Getting technical-entering the Middle East IT sector

Education is seen as the vehicle for moving nations forward throughout the whole of North Africa, identified as a means to alleviate poverty and increase economic growth in households and at the national level. This is why plans are being made to build several new technical institutes, industrial training institutes and technology colleges in the region. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia alone, top priority has been given to giving Saudi students all across the Kingdom access to higher education.
Educational Opportunities Abound
More than a million students currently study at private and public universities. Private colleges and universities often outnumber those that are fully owned and operated by the government. The weather is good all year round, attracting individuals from countries where harsh, cold winters are the norm. Students who are not of Arab heritage and wish to pursue a technical course of study in the UAE, such as a computer engineering degree course, aren’t required to do Islamic studies but they must study Arabic.
The World Bank has helped to provide funding for several opportunities that are being offered in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries. Inability to pay for university tuition shouldn’t prevent someone from achieving their educational goals, and scholarships are available for students who wish to study for a career in the IT sector.
To qualify for financial assistance, prospective candidates at the high school level must maintain good conduct, pass language exams associated with their course and fulfill a number of other requirements. With assistance from the government, the hope is that many more graduates of universities in the Middle East will move on to postgraduate studies. The top universities in the Middle East include the American University of Sharjah, Higher Colleges of Technology, United Arab Emirates University and Abu Dhabi University.
Landing the desired jobs
A degree in computing can provide you with the knowledge you need to get a job in the Middle East. IT is currently one of the strongest employment areas in this part of the world. People who work in this profitable sector are employed as:
Data communications analysts
Systems managers
Computer support specialists
Hardware engineers
Systems analysts
Network systems administrators
Software engineers
Programmers
Information research scientists
Right now, companies in the Middle East are looking for developers who can design new applications, develop new modules and maintain the applications which already exist. In addition to having a degree and other suitable certification(s), IT specialists are required to handle multiple tasks at once, prioritize in a rapidly changing environment and be good at solving problems. However, they aren’t on their own. They’ll be supported by robust IT architecture and work in state-of-the-art offices.
Making for the Dubai Internet City
As the largest ICT hub in the Middle East, Internet City has helped to push Dubai and the rest of the region further towards a knowledge-based economy. People who successfully complete an IT course and work in Dubai Internet City or a similar area are likely to have the opportunity to work for Fortune 500 companies. LinkedIn, Facebook and several brand names that are known internationally have their operations in the Middle East, and qualified IT professionals who have been trained in MENA and elsewhere earn a good salary there every year.
The Middle East is a real land of opportunity for technical people. You just have to make sure that you study first to make the most of the openings available.
Source: Education News