UNITEN, March 15, 2017 – The College of Computer Science and Information Technology (CSIT), Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) invited me to their 2017 meeting of the Industrial Advisory Panel (IAP) for the Bachelor of Computer Science (Systems and Networking) (Hons.).

It started with the briefing on BCS (SN) Programme structure and summary of 2016 IAP meeting outcome and action plan by HOD SN, Dr. Asmidar. It was followed by intensive feedback and discussion from various members from the industry and universities such as Western Digital, Microsoft, REDtone IOT, Cybersecurity Malaysia, Ofisgate, Uzma, Intel, UITM, UUM, UniKL and other.

Unlike some Universities who only elected one (1) or three (3) members, UNITEN invited many senior officials from various organizations as their IAP members. This greatly showed the level of commitment by UNITEN and their enthusiasm to get closer with the industry and making their courses more relevant to the current needs.

KUALA LUMPUR March 14, 2017 – MARA (Majlis Amanah Rakyat) invited me to their Academic Advisory Workshop to develop the new curriculum and syllabus for Internet of Things by giving some comments and advise on behalf of the industry.

What’s interesting is that their plan to offer one of the latest topic in the industry for their Diploma intake. It will definitely take sometime to prepare the full contents of their syllabus including the lab facilities, proper teaching materials and equipped their lecturers with the complete knowledge of IoT.

Due to the cross-discipline nature of IoT between Engineering and Computer Science Faculty, it has always become a big debate who will conduct the full IoT course. We approached the discussion based on the 7 Layers of OSI. Since IoT comprised of the first 4 layers (Sensors, actuators and connectivity) and the next upper 3 layers (applications and analytics), new syllabus content need to be developed.

It has always been a challenge by Higher Institutions to justify new and trendy curriculum as a course because they might be preparing the new graduates with competencies for jobs which are not in existence today (but will be big in future).

Have you ever wondered what are the top or most popular jobs in IOT now?

Answer: It depends on the adoption maturity levels of your country.

Just take look at the IoT value chain on the perspectives of maturity levels:

1. Research – from fundamental to applied research and uncovering the mysteries of IoT.
2. University IoT courses – educating the University students
3. IoT training – creating awareness and educating the masses. From basic to intermediate and advanced courses.
4. Consultation – Developing IoT Blueprint, framework and strategic plans.
5. Product Development – Create new innovative IoT solutions
6. System Integration – Integrating IoT solutions with legacy systems
7. Selling IoT Solutions – creating new businesses from IoT

The above activities are translated to job opportunities:

1. Researchers
2. Lecturers
3. Trainers
4. Consultant
5. IOT Product Developers (software and hardware)
6. System Integrators
7. Business Development

Personally, I found out that Trainers and Consultants are making money out of IoT since they are now in demand. (5), (6) and (7) will be in demand within the next 2-3 years.

But in reality, we are seeing too many jobs in the area of IoT Business Development. Most probably, the companies are trying to find business opportunities and create demands. Even in the recent Mobile World Congress 2017 that ends recently, the telcos are still trying to find where the real market resides.

Consultants are in a very high demand where mostly their customers are States who want to implement Smart Cities or Governments that desperately want a new National IOT Blueprint or Frameworks.

Training in IoT has become a high demand for the industry folks since most of them are not trained and armed with the IoT knowledge during their University days. Good for training companies who are seeking knowledgeable trainers.

About the Author

Dr. Mazlan Abbas is an IOT Evangelist and a Thought Leader. He received an award as 50 Most Impactful Smart Cities Leaders by World CSR 2017. He is ranked No. 20th Thought Leader in IOT by 2014 Onalytics Report – “The Internet of Things – Top 100 Thought Leaders”, ranked Top 10 in IoT Top 100 Influencers by Postscapes 2016/2017, ranked Top 100 in Smart Cities Top Experts by Agilience Authority Index May 2016. You can reach him on LinkedIn or Twitter. Check all his presentation slides HERE.