Doretha Clemons, Ph.D., MBA, PMP, has been a corporate IT executive and professor for 34 years. She is an adjunct professor at Connecticut State Colleges & Universities, Maryville University, and Indiana Wesleyan University. She is a Real Estate Investor and principal at Bruised Reed Housing Real Estate Trust, and a State of Connecticut Home Improvement License holder.

There's a big demand for people with top-notch computer skills. This demand typically arises through one of two ways: either there are plenty of jobs requiring a particular program or skill set, or there is demand in a niche area, where few people have the exact knowledge required for that specialized program in the ever-evolving technology industry. Here's what you might want to focus on.

SAP

Those with experience in SAP -- an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) program -- will be pleased to know that their skills are not likely to become less desirable any time in the near future. In fact, many industries are in great need of SAP professionals, such as the aerospace, healthcare and defense industries. It has been suggested that demand for SAP professionals is quickly surpassing the supply.

Within SAP, there are several specialties. Those with experience in SAP HANA in-memory databases are perhaps the most in demand.

Adobe Programs

Adobe has released several programs and software packages that make analytics even simpler.

Adobe Flex is an open-source program that allows for the easy development of mobile phone applications, which is a great addition to the resume of those who already have strong web-development skills. In fact, mobile web development is a very strong area of growth within the IT industry.

There's also ColdFusion, which is still in widespread use for those who build web applications. Similar to those who specialize in Flex, this is a great tool to have in addition to your other web-development skills.

Adobe Captivate allows users to make traditional PowerPoint presentations more interactive through the inclusion of videos, animations, quizzes and other personalized options. There's also the Adobe Creative Suite, which is a grouping of several already-popular Adobe programs that helped to define the Adobe brand. Within this group of programs, you'll find InDesign, Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Illustrator. These are all tools that are in high demand within publishing, web development, marketing and beyond.

Sharepoint

Sharepoint is a fairly common program, so there is a definite need for those with strong skills in this area. Within Sharepoint, there are various areas that IT professionals can focus on. Those who go the development route will likely want to have skills in web technologies as well, such as .net, XML and HTML.

Microsoft Dynamics

CRM technologies continue to be popular areas within the IT world. Microsoft Dynamics is comprised of a variety of programs falling into the CRM category. Iva de Sousa, formerly of Harcourt Recruiting Specialists, specializes in recruiting for the IT industry. She explains that "Microsoft Dynamics is where a lot of small-to-medium-sized organizations are going. For those looking to get into this field, going into programming and development is a good area."

VMware

VMware is used to create cloud-based networks that are often more efficient than traditional land-based networks. "Network server and system administration is big and typically comes with bigger paychecks than a lot of development positions. Knowing VMware is key now," De Sousa says.

Professionals with virtualization skills are particularly in demand if they have experience in migrating from traditional to virtual networks.

Alfresco

Alfresco is an Enterprise Content Management System (CMS) program that falls into a small, niche area within the IT world. "Only handfuls of people specialize in certain areas of IT. Alfresco is one of these areas," de Sousa says.

Java

This skill has been in demand for some time and is likely to stay in demand for a long time to come. Java is an important skill in developing web applications and social media. As many organizations look for new ways to integrate social media into their marketing strategies, there is plenty of room for IT professionals to earn a living in Java development, in addition to other web 2.0 technologies.

The Bottom Line

Finding your perfect fit in the IT world should be based on finding the right combination of your interests and your ability to find work. One of the challenges of the IT industry is that things are constantly changing and evolving. IT professionals must always stay on top of the game by learning new technologies as they're introduced to the market.