IT continues to be a booming field, and new graduates are often confronted with a number of decisions. There are many areas of IT to consider, and new graduates often have mixed feelings about what they want to spend their time doing. Fortunately, there are some areas of IT that are showing strong signs of growth, and choosing the right field can lead to lucrative jobs. Here are three hot areas for new IT grads.

1) Cloud services
The cloud has been demeaned by some as merely a buzzword, and it has not yet taken over computing as some predicted a few years ago. Despite this, new cloud installations are coming online every day, and businesses are slowly but steadily making the transition. The cloud has been shown to be effective, and mature platforms are now available for businesses of all sizes. Setting the cloud up and maintaining it requires more work than traditional network installations, and the cloud paradigm is constantly being tweaked. As a result, those who are able to remain flexible and learn new technologies will be poised to succeed. As more businesses make the switch, the cloud is going to become one of the dominant fields of IT. Learning these skills and gaining experience can prepare an IT graduate for success.

2) Mobile development
While mobile development is often considered to be the realm of programmers, there is plenty of work for IT graduates as well. Mobile devices are not just a fad, and they will continue to become embedded in business as time passes. To deal with this, companies are hiring consultants and experts who can devise techniques for using mobile devices in the office effectively. Further, many companies are looking for custom solutions that match their particular needs. Mobile development is also a great place for young IT grads to learn a bit of programming. Because mobile platforms are unified, software development for mobile devices is easier than development on desktops and laptops. In addition, companies are often looking for fairly simple solutions. By learning as much about mobile devices as possible, IT graduates can prepare themselves to be at the top of the mobile field.

3) Database maintenance
Databases have never been the most exciting field of IT, but they are being deployed at an astounding rate. The cloud and mobile devices rely on databases to deliver information in an effective manner, and they are often the bottleneck in a network. Database optimization is increasingly being viewed as the key for the speedy delivery of information. Further, companies are looking toward reimplementing their existing databases to take advantage of modern database servers, updated paradigms and, in some cases, the NoSQL model. By learning as much about popular database servers as possible and learning the theory behind database optimization, IT graduates can ensure decades of work and lucrative consulting contracts.

IT programs have become popular in recent years, but the growth of IT is ensuring that the field will not become saturated. By taking advantage of new fields and preparing to work with outdated platforms, young IT graduates can prepare themselves for their futures.

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Tom Hiller is an IT specialist and guest author at Best Colleges Online, where he recently wrote about the Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs in Computers and IT.