanding your limits.<p>Just because quantum research is in demand doesn't mean you will be in demand or successful.<p>Take Elon musk for example.<p>He knows a Stanford PhD is highly valued. But it only took him two days to realize that he doesn't have the IQ that match his classmates and he is not smart enough to be a leading researcher. He realized it early enough.<p>Had he decided to continue to stay at Stanford, he would have probably dropped out after 2-3 years feeling demoralized with imposter syndrome.<p>So the best skill I can think of is always knowing your limits.
When do we start banning these questions?<p>It is literally asked and answered every week at least.<p>Not using search before asking shows disrespect to community, am I wrong?