A promising opportunity

Sumit Saurabh

The Internet of things (IoT) is an ecosystem of connected physical devices/objects that are accessible through the internet. IoT is a system of interrelated devices, digital products, objects, people or animals that are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring any human interaction.

 A career in IoT is quite promising for those who have innovative thinking and creative abilities and are looking for an exciting work environment, professional development, and higher compensation that IT professionals. Though, is a perfect domain for scholars interested in contributing to technological advancement, however, it must be warned that it’s not easy to become a ‘deep’ IoT technologist as learning one platform or skillset isn’t enough.

Skills needed

 ·  A natural curiosity about the world and the problems where technology can provide a solution.

· Teams working on IoT projects comprise a mix of engineers, website developers, programmers, UI/UX designers, etc. Therefore, IoT developers need to develop soft skills, such as good communication and interpersonal skills for closely working with all of them to help translate connectivity and other data-related goals.

· The ability to learn and apply the concepts by building multidisciplinary skill sets is the key to a successful career in IoT.

Career Opportunities

1.      IoT Hardware Analyst – This QP primarily takes a complete hardware perspective. For engineers coming from Electronics / Electrical background, this is an ideal QP if you want to have your career in the hardware aspect of IoT. The QP is designed as a pack of skills that includes Circuit design, Hardware realization in terms of PCB, Optimization, Verification and Validation, and System thinking aspects.

 The NSQF (National Skill Qualification Framework) level for this job role is 5 and the minimum educational qualification required to enroll in this job role is Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering / Technology / Statistics / Mathematics / Computer Science.

 2.      Embedded Full-Stack IoT Analyst – This QP primarily takes the software perspective. With a primary focus on Embedded Software design, this QP focuses on skill-building in areas like Embedded programming, Operating Systems, UI development, Debugging, Testing and release of quality software. This QP also gives very good focus to inculcate engineering best practices. For engineers who are willing to have a career as Design Engineers, this QP would serve as an ideal skill pack.

 This job role is covered under the NSQF Level 5 and the minimum educational qualification required is a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering / Technology / Statistics / Mathematics / Computer Science.

Salary trends

The salary of IoT professionals in India is nearly 76% higher than that of IT professionals. While IoT professionals get a median salary of Rs15.2 LPA, the median salary of IT professionals is around Rs 8.65 LPA. For Entry Level- salaries start from: Rs 3.5 – Rs 6 LPA while the mid-level professionals can make around Rs10-25 LPA.

 Conclusion

 The future of IoT is virtually unlimited due to advances in technology and consumers’ desire to integrate devices such as smartphones with household machines. A networking and connectivity protocol has made it possible to connect people and machines on all platforms. Also, there is so much data travelling from device to device. Security is another key concern will need to be addressed to keep up with demands. From an individual’s perspective IoT offers excellent career opportunities which need to be harnessed. However, it requires you to have the necessary skill which is going to be the key differentiator.

 The writer is Director-Desizn Circle