If you plan to embark on a journey in the field of IT, your experience and self-learned skills are not going to help alone. There are a number of courses that one can pursue to gain credibility. This field also sees various functions and roles evolving rapidly, making it all the more important to upskill oneself to stay at the top of the game. With the benefits of digitization, the need for various kinds of IT professionals can be expected to grow. Here is a comprehensive guide to the top courses and career opportunities in IT.

Top IT courses

A myriad of IT courses available in the market can help you teach a particular skill but the credibility you can obtain will vary depending on various factors.

Additionally, some courses may require its candidates to appear for an exam for being eligible to get the completion certificate.

These are some of the IT courses you can pursue. Some of these are for non-IT professionals wanting to brush up or gain new skills in information technology.

Cybersecurity: Managing risks in the information age

This is a short online course provided by the Harvard Office of the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning (VPAL) (Get Smarter Creative). The program aims to help the candidates equip themselves with all the information for the management of operational, litigation, and reputational risks. The course can help its students assess the various vulnerabilities in the data networks of their respective organizations and find the best ways to mitigate them. By the end of the course, the students will get a thorough understanding of the importance of cyber risk management and learn to assess the various kinds of threats, and understand the difference between legal and compliance risks for the organization and the sector. The course will also help the person to learn an incident response plan, in the event of a cyber attack.

The course lasts for eight weeks and is conducted online. It requires those enrolling in to spend at least 8 hours for it each week. The course is made up of several smaller modules, each of which is released on a weekly basis, allowing ample time for those enrolled in the course to understand each of them thoroughly. The modules for the program are as follow:

• Cybersecurity risk is a business risk
• Identifying the threats to an organization
• Identifying important business systems and assets
• The crucial role of leadership in managing cyber risk
• Understanding technology
• Cyber risk and the law
• Incident response and accountability
• Designing and implementing a mitigation strategy

This online course comes with a variety of learning materials in various forms, including videos, infographics, e-learning activities, written module notes, and much more. It is a mix of traditional and modern learning components. 

This course is well suited for security professionals and those whose role involves drafting cyber policies for an organization.

Internet of Things: Business Implications and Opportunities

This is another one of the short IT courses available that is highly beneficial for those looking to use the Internet of Things (IoT) technology to transform a business. IoT can help in advancing the operations of several businesses, and this course aims to help individuals do just that. 

The course lasts for six weeks, and students may be required to spend some time on the orientation (not included in the total duration). At the completion of the course, those enrolled in it will be able to confidently lead IoT-based transformation by effectively embedding it in the business strategy, gain an understanding of the insights on how the roadmap for the IoT transformation will work, and get an idea of the components and the effects that a particular IoT based approach will help.

This course is made of six modules and is conducted online. MIT School of Management has collaborated with GetSmarter to help bring a modern learning experience to those enrolling in the program. Currently, the course requires the students to spend six to eight hours every week to learn what is provided in the weekly modules. The modules for the program are as follows:

• Demystifying the Internet of Things
• Leading IoT: Levels of mastery
• Digital capabilities
• An overview of key IoT technologies
• Aligning IoT and strategy
• Creating an IoT roadmap for the future.

The course also touches on some areas of effective leadership that can lead the IoT-based transformation, making it ideal for those in leadership roles. Additionally, those working in operations and technical positions can also benefit from this online course. The weekly milestones are designed, keeping in mind the hustle of professional lives.

Berkeley Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Program

This is an online program that offers alumni benefits with the course. IT professionals at mid-level positions can pursue the course for getting a leadership role. 

This is a full-time course lasting over seven months and is conducted in both online and on-campus environments. 

