Level Up: Get Certified or Learn a Skill While You Stay at Home
Learn and Earn
Even though the coronavirus pandemic has given us all a lot more time to reflect, staying at home doesn’t have to be a downer. This extra time to ourselves can be spent learning new skills that provide a competitive advantage in many fields. The first step in putting together a learning plan is to plot out what type of educational program would work best for you, and identify if you need to upskill, reskill, or learn an entirely new skillset.
The Difference Between Skilling, Reskilling, and Upskilling
Skilling. Architecting a workforce that requires customized training for a complete set of skills is what companies are facing as the skill gap continues to grow. There are a wide variety of areas that are seeing a noticeable decrease in finding people with the necessary skills to fill roles. Technology is a current hot spot that requires specialized talent from blockchain to AI, cloud computing, and analysis. But the skill gap is wreaking havoc across major areas from creative fields to trades such as plumbing and welding.
Businesses are now being forced to transform quickly, which is pushing industries to deeply reflect on qualifications such as education, whose rapidly rising costs are making the dream of getting a degree unattainable for more and more people. Companies in a variety of industries have launched apprenticeship programs that are opening the door for people with raw talent to learn customized technology skills. EY and IBM have led the charge in tossing out the education requirement in their positions, and this movement is putting pressure on organizations to think outside of the box to fill positions.
Reskilling. Age-old industries like the manufacturing area are now scrambling to reskill slews of workers. As robots are taking the place of humans in factories, workers are now faced with less opportunity to offer value on factory floors. Yet, expertise in maintaining robotic equipment has skyrocketed.
Amazon is investing $700 million in reskilling approximately 100,000+ employees to prepare them to meet the needs of a rapidly changing global market. Amazon’s famously modern warehouses and fulfillment centers are requiring an increasing amount of technical expertise, and this has spurred the multinational company to create internal programs such as the Amazon Technical Academy to meet the growing needs of their organization.
Upskilling, which is learning more advanced skills through additional education and training, has floated to the surface due to the advancement of technology and automation. Upskilling increases knowledge that’s grounded in a skillset that you already have. An excellent example of this is a Software Engineer whose primary work has been in Java, taking courses to learn more modern Cloud technologies.
Skills That Will Set You up for Long-Term Success
Here are a few highly potent skills that are desperately needed in today’s modern workforce.
Coding is the Future
It can be easy to feel overwhelmed when deciding to tackle anything in the computer programming space. However, even working knowledge of popular languages such as Python can be useful in pursuing Software Engineering roles, or even hybrid roles that are at the intersection of business and technology. A great place to start is online programs such as Code Academy, but if you feel like you want more base knowledge before tackling a specific course, doing a variety of Massive Open Online Courses known as MOOCs are available through MIT, Coursera or Udemy. Course sampling will allow you to explore a wide range of knowledge that will help you decide on a specific path to pursue.
Graphic Design Will Take you Anywhere
The world of Graphic Design touches every single industry in existence and is becoming more in demand as companies push to compete in the digital age. Getting to know as many programs as you can in the Adobe Creative Suite can set you up for success as either a freelance designer or even working in-house with a company. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are popular programs and an excellent place to begin your learning.
SEO and Paid Search Advertising Knowledge is Gold
The demand for Digital Marketing expertise is rising rapidly. Google’s Digital Garage provides free learning straight from the epicenter of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and the Digital Marketing body of knowledge. Learning gained in this space can lead to a lucrative career in Digital Marketing.
Becoming an EMT Will Advance Your Future and Save Lives
The healthcare industry needs personnel now more than ever before. Becoming an EMT will not only advance your career but will fill the skills gap for the much-needed hero’s that are first responders in times of crisis. Although there are no EMT programs that are entirely online, studying to be an EMT can be completed through self-paced online courses through Study.com. Through this program, students can partake in online EMT training that includes necessary skills such as CPR training, and possibly even how to use an AED.
Conclusion
Time is one of the most valuable assets that we have as human beings. Using this time to learn and add the power of knowledge to your arsenal of professional tools can shape your destiny.
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