After decades of showing promise, the Internet of Things (IoT) is finally making an impact on the business world.
Intriguing applications for the IoT exist in multiple business sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, and more. Embedded IoT devices generate massive amounts of data, providing actionable information for companies using real-time analytics.
The increased popularity of the IoT continues to create demand for talented IoT engineers. If you are interested in entering this field, understanding the necessary qualifications definitely helps, including skills and experience. With a goal of building a lucrative career, let’s look more closely at how to become an IoT engineer.
What Strategies Are There to Become an IoT Engineer?
What is the Role of an IoT Engineer?
IoT engineers share the responsibility for designing, managing, and monitoring an entire IoT platform. This includes the embedded IoT devices as well as any servers and other computing equipment used in the platform. In some cases, the applications and data used for monitoring and data analysis reside in the Cloud.
Obviously, an IoT engineer needs to be versatile, combining the skills of a network administrator, programmer, and data analyst. Some engineers even program the devices themselves, requiring embedded systems development ability and experience. All told, lucrative opportunities in the six-figure range abound, even for entry-level engineers.
Depending on the size of the entire system, some engineers might specialize in certain areas. For example, someone with network administrator experience focuses on IoT network design and maintenance. A data analyst boasts machine learning skills to glean actionable information from data generated by the platform. A software engineer concentrates on building the applications used to monitor and manage the entire IoT network.
Skills Needed to Become an IoT Engineer
As noted earlier, a typical IoT engineer combines the skills of a network administrator and a full stack developer. Skills and experience in machine learning and embedded systems development reveal the wide range of responsibilities highlighted above. As such, the necessary programming language experience ranges from Python to C++.
Additionally, experience coding the sensors used in IoT devices is a plus. Exposure to Raspberry Pi and Arduino provides some of this experience along with the embedded systems work mentioned earlier. Depending on the IoT system, candidates might also need Cloud and database experience. Databases store all the system generated data, which might reach Big Data capacity levels for larger platforms.
In the end, the IoT engineer remains one of the most intriguing technical job roles. It requires a talented professional with versatility and a strong mix of skills to succeed.
Ready to Become an IoT Engineer?
If you are interested in furthering your programming career, contact the team at The CERES Group. As one of the top IT staffing agencies in Boston, we know the companies looking for talented candidates. Connect with us soon!