As the world continues to change and technology continues to evolve, the skills required by workers in various industries are going to change dramatically. Regardless of the industry, tech skills are going to become very high in demand as the future becomes the present. There are a certain number of tech skills, however, that would enable an employee to take on a variety of roles in the future.
Identifying and acquiring these skills, if you do not already have them, is the best way to prepare yourself for the future of work. While most of the following skills are based heavily on tech, extensive background with technology is not necessarily required to obtain tech-based skills. All that one needs is the resolve to adapt.
Software Development
Many are unaware that software development isn’t just a field, but rather also a skill. As a whole, software development is expected to see a 21 percent growth overall according to the Burea of Labor Statistics. While a general job as a software developer is a fantastic option, learning the skill itself can help set you up for a lucrative job down the line.
Software development is an important skill for the future of work due to the number of lucrative career paths that can be pursued with knowledge of software. For perspective, full stack developers make an average salary close to $100,000 just a few years into their careers using software development skills.
Members of this career focus on building websites from scratch and creating the visual aesthetics that draw potential customers to areas of the site. If this sounds interesting to you, then pursuing these skills via a trade school may be the best option. App Academy is an example that features specialized courses in full stack development which can prepare you for a career that uses skills centered around software development.
Programming
Arguably, there are no tech skills easier to self-learn than programming. While specific programming languages can prove difficult, anyone with the right resolve can pick up this important tech skill. Most people believe that programming is dying because the job outlook for programmers is actually on a decline.
Jobs strictly based on programming are dying. Jobs that use programming as a skill, however, are thriving. The reason jobs centered exclusively around programming are dying is because the field has evolved. New career paths, such as mobile development, are growing rapidly and use programming skills. However, careers such as this require further skills beyond programming, including mathematics and an organizational mindset.
When it comes to future skills that would provide the most versatility in the job market, it’s hard to find a better option than programming. Not only this, but more and more children are being brought up with programming classes in schools today. Eventually, if one does not acquire programming skills, they may be phased out of the workforce.
Data Visualization
The future of work is going to be data-driven. Inevitably, skilled workers capable of turning raw data into something meaningful, and usable, for the purpose of furthering a companies business objectives will become more valuable employees.
As far as data visualization goes, becoming a data scientist is the best track to acquire this skill, even if you have no prior experience with the field. Members of this profession specialize in data analytics and helping companies make use of the information that comes from advertising and other sources.
Regardless of whether or not you follow this career, data visualization is a skill that will become incredibly important as both the number of computers and the number of people using the Internet increase. This is still a relatively unknown skill, but it can be taught via intensive bootcamps or trade schools similar to the one mentioned earlier.
Conclusion
Regardless of what you do now, it is inevitable that new skills will be needed for the future of work. Keeping that in mind, it is important that you keep your skillset up-to-date. Identifying and acquiring some of the top skills needed to thrive in a soon-to-be tech-dominated workforce is incredibly important to the longevity of your career. By refusing to adapt your skillset, you also refuse to accept the inevitable change of the workforce, which is something that could potentially be career-ending in the long term.