New Skills Are Needed To Work On Internet Of Things

For instance, in September, the University of California at Berkeleys School of Information unveiled a masters degree in information and data science. All classes are held online; the programs first cohort is learning advanced statistics, software programming and how to process the data collected from sensors and mobile devices, among other skills. The students are also required to study ethics and data privacy. Carnegie Mellon University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University, among other schools, have introduced similar data-science programs. Whenever large companies like Intel and Cisco mention new Internet of Things initiatives, it is a reminder that technology curriculum must evolve to meet the growing demand for IT skills, said AnnaLee Saxenian, dean of Berkeleys School of Information. People need to be able to work with data often unstructured data at very large scales, and need to be able to explore it, Saxenian said. Then they need to be able to communicate it with decision-makers. Almost all in the 28-person pilot class are working professionals who are completing the degree in their free time, Saxenian said, and it could take 12 to 18 months to do so. Most are 10 to 15 years out of college, and many have PhDs, she said. But specialized data-science programs like these are not yet commonplace.
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