IT & Digital Jobs

Understand the field before choosing your path.

A practical, experience-based presentation for prospective students: how digital jobs really work, why the field remains structurally attractive, and how to enter it seriously.

45-60 minutes to understand digital careers before choosing a programme. Professional experience • Market observation • Career maps • France • Questions

Opening perspective

Bonjour tout le monde. I am here as an engineer first.

Sébastien Corniglion

Computer engineer, data engineering specialisation.

Former lecturer and researcher, Université Côte d'Azur.
Chief Executive Officer, Dean and co-founder of DSTI School of Engineering.
Educated at Université Côte d'Azur and The University of Edinburgh.
Computer Science & Engineering, plus Business & Management.

Why this talk exists

Before choosing a programme, we need to understand the field.

I want students and families to understand what digital careers are, why they matter, what level of preparation they require, and how to avoid choosing a path only because a title sounds fashionable.

A first intuition test

Which one is the most complex to design?

This is a deliberately provocative question. The right answer is not about prestige; it is about systems, interfaces, constraints, users and failure modes.

Ariane 5

Safety-critical engineering

Extreme reliability, formal processes and physics constraints. Failure is visible, expensive and dangerous.

International Space Station

Systems integration

Life support, international cooperation, maintenance, hardware, software and operations across decades.

Porsche Taycan

Physical + digital product

Batteries, embedded software, safety, performance, manufacturing, regulations and user experience.

Microsoft Excel

Invisible software complexity

General-purpose tools have huge compatibility, user-behaviour and edge-case complexity. Software complexity often hides in plain sight.

A second intuition test

Complexity is not the same thing as luxury or price.

Porsche Taycan

High-performance complexity

Advanced product engineering, battery systems, embedded intelligence, safety constraints and premium expectations.

Ford Fiesta

Mass-market complexity

Reliability, cost, safety, maintainability, supply chain, manufacturing at scale and millions of real users.

The lesson

Engineering complexity is often about constraints. Digital systems are similar: the hard part is not only the algorithm, but making the system robust, usable, secure, maintainable and scalable.

Market reality

Digital jobs are not a trend. They are infrastructure.

1.3mpeople working in digital professions in France, average 2021-2023.

4.6%of employed workers in France are in digital professions.

55,600projected IT professional / managerial recruitments in France in 2025, according to APEC.

A structurally high-demand sector

Globally, since its emergence, digital technology has created sustained demand for qualified professionals. AI, Data Automation and Cyber roles continue to grow - but Europe is largely a Master's-level job market for advanced roles.

Vocabulary matters

"Informatics" means automatic processing of information.

French: informatique

Information automatique

From the beginning, computing has combined science, applied mathematics and engineering. It is not just "using computers".

English terms

Computer Science and IT

Computer Science is the science of computing. Information Technology is the use of computing systems in organisations.

Applied mathematics

Computer science

Engineering

Two big families

Digital work moves between reliable systems and real-world models.

Engineering reliable systems

Systems that must work

Instant secure payments across Eurozone banks.
Netflix running for millions of users at once.
Amazon protected across cloud, payments and logistics.
Google services staying available despite failures.

Modelling the real world

Models that must represent reality

Calculating a rocket path to the Moon and back.
Predicting the next video a user may watch.
Building a realistic video-game physics engine.
Processing radar, sonar or complex signals.

First segmentation

A simple map: what users see, and what they do not.

FRONT ENDWhat I see

Software interface, web application, mobile app, user interaction.

FULL STACKConnecting both worlds

People who understand enough of the user layer and the system layer to make coherent products.

BACK ENDWhat I do not see

Physical/cloud infrastructure, databases, APIs, security, AI services.

Non-exhaustive: this is a first mental model, not a complete classification of all jobs.

Another segmentation

Digital careers cover the full life cycle of systems.

It is like building a house: one person does not do everything. Different specialists work at different moments, but the final result only works if the whole system is coherent.

The house analogy

A digital product is not only "coding".

Like a house, a digital system needs architecture, foundations, construction, utilities, safety checks, maintenance and coordination. Different jobs exist because the system has different kinds of complexity.

This is the point of the segmentation: digital careers include analytical, technical, operational, security, infrastructure, integration and leadership profiles. Not everyone becomes the same type of developer.

AI careers

Artificial Intelligence jobs are not one single job.

Data Scientist

Builds and evaluates models

Works with statistics, machine learning, validation, experimentation and modelling choices.

Data Engineer

Makes AI work at scale

Builds pipelines, platforms, storage, deployment and data infrastructure that feed AI systems.

Data Analyst

Turns data into decisions

Creates insight for operations, management, strategy, users and organisations.

Example framing: Netflix or TikTok need all three profiles — modelling, infrastructure and decision support.

Cyber careers

Cybersecurity jobs are not one single job either.

Security Engineer

Designs and hardens systems

Works on secure architecture, identity, access control, networks, cloud platforms, endpoints and technical protection measures.

SOC & incident response

Detects, investigates and responds

Monitors alerts, analyses suspicious behaviour, coordinates response and helps organisations recover and learn from attacks.

Cloud Security Engineer role illustration

Cloud & infrastructure security

Protects the technical backbone

Secures servers, networks, containers, cloud services, automation, backups and the operational environments that keep organisations running.

Cybersecurity is mostly about engineering discipline: systems, networks, software, infrastructure, human behaviour, procedures, law, operations and continuous improvement. Mathematical topics exist, but most cyber careers are built on practical technical maturity.

What the work actually looks like

A day in the life of three kinds of digital specialist.

No two days are identical, but each kind of role has its own rhythm. These are honest, representative days — not fixed routines — for the three broad families seen on the previous slides.

Science Specialist

Turns questions into models, then tests whether they hold.

MorningFrames the question from the data and recent work — before writing any code.
MiddayPrototypes a model and runs experiments against a simple baseline.
AfternoonMost attempts disappoint; works out why, adjusts the assumptions, re-runs.
End of dayWrites up what was learned — often that an approach does not work yet.

More of the day is reasoning, reading and checking than writing code.

Tech Specialist

Builds and runs the systems everything else depends on.

MorningChecks overnight pipelines, alerts and system health; fixes what broke.
MiddayDesigns or extends a pipeline, service or cloud component; reviews code.
AfternoonWorks with others on deployment, performance and security; tests before shipping.
End of dayAutomates a manual step so tomorrow is a little calmer.

Much of the craft is making complex systems predictable, reliable and observable.

Functional & Analytics Specialist

Connects the technical world to real decisions.

MorningMeets the people who will use the work to pin down the real question.
MiddayPulls and checks the data; builds the analysis or dashboard.
AfternoonTranslates findings for a non-technical audience; presents and discusses.
End of dayFollows up on a decision the analysis helped shape.

Half the job is technical; half is communication and judgement.

Real roles blend all three, and the balance shifts with the team, the sector and seniority. What matters here is the rhythm of the work, not a fixed timetable.

France and digital careers

France is a strong platform for serious digital careers.

France brings together mathematical tradition, engineering culture, strategic industry and a dense technology ecosystem — exactly the kind of environment where AI, data and cybersecurity talent matters.

A career platform, not only a study destination

Digital talent matters when national systems must work.

Finance, healthcare, transport, energy, defence, telecoms, luxury, mobility, public services and research all depend on robust digital systems.

#2globally for Fields Medals in Mathematics.

55,600IT professional / managerial recruitments in France in 2025, according to APEC.

Academic rigour

Mathematics and engineering

France has a deep tradition in mathematics, scientific research and engineering education — very relevant for AI and computing.

Industrial demand

Strategic sectors

Nuclear, aerospace, defence, finance, telecoms, luxury, mobility and healthcare require advanced digital systems.

Technology ecosystem

Large groups, startups and clusters

France connects research institutions, international organisations, large corporations, startups and specialised technology clusters.

European career logic

Master's-level expectations

Advanced digital roles in continental Europe are often built around strong academic preparation and professional maturity.

