How to Future-Proof Your Career Skills
We’re back today with another guest post all about how to future-proof your career skills. It’s never been more important to prepare your career skills for tomorrow, whether you’re a full-time freelancer, remote worker, or you work a traditional 9-5. If this pandemic taught us anything, it’s that things change fast.
Are your career skills ready for the uncertainty of tomorrow? If you’re in an industry like marketing, tech, etc., you need to always be growing and changing to keep up with the times. See how this guest poster recommends making big changes on a long-term basis to stay competitive.
The world is changing and anyone too complacent will be left behind. In the past, people worked for a single company for years until they retired. Now, the tide has turned and more people move around different companies before they find a career that fits.
This is caused by our tech-driven world’s constant changes. This same change is what demands we upskill. If we fail to embrace change as it comes, we will be left behind. Here’s how to upgrade your career skills to future-proof yourself no matter what happens.
Why Continue to Upgrade Career Skills?
To future-proof yourself, you need to upgrade your career skills continuously. It is a lot easier and more gratifying to be ready by upgrading your skills often rather than rushing to learn so many new skills simultaneously when you need them in the future.
It might sound like a lot, but it’s more reasonable than you think. All it takes right now is determination and sacrificing a few hours a day (or week) to get yourself ready for a tech-controlled future. A bit of ongoing career skill maintenance is a lot more manageable than changing your plans and skillset completely.
How do you get started with upgrading your career skills? Try these simple tips below.
1. Leave Your Comfort Zone
To start the process, you need to challenge yourself and leave your comfort zone. It may involve taking an online class, earning a certificate, or doing something similar.
While pushing yourself to do new things, you build a natural ability to handle change. You start to see it as something rewarding, not scary. To face the future well equipped, you need to be able to accept change when it is necessary.
Leaving your comfort zone not only is rewarding in itself, but you’re prepared for anything the world throws your way. This is especially true if you’re a freelancer making money online. You need to be ready to pivot at a moments notice, so start practicing today.
2. Develop Your Tech Skills
Regardless of the role you play in your organization or industry, technical skills will always be important. Tech skills in this regard don’t mean basic skills like Microsoft Office. It means advanced technical topics like SQL Database Administration and Amazon Web Services.
It could also be data science or web development. Bootcamprankings.com has some helpful resources for people who want to learn to code. These skills may seem irrelevant if you work in finance, marketing, sales, and even human resources. However, having a basic understanding helps you to position yourself in another industry that may outlast your current career.
Consider learning about any of the following to boost your resume and know-how:
- Graphic or video editing software and programs
- Webdesign and front-end development (Computersciencehero.com is great for this!)
- Webhosting and back-end development
- Programming and software development
- User experience (UX) best practices
- Cybersecurity and online safety
All of the above tech skills are highly in demand, and they’re guaranteed to be relevant for years to come. Learning a few on your own time makes you more hirable and you can charge more for your services.
3. Learn How to Understand Analytics
You can’t avoid math and statistics forever. The world is steering towards stats and metrics.
If you are still math-phobic, get over that fear by joining a class to learn practical math skills. The market is already flooded with new apps, programs, and devices. More are still on the way, so start by researching them and how they are used.
Regardless of your industry or role, analytics are a big part of daily tasks. From learning how to do your job better (ie. work smarter not harder) to upgrading your skill-set, analytics are a must. The good news is they’re not scary, and you don’t need any complicated math experience to understand the basics.
4. Become Culturally Knowledgable
Another career skill people often forget is how to become more culturally aware and understanding. As the world moves towards becoming a digital village, learning about other cultures will put you ahead of your peers.
The best way to get this information is to ask people from other countries if you are privileged to know them. You can learn about proper etiquette as well. If you don’t know anyone, the Internet can help you to find information that can help.
Also, you should consider learning other languages. This skill can increase your employability and also make you more attractive. Some top languages to consider include German, Chinese, Spanish, and more. There are mobile apps that offer basic training and you can also find a tutor to help.
No matter your industry, you’ll likely be working with people from other cultures, communities, and even different parts of the world. Understanding how to interact with them, present yourself, and stay professional is a must.
5. Give Yourself Assignments and Network
Developing your creative abilities can help you in the long run and taking on assignments is a good way to start. As you go along, you will be able to cultivate your problem-solving skills as well.
The future job market needs both creative and career skills. Networking is also crucial. It acts as a safety net for you, and the results can be rewarding. One excellent way to start networking is by keeping in touch with your coworkers. Social media has made it possible to do this with ease.
You can also collaborate on assignments with other coworkers. It will be a steady source of inspiration and ideas. In the long run, you will develop people skills that are required in the future. Don’t be afraid to start your own projects, like starting a blog or freelancer website.
Upskill Yourself for the Future
Since the world is digitizing, updating your skills is essential to prevent complacency. There are a lot of skills you can learn without having to attend university.
This doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. All you need to do is dedicate some time daily to developing your skills because they will give you something to fall back on in a heavily digitized world.
About the author
Ufuoma Nora Ogono is a full-time freelance writer with over 4 years of experience in the industry. Over the years, she has produced high-quality content for Smartereum.com, Hemecine.com, and many other reputable websites.
