Beyond Certificates: Why Practical Tech Skills Will Define Careers in 2026
By Abbas Badmus,
By 2026, the rules of the technology labour market will have quietly but decisively changed. Degrees and certificates will still matter, but they will no longer be the primary currency of employability. Instead, hands-on ability, adaptability and the capacity to learn continuously are emerging as the most valuable assets in a fast-evolving digital economy.
As automation accelerates, cloud computing becomes the default infrastructure, and agile methods reshape how products are built, organisations are rethinking what they really need from their tech workforce. The result is a gradual shift away from rigid job titles and formal credentials towards practical competence and real-world problem-solving.
According to Cloud Engineer Rajarshi Ghosh, the pace of technological change has made many once-popular skills obsolete, but a few have demonstrated remarkable staying power.
“The landscape is changing year on year, so what was a trend in 2019 may not be relevant in 2025, but there are some skills that will have a bright future,” he said.
At the top of that list is cloud computing. As organisations seek to cut costs, scale quickly and improve resilience, more of their systems are moving away from on-premise servers to cloud platforms. Industry giants such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google continue to invest heavily in cloud infrastructure, reinforcing its central role in modern IT.
By 2026, professionals with practical experience in platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud are expected to be in high demand, particularly those who understand cloud security, automation and cost optimisation. For many employers, proof of real deployment experience now outweighs theoretical knowledge.
Data science
Data science and analytics remain critical, but the field is becoming more focused and specialised. Ghosh described data science as one of the most widely applied digital skills, touching everything from fraud detection and market analysis to politics, consumer behaviour and healthcare.
“Applications are huge. Data science is applied everywhere,” he said.
However, as tools become more advanced and automated, companies are hiring fewer data scientists, while expecting stronger, more measurable impact from those they retain. The emphasis is shifting from abstract modelling to practical insights that directly inform business decisions.
Big data and the rise of NoSQL
Another enduring trend is the move away from traditional relational databases. With organisations now ingesting massive volumes of unstructured and semi-structured data from social media, mobile applications, Internet of Things devices and financial markets, conventional database systems are struggling to keep up.
“Nobody wants to keep only normalised, structured data anymore,” Ghosh explained.
NoSQL technologies such as MongoDB and Cassandra are increasingly preferred for their ability to handle scale and speed. While not new, expertise in big data architecture continues to be relevant as data volumes grow and diversify.
Web Development
Despite periodic predictions of its decline, web development remains a core digital skill. Its resilience, Ghosh noted, lies in constant reinvention.
“Web development is an old skill but always required. The technology landscape has evolved a lot, but it is still a hot skill,” he said.
The barrier to entry may be relatively low, but long-term relevance demands continuous learning, from new frameworks to evolving security standards. For those willing to stay current, web development continues to offer steady opportunities.
Mobile App Development
As mobile devices continue to dominate global internet usage, mobile app development is also evolving. Rather than maintaining separate teams for iOS and Android, many companies are adopting cross-platform approaches to reduce costs and speed up development.
“Companies don’t want to spend money on hiring separate developers for iOS and Android,” Ghosh said, pointing to the growing demand for hybrid developers skilled in tools such as React Native, Flutter and NativeScript.
With no sign of slowing mobile adoption, these skills are expected to remain valuable well beyond 2026.
Digital literacy
While advanced technical roles attract most attention, digital marketer Sarang Bakshi stressed that basic digital literacy is becoming non-negotiable across all professions.
“Every student should learn at least these basic IT skills. It doesn’t matter which field or profession they choose later,” he said.
Core competencies such as using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, managing files, practising proper email etiquette and understanding basic hardware and software operations now form the foundation of workplace effectiveness. Bakshi warned learners against poor-quality training, urging consistent practice or proper guidance instead.
Not all technology jobs are benefiting equally from these changes. Startup Chief Technology Officer Alex Rogachevsky argued that many traditional corporate IT roles are under threat, largely due to automation and cloud adoption.
“Any technology manager needs to have technical skills,” he said, criticising management structures where decision-makers lack hands-on understanding.
According to Rogachevsky, roles such as desktop support staff, system and network administrators, database administrators, DevOps specialists and traditional project managers are increasingly being absorbed into broader engineering responsibilities.
“Cloud hosting, automation, and microservices are replacing many of these roles,” he said.
Looking ahead, he believes the future tech workforce will revolve around three core functions: engineers, designers and managers, working in small, product-focused teams with full ownership rather than rigid functional divisions.
Yet high demand does not automatically translate into good pay or job satisfaction. Digital marketer Blake Senftner warned that many entry-level technology roles remain undervalued.
“The highest demand is always for professionally naïve people who do not know their worth,” he said.
He argued that low wages and high turnover in junior roles are driven less by artificial intelligence and more by economic structures and workplace practices.
“This is not caused by AI. This is human nature doing capitalism,” he said.
By 2026, the message is clear: employability in tech will be defined less by what is written on a certificate and more by what a person can actually build, fix or improve. As roles evolve and boundaries blur, those who combine solid fundamentals with adaptability and real-world experience will be best positioned to thrive in the next phase of the digital economy.