Sources: Campus France / International Mathematical Union for Fields Medal context; APEC 2025 for IT professional / managerial recruitments; Insee Références 2025 for digital professions in France.

Where digital careers exist

Digital careers exist wherever systems, data and users meet.

One of the strengths of this field is that it is not locked into a single industry. Digital professionals can work across almost every part of the economy.

Where can you work?

Finance, healthcare, transport, industry, government, education, entertainment, retail, energy and research.

How can you work?

Office-based, remote, hybrid, client-facing, behind the scenes, technical expert, project leader — many paths are possible.

Bachelor levelTechnical, operational and junior engineering roles: building experience, discipline and practical reliability.

Master's levelEngineering, specialist, architecture and leadership-track roles, especially in AI, data, cyber and systems.

PhD levelResearch, innovation and advanced scientific roles where new methods or deep expertise are central.

Important reality

The field is broad, but not vague.

The more advanced the role, the more employers expect solid foundations, practical evidence and the ability to keep learning.

Source context: Insee Références 2025 notes that digital professionals are present beyond digital-sector companies, which is why careers appear across finance, healthcare, transport, energy, public services, industry and research.

Early-career salary context

The field is attractive, but preparation still matters.

Salary figures help families understand the professional logic of the field. They are a useful context, not a mechanical promise.

€25,000-€28,000 Indicative early-career gross salary in France after Bachelor-level entry.

€38,000-€45,000 Indicative early-career gross salary in France after Master's-level entry.

How to read these numbers

These are starting points, not ceilings.

Career outcomes depend on the quality of preparation, internships, technical maturity, communication, language development, personal reliability and market timing.

SkillsCan the student actually build, analyse, debug and explain?

EvidenceProjects, internships, certifications and real work matter.

MaturityEmployers value reliability, curiosity and discipline.

TrajectoryEarly salary is only one moment in a longer career path.

Salary note: indicative gross annual early-career context for orientation only, not a guarantee or official benchmark; outcomes vary by region, company, language level, internships, portfolio, maturity and market cycle.

Personal perspective

Why I still love this field after years in it.

Digital careers are attractive not only because they pay reasonably well. They are attractive because they give people options, mobility and the ability to work on real problems.

It applies everywhereEvery sector needs digital talent: industry, services, science, culture, healthcare, finance and public life.

Many career stylesTechnical, analytical, managerial, research-oriented, entrepreneurial or international.

It keeps evolvingYou never stop learning; the field rewards curiosity and disciplined adaptation.

Real impactBetter services, stronger security, less waste, smarter energy and more reliable organisations.

Career reinventionFew fields allow so many moves between industries, technologies and responsibility levels.

My advice

Choose the field for the work, not only for the buzzwords.

AI, data and cyber are powerful words. The successful students are those who accept the depth behind them.

Practical advice

How to enter digital careers seriously.

Build foundations

Mathematics, logic, computing, systems, English and technical discipline.

Choose a real direction

Analytics, engineering, AI, cybersecurity, software, infrastructure or systems integration.

Practise with real tools

Cloud, databases, coding, pipelines, security, professional workflows and certifications.

Become employable

Internships, projects, communication, reliability, maturity and the ability to learn continuously.

Closing synthesis

The best digital careers are built on serious preparation.

Digital jobs are everywhere.

But serious roles require foundations, practice, maturity and a clear direction.

France is a strong platform.

Academic rigour, engineering culture, strategic sectors and a European career environment.

Your pathway must be coherent.

The programme, the projects, the internships and the skills must all tell the same professional story.

Questions and next steps

Let's discuss your digital pathway.

The right question is not only "Which programme sounds good?" It is: "Which pathway fits your background, your ambitions and the level of work required to become credible in the field?"

DSTI School of EngineeringAfter this awareness discussion, continue naturally with the dedicated DSTI pages: programmes, admissions, study modes and student life.

ProgrammesFind the study pathway that fits your background. AdmissionsApplication steps and guidance. Study modesOn campus, Live Streamed and Online asynchronous. Student lifeSee students, campuses and the DSTI experience.