Metaverse specialist, cloud architect and programmatic buying manager: the most in-demand jobs in the digital environment | Technology

When talking about the metaverse, everything is still very abstract: it sounds familiar to some, few know it, hardly anyone knows how to explain it, who is working to make it a reality? Companies are already looking for candidates who know how to function in this environment, and for this reason the term “metaverse specialist” appears, for the first time, on a map of the most demanded professions in the digital world, according to data from the ISDI Business School. Experts in blockchain and artificial intelligence are other novelties on the list, which has 40 innovative professions that a few years ago would have sounded like science fiction.

It is a range of jobs that until very recently did not exist, but as a result of the digital transformation, the need for someone to occupy them within companies has arisen. Nearly one hundred percent of the positions on the list have names in English. data scientist (data scientist), full stack developer (computer developer) and cloud architect (cloud architect) are some of those who require training in STEM degrees (the nomenclature for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics courses). Other functions are related to digital marketing, such as digital media planner (digital media planner), artwork specialist (Illustration specialist), programmatic trader (programmatic buying manager), digital analyst (digital analyst) omnichannel manager (omnichannel director) are some of the functions that request training in degrees such as Advertising and Communication. But it is not enough to just have the title, practically all of them put a specialization or a master’s degree as a prerequisite, or previous experience in the area.

To create the map, ISDI has used the base of 2,300 companies that usually ask for directions for professions with high demand in the market. They have collaborated with Accenture, IBM, WPP, L’Óreal, NTT Data and ISDI Coders to define the name of the professions, their functions and the academic and work experience necessary to practice them. The term “metaverse specialist” has been suggested by the consulting firm Accenture. Dan Ciocoiu-Muntiu, head of Metaverse at Accenture Song in Spain, Portugal and Israel, explains that it is due to a need to incorporate more personnel capable of “developing ecosystems and coordinating assets” in augmented reality (AR) technologies, virtual reality (VR) and mixed (MR). The latter seeks to combine the user’s real environment with content added and designed virtually. “Acquiring these profiles has been a challenge, since it is typically a hybrid profile that combines design and creativity in AR/VR and MR with technical knowledge of the platforms,” says Ciocoiu-Muntiu. And he adds that, in the last year, more than 200 clients have asked Accenture for help to understand “how the metaverse can change their business”.

When it comes to anglicisms and newly created names that are difficult to understand, confusion is common. Cathy Barrera, PhD in Business Economics from Harvard University, explains that the term metaverse is, in reality, an umbrella that covers different technologies, many of them not even so new and that have been part of the reality of some industries for a long time. “There are companies that use augmented reality in manufacturing processes, for example. Others, who use virtual worlds to help employees collaborate during telecommuting, ”says Barrera. The other angle is those that want to use the metaverse to reach customers, such as video game companies and beyond, the commitment of Meta, which wants to create a complete universe.

More than 200 clients have asked Accenture for help to understand “how the metaverse can change their business”

In Spain, the Complutense University of Madrid has been one of the pioneers by launching two programs last year, a certificate and a diploma in Virtual and Augmented Reality. And after a demand that has risen day after day, he now has a master’s degree in Metaverse with his own title. Eduardo Herranz Sánchez, professor and co-founder of the educational entity Utopia Academy, which coordinates the courses at the Complutense University, maintains that the interest in learning about the metaverse has ceased to be a subject of “speculation” and “fashion” since Facebook became in Meta. “For each program, in which 36 students enter, there are 250 requests, not counting those who request information,” he adds.

Sánchez, who has a doctorate in Computer Science and Technology, underlines that companies are more interested in forming teams specialized in disruptive technologies, such as those related to the metaverse. Many business schools, mainly virtual, have taken advantage of this increased interest to sell courses online. Enough with google “metaverse course” and a dozen options of different formats and budgets will come out.

Fight for the talents

With the advantage of possessing the skills that the market most demands, technical profiles in the digital environment are the ones who have the greatest chance of choosing where, when and how they want to work. The scarcity of these capacities has given way to open competition, where companies from different sectors admit to “fighting” for the same professional profiles. Human resources teams now have to treat candidates as clients and put into practice marketing actions that until recently were used only to sell: hyper-personalized selection processes, investment in advertisements and strategies to win them over before and after hiring.

During the presentation of the map, the representatives of the six companies agreed that the greatest challenge is the creation of talent: finding, motivating and retaining them. Especially in the area of ​​cloud architecture and engineering. For each open vacancy in this field, which is dedicated to developing and implementing different services in online networks, there are an average of seven suitable candidates. It is few, but professionals related to cybersecurity are even rarer: for each position in information security roles, there are between one and three potential applicants. By way of comparison, across the range of digital professions, designers working in areas such as user experience and user interface (UX and UI) typically compete with 55 other people.

Barrera, who leads the first executive program on the metaverse at one of America’s great institutions, the University of Pennsylvania School of Business, adds that there will always be new technologies and a need for new professions. At present, it is the metaverse and the blockchain, but in a few years it will be other things. And that doesn’t detract from all other human skills: “Even technologies evolve doesn’t mean other skills become obsolete,” he concludes.

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