The program has been divided into five modules – three of these are conducted in-person while the rest are hosted online. The on-premise classes happen at the UC Berkeley campus and are conducted by world-renowned faculty. The curriculum for the program covers the following areas:

• Introduction to program: Data, tools, people, and security
• Data and the organization
• Data to insights to strategy: Artificial intelligence & machine learning
• Technology infrastructure
• Managing people and change
• Technology policy, privacy, and security
• Practicals

The course also involves practicals. At the end of the course, the participants will be equipped for developing an effective technology strategy, create frameworks for understanding and anticipating technology trends, effectively identify technology solutions, and improve their leadership skills. 

The Berkeley CTO program is ideal for people working in the roles of Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Chief Innovation Officer (CIO), Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), VP of IT, VP of product development, VP of technology, general manager, heads of departments, and heads of business units. It is also an ideal course for entrepreneurs. 

Professionals enrolling in this course are eligible to join alumni chapters and clubs in their respective regions and can even attend alumni events. The course requires a decade of experience and is open to only those serving at the senior level or have previous experience serving at the level.

Enabling Technologies for Data Science and Analytics: The Internet of Things

This is a five-week course conducted by edX. edX was founded in 2012 by Harvard University and MIT. It has over 90 global partners aiding it in the quest for providing online education. The course can be done free of cost but will require the participants to pay a stipulated fee for getting a verified certificate. 

The prerequisites for the program include knowing high school math and some amount of understanding of computer programming. This program helps in understanding the various elements of IoT and how the data is collected from various locations using sensors. 

During the course, the participants will learn about the various protocols, networks, and about some basic software involved in IoT. By the end of the course, the course will give a complete understanding of how IoT enables automated decision and control as well as a better understanding on data science, and natural language and audio-visual content processing.

This is one of the best self-paced IT courses available. Ideally, it would require 7-10 hours per week.
 

Executive program in Information Technology: Strategies and Solutions

This course is offered by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and is an on-campus course. The course is offered at four campuses of the university. Two of these are in Chicago and Philadelphia. The other international campuses are in London and Madrid.

The program aims to give its participants all the know-how about how one can improve various aspects of the business with IT. The course aims to help the participants understand the core of IT that can help them in making sound IT-related decisions like an investment in technology for an organization. On completion, the participants will be equipped to read and create an architecture diagram and be well-versed in all the related terms and concepts to communicate effectively with CIOs, CTOs, technology managers, and others in the IT team. The course has also been designed to help professionals anticipate any future technology trends and understand the importance of the new ones.

This is a three-day course which is ideal for business executives and professionals in similar roles who lack the knowledge about the Internet or IT. The online course modules for the program are:

• Hardware topics
• Software topics – Introduction to ERP & CRM software applications
• Internet technologies – Technology implementation landscape
• Technology evaluation and selection
• N-tier e-Business architectures – Middleware and system integration
• Database technologies – Computer security and IT strategic management

Apart from these IT courses, there is a variety of certifications that you can get if you are an IT professional or want to make a switch to any role in the field. Some of the highest-paying jobs in the IT industry include:

• Programming jobs
  Coding has become an integral part of all tech-led businesses across industries. A software programmer is responsible for writing and testing the code for various software applications. 
• Web developer

A web developer is responsible for creating the website from scratch. This includes the visual as well as the technical aspects of website building. There are several IT courses available online and on-campus for web development.

• Computer & information system manager

This is also called the IT manager role and involves creating technology plans for an organization, executing them with the help of a team, and creating various phases of the execution. You will need a minimum of a bachelor’s degree for this role.

• Data modeler

A data modeler is responsible for reducing redundancies in data sets. Typically, data modelers work with a team to execute data flow strategies. 

• Cloud architect

This is one of the highly sought after job roles as the popularity of cloud computing systems is increasing. A cloud architect is responsible for taking care of server administration and networking. He/she will also be responsible for running various applications on different networks.

IT is an alluring field and offers several well-paying jobs. There are several IT courses available now that can help IT professionals and other professionals grow in their roles. Some of these IT courses are especially ideal for non-IT professionals as this can give them a strong understanding of the field and its various concepts, leading to effective communication with IT teams.