Illustration: Chen Xia/GT

According to recent statistics from human resource consultancy Puxin, salary growth in China's IT industry hit 16.2 percent in 2013, the fastest growth pace of any industry measured by the firm and edging out the real estate industry by 3.4 percentage points. Puxin predicts similarly impressive growth over the coming year, with salaries in the mobile Internet and mobile gaming segments projected to grow by 15 percent. Moreover, recruitment consultancy Robert Walters Plc is forecasting strong demand for management talent in the e-commerce sector over the near-term, according to the 2014 Global Salary Survey it released on January 21.

Expanding salaries in the IT industry reflect China's dire need for innovative talent in this deepening information age. As mobile Internet technology becomes more sophisticated, IT companies are now transforming many traditional sectors. For example, online investment products like Yu'ebao, developed by e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, have gained widespread popularity and many experts believe that such vehicles will radically alter the country's financial services landscape. Meanwhile, online educational platforms like Coursera are partnering with universities in China to offer Internet users opportunities to learn new skills, acquire knowledge and instantly interact with other students. These and other examples show that we are in the middle of a new wave of informatization and digital communication. To tap the full potential of this technological tide, China's IT sector will require talented individuals who can learn quickly and think outside the box.

To succeed in the IT industry, professionals must consider the fundamental differences between this industry and more traditional fields. Perhaps the most important distinction lies in consumer demand.

While many companies create demand, most IT companies are focused on satisfying existing demand. By and large, companies which make and sell physical products have to direct most of their energy and resources toward convincing consumers to purchase their goods through advertising and other forms of marketing.

On the flip side of this coin however, IT companies can find success by thinking of new ways to meet existing demands or to make daily life more convenient. By their very nature, it is easy for IT products to solve the problems that come from long distances and limited information access.

With so many IT products being driven by consumers, professionals in this sector must be able to identify problems through thoughtful data analysis and research. They should be capable of recognizing meaningful patterns within huge data sets and understanding user behavior and preferences. Spotting hidden demands in daily life and resolving them in innovative ways through the utilization of technology is vital in this regard.

The second key feature of the IT sector is speed. As we all know, an IT product can be released and transmitted to users within seconds. Developers and programmers must also be able to quickly adapt and update their products as well. Through user-oriented principles, information and feedback must be gathered and parsed quickly with an eye toward both current and future problems.

There are numerous methods to accomplish this process. For example, Chengdu Chaoyouai Tech Inc, makers of the popular English vocabulary learning application Baicizhan, invites customers to its office every week to use the program with its staff members. Meetings are held after each session to discuss feedback and make adjustments to improve the experience of users. Here we should keep in mind the evolving nature of IT products: a program doesn't have to be perfect when it's released, but its makers should always be thinking of new ways to refine and perfect their offerings.

Finally, IT professionals need to strike a balance between free and paid value-added services. True, other companies may occasionally offer certain services and products for free, but the boundary between free and paid services is well established in the IT industry. Most of the time, developers and IT companies will offer certain things at no cost in order to lure in users who will ideally spend money on add-ons and upgrades. For example, Tencent provides its popular QQ instant messaging service for free, although it makes users pay for added services such as QQ Show and QQ Game.

With nearly every aspect of daily life now being influenced by the Internet and digital technology, it's important for people working in this field to have an open and creative mind-set. As the industry expands, China's education system should be adjusted to encourage innovative thinking and problem-solving. Moreover, a solid basis in art and design knowledge should complement the teaching of technological skills and business theories. People who can't adapt or who specialize in only one niche field could find themselves falling behind in tomorrow's information age. The trends of the future will be directed by those who can use the left side of their brains for imaginative work and the right side for rational thinking.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn