The demand for dedicated cyber security talent is higher than ever before, and it's unlikely to decelerate any time soon. Many companies are feeling the pressure from an ever-growing threat landscape, and are compelled to seek out professionals who can help protect the organization from harm. According to a study conducted by the Center for Cyber Safety and Education and (ISC)², the workforce shortage in the cyber security industry is projected to hit 1.8 million by 2022. There's no better time for professionals in the cyber security field to hone and expand their skill set, becoming a valuable asset in the process.

When it comes to developing these skills, it helps to view them in the context of cyber security specialties. While job roles and day-to-day responsibilities often overlap, and professionals must adapt to new knowledge all the time, these specialties can still help an aspiring cyber security professional focus on a group of skills that are most appropriate for them.

The following are in-demand cyber security specialties and the skills you need to excel in each one:

A breakdown of the myriad skills, platforms, and credentials that will help you succeed in the red-hot field of DevOps engineering.

What is DevOps, and why is it smoking hot right now?

DevOps is a combination of the words Development and Operations. An approach to software development with roots in Agile, DevOps breaks down the walls that separate the software development side of IT from the operations side. DevOps has many goals including improved communications between software development and IT operations staff, and the better, faster creation of applications that are immediately fit for production use.

DevOps is hot due to its proven competitive business advantages. “High-performing organizations [in this context, organizations that use DevOps] decisively outperform their lower-performing peers. They deploy [software] 200 times more frequently, with 2,555 times faster lead times, recover 24 times faster, and have three times lower change failure rates.” – The Puppet 2016 State of DevOps Report.

To prepare for a career in DevOps, learn what skills are in greatest demand, the tools and technologies you should master, and the certifications that can show employers you measure up.

The jobs you want; the skills you need.

“CompTIA projects global IT industry growth of 4.1 percent in 2017. If this growth materializes, it will push the $3.4 trillion global IT industry past the $3.5 trillion mark by year’s end,” according to the CompTIA IT Industry Outlook 2017. A one-hundred-billion-dollar increase in one year in an already massive market, where sufficient candidates are already lacking, has to spell job openings, and it does.

ITCareerFinder targets the ten hottest IT jobs this year, based on market data, outlining the skills you need to step into these positions. (The Computerworld Forecast 2017 is the source for job demand statistics where not otherwise stated.)

Here are the top 10 IT skills and job roles that hiring managers need in 2017:

The propagation of artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, mobile and cloud computing is putting software into every business, organization and industry. And naturally, with code running in everything and everywhere, the demand for software development skills is increasing at an accelerated pace.

There are literally hundreds of programming and scripting languages, each with a unique learning curve, domain of utility, and salary expectations. If you do a quick search of the most popular programming languages, you’ll find different and contradicting results.

So here are 10 hot programming languages, in no specific order, that are very likely to land you a lucrative programming job in 2017 and beyond.

Blockchain, the distributed ledger supporting bitcoin, is finding its way into an increasing number of domains. Here's an intro to this exciting new technology along with tips on getting started in a blockchain development career.

Along with other technology trends like Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality, blockchain has become a buzzword in Silicon Valley and beyond. Blockchain is the distributed ledger that powers bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Now it’s proving its potential in other fields including the Internet of Things, supply chains, finance and entertainment

Tech giants such as IBM and Microsoft are starting to invest in blockchain and plan to incorporate its features and innovations into their businesses. Experts believe that blockchain will be a defining factor in the future of the Internet and online business.

Consequently, knowledge of blockchain use cases and development can help your business in the long run, and your career as a technology expert and software developer. Here's what you need to know about getting started with blockchain development.

Machine learning (ML), the subset of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that enables computers to “learn” to perform tasks they haven’t been explicitly programmed to do, took huge leaps in 2016.

Basically, machine learning refers to algorithms that ingest huge amounts of data, extract patterns from that data and turn those patterns into actions. It is now being employed in a vast number of industries to improve efficiency and open up new possibilities. When you see an advertisement on a website that seems aligned to your needs and tastes, it’s machine learning doing its magic. When Amazon makes suggestions about what other products you might be interested in buying, a machine learning algorithm is at work behind the scenes. The same goes for your Facebook newsfeed, and countless more every-day examples. ML is also slated to do much more in the future, such as fighting cybercrime and even running beauty contests.

And naturally, as is the case with every technology that starts to gain traction and become widely adopted, machine learning is creating a ton of IT job opportunities, especially for software engineers and data scientists. The average salary for AI and machine learning talent is north of $100K, and in some cases on par with NFL quarterbacks.

Here are the skills needed to begin and advance your machine learning career path:

Data breaches are growing in number, size and criticality, the cybersecurity talent gap is widening, and the security unemployment rate is at zero. A recent survey of IT decision makers across the U.S., Europe and Asia shows most firms are aware and worried about vacant cyber security posts and feel vulnerable to attack.

All of these signs are indicative that cyber security and InfoSec skills are in remarkably high demand and are a good place to start for anyone looking to begin or advance a successful IT career path. Whether you're seeking to land an exciting - and well-paying - job or are looking to serve the greater good and make our online lives safer, here are 10 certifications that will provide you with the right credentials to kickstart a successful IT security career in 2017 and beyond.

Cyber security skills fall into different categories such as secure coding, vulnerability and penetration testing, breach detection, and attack mitigation, which you can choose based on your background, interests, and current skill set. Each of the following cyber security certifications covers the tools, techniques and best practices in one or more of these sought-after categories.