The world is growing smaller everyday—compact and more accessible thanks to this thing called technology. It is impossible to imagine what we might witness in the next few years; with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning on the rise the possibilities are limitless. Due to this same reason, technology has inevitably risen to the top of careers that young students want to pursue. Apart from the fact that technology is trendy, it is also very accommodating, in this quickly evolving world there is always room for people who want to join the force.

India, however, is a country that produces 88350 engineering graduates every year who have specialization in IT; engineers from other fields also seek jobs in the IT sector. With so much competition in the market and a plethora of job opportunities available at one Google search it is important to narrow down our options.

So here’s a list of careers that seem to be taking the IT market by a storm:

1. Machine Learning Engineer

Artificial Intelligence is the hot topic today, from kids in primary school to fresh college graduates; everyone is invested in learning about AI. Of course, Artificial Intelligence is the future of technology and Machine Learning is a subpart of this huge phenomenon. Why Machine Learning Engineers top this list is because today the Internet runs on ML, with the help of Big Data it creates algorithms that make user experiences personalized. ML learns from past data and predicts browsing habits.

2. Data Scientist

Data Science is another chunk of Artificial Intelligence. It is a multidisciplinary field that focuses on organizing cluttered data, then analyzing it. Thus effectively trying to draw patterns and insights out of the data that is available. It is predicted that Data Science is a field that is going to blow up in the coming years.

3. Software Developer

Becoming a software developer is what we would typically imagine an IT graduate as. Developers are meant to understand user needs and design softwares and applications accordingly. These engineers are then split into Front End and Back End Developers: depending upon the kind of work they prefer to do. There are also Full Stack Developers who can manage both the data, modeling at the Back End as well as the UI/UX at the Front End.

4. Blockchain Engineer

Blockchain Technology is another field that is expected to rise tremendously in the future, as the world continues to become digital. It is important that everything on the Internet is safe from hackers, cheats and imposters. As a result, by 2023 around 15.3 billion will be spent on blockchain solutions, thus drastically increasing the number of blockchain engineers required in the country.

5. Robotics Engineer

Robotics is considered a high-end profession in India. Apart from the use of robotics in the gaming industry, it is also imperative in labs, medical fields, agriculture and aerospace industries. In the future, robots are expected to facilitate and reduce human labour, thus making it another extremely important field of technology.

Of course, these incredible career opportunities are only available after the right education. And in order to receive the right education it is imperative to choose the correct University. However, with the number of colleges and universities that exist today it seems almost impossible to make a decision. So here’s a few ways to narrow down your choices and make your decision simpler.

Academics: Of course, the first step to choosing your university is to figure out the career that you want to pursue. This certainly filters out a lot of the options available to you.

Location: The second step is to understand where you want to be, whether you would prefer being close to home or in a different city altogether. You also need to make choices according to your preference: do you prefer a city to the countryside? Do you like the cold? And so on. Although these questions seem silly, they are imperative for you to like your university.

Ranking: The rank of your university ends up telling you a lot about it: from the faculty to the extra curricular activities available, these are all important for your overall development as an individual.

Accommodation: Since you will be studying here for a minimum of 3-4 years, you need to find a comfortable place to reside, whether it is in dormitories or apartments. This would also include figuring out your mode of transportation, accessibility to shopping centers, medical facilities etc.

Finance: The tuition fees and your cost of living are important parts of making your decision. Here, you can also explore scholarship opportunities.

Career Prospects: After your education you tend to look for career opportunities. College placements certainly facilitate this process. Therefore, checking out the placement statistics of your university can be another box on your checklist.

Applications: Once you’ve looked at all of the things mentioned above and shortlisted a few universities. You can then start looking at the application process for the same.

These seven steps should reduce your prospective university options and help you in figuring out what would fit you best.

Also Read: Top Universities in India for Engineering, Top MBA Colleges Ranking in India & Top Engineering Colleges Ranking in India