The better question may be – what IT careers aren’t in demand today? The number of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) graduates is growing, but not enough to keep pace with the demand.  The Department of Labor projects 18.8% for software developers and 20.9% for computer systems analysts.

That said, IT is a broad career category – which careers are most in demand? Here are a few highly sought after fields to consider focusing on as you embark on an IT career.

1. Cloud computing

Remember when you would save files or presentations to a CD-rom, so your files could go with you wherever you go. Today everyone uses a share drive such as Dropbox or Google Drive. Virtualization makes it possible to power technology from the cloud – no hard drive required.

Cloud architects have familiarity with platforms such as VMware or Amazon Web Services. Those platforms help government users, from the Department of Defense to the CIA, manage their IT infrastructure virtually. You’ll probably start your career in cloud computing as a systems engineer or software developer. As you build familiarity with tools from NetApp to vRealize, you will have a skillset highly sought after in both the government and commercial sector.

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2. Data Analytics

The cloud has opened up vast storage capabilities. Whether it’s government or industry, there are more ways to gather and store data than ever. Now the question is – what do we do with it? If you love mathematics and statistic, you may want to focus your IT career on data storage and analytics. Here are some of the tools and platforms data scientists may use:

  • Apache Hadoop
  • SQL
  • Hive
  • R
  • Python

The basic background you’ll need are skills in engineering and management. Data scientists or analysts often work closely with product teams to turn data into action.

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3. Java Developer

In IT, often the focus is on the hot jobs like data and the cloud. The fact is, some career paths, like java development, are always in demand. If you’re just starting an IT career, Java is a great place to start. If IT becomes your passion, you can easily launch your way into a number of career paths – including the cloud or big data. And you’ll have the foundation of a programming language to take with you.

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Lindy Kyzer is the director of content at ClearanceJobs.com. Have a conference, tip, or story idea to share? Email lindy.kyzer@clearancejobs.com. Interested in writing for ClearanceJobs.com? Learn more here.. @LindyKyzer