Five skills you need to launch a quantum computing career

(BuiltIn) Sara A. Metwalli, a Ph.D. student researching quantum computing at Keio University in Tokyo is the author of a helpful overview of the top five skills an individual needs to succeed in a career in quantum computing. IQT-News summarizes below:

1. Curiosity: It may sound cheesy but the first and most important quality you need to have to get into quantum. How can quantum make technologies we work with now even better. How can quantum integrate with technologies we worked hard to develop, like the internet or massive search engines (i.e. Google), and take them a step further?

2. Basic Electronics: Because quantum computing is, after all, a computing field, we can say it has three primary layers: algorithmic, software and hardware. If you decide to pursue a career in this field, you’ll probably be drawn toward specializing in one of these areas.

3. Linear Algebra and Probability Theory: When it comes to quantum computing, two particular branches of math are heavily involved in describing and analyzing a quantum computer’s behavior: linear algebra and probability theory.

4. Some Physics: What differentiates quantum computers from the computers we have today is how they use the phenomenon of quantum physics and mechanics, such as entanglement and quantum superposition, to solve problems differently. To be a quantum software programmer, you need to know how a quantum computer works and then use that knowledge to build your applications, which will require you to understand some physics and the mechanics of how quantum algorithms work.

5. Basic Programming: To get started with quantum computing in the current landscape, you’ll probably need to know some programming basics. Currently, some programming languages are entirely designed to program quantum computers. Still, they’re designed to be similar to existing classical programming languages to make the transition to quantum much easier.
Python is one of the most frequently used programming languages to program quantum computers today. Many companies such as IBM and Google have released Python packages that can be used to learn the basics of quantum computers and implement different algorithms.