DevOps engineers think Docker, Ansible and Kubernetes are the top 3 tools to learn

Source – jaxenter.com

The data is in. According to Packt’s third annual Skill Up survey, Machine Learning, Big Data, and cloud computing are the top three trends in tech for 2017.

Five thousand developers and tech professionals across the world responded to Packt’s third annual Skill Up survey to share their thoughts on the latest tech tools and trends, and how they work and learn. This year’s survey went even deeper than previous years, asking respondents to share their opinions on issues such as equality in tech, and career development at work.

The aim of Packt’s Skill Up survey is to keep developers and tech professionals relevant so they can gain a competitive edge in their careers by understanding what upcoming trends they are interested in and how they prefer to learn and engage with them.

Skill Up 2017 at a glance

What are the biggest trends in the tech industry? In Packt’s 2016 Skill Up survey, developers identified Virtual & Augmented Reality, Machine Learning, and the Internet of Things as the biggest upcoming trends.

This year, Machine Learning, Big Data and Cloud Computing make up the top 3. In particular, Cloud Computing was championed by respondents working as Full-stack Developers and SysAds.

Money, money, money

Who earns the most money in tech? And who’s earning the least? Some of these responses seem pretty obvious. Others, less so.

The top five earners in tech are:

1. C-Suite Level Managers
2. Big Data Engineers
3. Mid-level lead/Managers
4. Security Engineers
5. Information Architects

Information Architects just made it into the top five, with Cloud Engineers and DevOps Engineers perhaps unsurprisingly not far behind, in at 6th and 7th respectively, and earning a keep more akin with the industry average.

And the lowest paid?

1. Hobbyists
2. Game Developers
3. Web Developers
4. Technical Supports
5. Mobile Developers

Hobbyists are unsurprisingly in the top position, with many only working on side-projects alongside non-tech related full-time jobs. What’s interesting is that the ‘trendier’ roles in tech in the gaming and mobile sectors are suffering financially. Could this be down to a highly competitive market?

Skills that pay the bills

It’s good news for DevOps specialists – Hadoop and Chef both made it to the top five skills needed to land the highest paying jobs. What else made the cut?

1. Splunk
2. Hadoop
3. Kafka
4. Chef
5. SAS

Which tools are most popular?

Python, Git and Visual Studio make up this year’s top three tools. DevOps engineers shun Visual Studio in favor of Docker. Cloud engineers also cite Python and Docker as their favorites, with the addition of AWS, whilst Information architects are big fans of Python, Eclipse, and Visual Studio.

What skills should you learn next?

Take note – Docker is the skill to have under your belt if you want to stay ahead of your colleagues, coming in at the number one tool to learn in tech in the next 12 months, followed by Python and Angular.

For those working in DevOps and Cloud Computing? DevOps engineers think Docker, Ansible and Kubernetes are the top three tools to learn over the next year. Cloud engineers are almost in full agreement, swapping Docker for a focus on OpenStack, while Information architects are all about Docker, Hadoop, and React