Despite the strained but slowly recovering economy, and thinly stretched job market, 2013 will the Year of the IT Professional. Niche specific acquaintance with frontend and digital skills are in the highest demand ever, opening up a wide array of lucrative opportunities for both entry level candidates and seasoned pros. In the past, IT jobs have been hard to come by, but a continuous emergence of new technologies has reversed this trend. Here are five IT jobs that will be in especially high demand for 2013.

Front-End Development
Front-end development will be one of the most in demand IT jobs in 2013. A knowledge of programming is a plus, though the core job description is varied and flexible. It entails copywriting within multiple delivery systems (blogs, e-boook and e-newsletters, podcasts, social media), the employ of HTML5, Javascript, and CSS3 as well as the creation of logos, websites, advertisements, and brochures. A marketing background enhances the viability of any given individual as the majority of these IT jobs will be created by businesses.

Technology Sales
What's new is already old in technology. Computers, serves, software, and hardware age fast, have short shelf lives and become obsolete in no time. Any individual whose ear is to the ground and who is ahead of technology trends can write their ticket in technology sales and purchasing management. As businesses gradually begin to meet the need for new software and hardware, breaking into technology sales is becoming fairly easy. One can peruse literally thousands of open positions on popular job search websites. One can either work for a technology sales company, or in the technology sales department of a company that provides other products, goods, and services. Sales experience is preferred over technical experience, since most companies will conduct a comprehensive training program.

Backup and Recovery
The whole world has gone mobile and begun reaching for space in clouds. Our wired world stands tall on an IT infrastructure that is only as strong as its underlying fortifications. Enter the Backup and Recovery Specialist. Businesses are no longer merely relying upon peripheral means to save, transmit, and protect data. Instead, companies will maintain a dedicated professional in-house, or outsource work as needed. This Specialist will ensure all data is copied in the most pristine fashion, but also easily retrieved from a previous time in the event of deletion, corruption (damage/hacking). What makes the Backup Specialist unique is his/her ability to extract and manipulate data before sending it to a storage location.

Service Technicians
All this new technology will require repairs. So will old technology and the integration of old and new, or upgrades from the former to the latter. In a slowly rebounding economy where new technologies appear everyday, businesses are more likely to hold off on upgrading systems for as long as possible. Technicians can help businesses maximize whatever existing technology they possess, extending its usability far beyond its expiration date. When the economy officially bounces back, and businesses are prepared to ditch their old technology for new, or graft new onto old, a service technician can guide them through this process, ensuring glitches and bumps are anticipated and overcome. Service technicians who develop a rapport with companies and consistently provide outstanding results can live comfortably on a handful of clients.

App Developers
Another of the most common IT jobs offered online in 2013 will be that of the app developer. The proliferation of smart phones have made mobile apps a source of entertainment and advertising, with apps existing for everything. Available apps correspond to a rapidly expanding series of vertical markets, including but not limited to government, education, health care, retail, professional service, transportation, utilities, and manufacturing. In 2013, there will be more app development opportunities than people to seize them, so swiftly is the app revolution spreading over the global marketplace. The allure of app development is the direct exchange of ideas and sales potential it opens up between a developer and prospective sellers. Individuals with knowledge of programming principals can construct an app and sell it to the highest bidder, or tweak a large company's existing app. The door to this IT job is wide open and the sky's the limit.

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