With the rapidly changing job market, working environment and technological advancements,  “upskilling” is no longer a choice to be leisurely pondered over - it has become a necessity. The duration of relevance of skills has been shrinking post-LPG reforms, and has further picked up pace with the flattening of the world through the internet. Thriving in our fourth Industrial Revolution requires continuously learning and adapting. A large number of workers, whether they are employed for their manual skills or their analytical skills, acutely feel the threat to constantly learn and train not just to advance their careers, but to remain an active part of the current workforce. In terms of job security, those with lower levels of education and skills are more likely to be temporarily employed, or out of work altogether, than their counterparts. And because of its overarching nature, upskilling can no longer be restricted to the youth either. On-the-job training is not as prevalent as it should be (the World Economic Forum concurs), since it adds to the expenses, requires more manpower and allocation of resources that can strain the organisation. Luckily, the advancements of Web 3.0 have also permeated the field of upskilling and training, making it easier than ever to acquire new skills. It thus becomes important for employees themselves to snap out of their complacency and look at how they can become resilient and raise their value. The following is a list of skills and qualifications that can be your best bet for future-proofing your prospects: 

Analytics:

With the emergence of Big Data, an increasingly online workplace and the many quality-of-life services that we avail from the web, data analysis has become the core of almost every successful company you can think of. Looking at the labyrinthine trail of data users and consumers leave behind every time they log on to the internet, finding patterns and simplifying it for the management allows for companies to improve and alter their products and services in close accordance with market demand and trends. It leads to better marketing, budgeting & forecasting as well as risk management. You can choose what field within Analytics you want to specialise in depending on your needs and preferences, but one thing is for sure: analytics isn’t going anywhere and its importance is only going to increase with time. 

Data Science:

Whereas Analytics is focused on gleaning patterns and insights from the available datasets, Data Science is the domain of creating, cleaning and organising datasets -  it’s like the relationship between Physics and Engineering. Data Science involves using algorithms and critical thinking to acquire and transform raw data into something that can be comprehended by analysts. In acquainting yourself with the science, you’ll have a better idea about what sort of data you need and what can be reasonably extracted from the data you already have. Most importantly, being acquainted with Data Science will allow you to steer clear of the common mistakes usually made in Data Analytics, and make better, data-driven decisions. 

Digital Marketing:

The importance of digital marketing in the current paradigm cannot be overstated. We spend more and more of our time online - whether it is to learn, work, shop, catch up with friends or indulge in some leisure. “Online” has become the new community hall, shopping mall, office, coaching centre and playground, all rolled into one. Quite simply, it’s where we spend most of our time, daily. What this implies is that our exposure is increasingly digital, and consequently, offline marketing isn’t as effective as it used to be.  Building and expanding your brand has to happen online too, even if it’s partial. The digital space simply cannot be ignored - it’s a massive audience, regardless of whether you’re targeting the masses or a niche, and people have come to rely on it to discover and learn about new products and services. 

Compared to traditional marketing, digital marketing is cost-effective, easily measurable, easier to target and manoeuvre, more engaging with consumers and equally viable for businesses both big and small. There is simply no argument against it.

Cybersecurity:

As we spend more and more of our time online, it also becomes the space where we end up storing most of our data - personal details, work-related spreadsheets, book drafts, A/V projects, contacts and financial information. Data has become the most valuable currency in the world, and predictably, a target for unscrupulous elements. Protecting this system of networks and information has thus become vital for all types of institutions and companies - banks, power grids, video game developers, musicians, social media platforms,  journalists and stock exchanges are just a few of those that have fallen prey to cyber-attacks within the previous year. Our data is increasingly vulnerable, and there is a huge shortage of cybersecurity professionals. So not only is there a sizeable demand (whether it’s cybersecurity analysts, engineers, consultants or architects), but also a very cushy income waiting for you if you choose to specialise in cybersecurity, and especially if you go abroad. 

Coding:

A coder can do everything from developing apps and computer programs (including blockchain programming), designing a UX, making a website, to reinforcing the digital architecture already in place and remove bugs. Again, with our world increasingly shifting online, it has become essential for companies to employ people to design easy-to-use, ingenious interfaces that enhance engagement and conversion. Coding was one of the first domains that took advantage of digital learning at the advent of the previous decade, with bite-size tutorials aimed at working professionals and full-time students. It remains so even today, it is well worth your time and gives a great return on investment. 

Public Relations:

The role of PR remains the same as it was at its inception - to create a bridge of trust between the consumer and the company. But with the amalgamation of a host of factors like the access to a large audience, the speed of information dissemination, scale and pace of awareness, crowding of the digital space, shorter attention spans, here-today-gone-tomorrow trends and a market where damage to brand perception can quite literally spell the end, PR has become one of the most important pillars of business within every company, whether it’s Boeing or Fabindia. Today, not only does the pitch have to be perfect, it also needs to be pitch-perfect. Your campaign needs to be dynamic and preferably engaging. With so many factors at play, PR has become increasingly specialised too, which has made it one of the better-paying jobs in the current scenario. 

Translation & Interpretation:

Business today is increasingly conducted across borders, which has led to a growing need for translators and interpreters, and the chasm between their demand and supply is widening globally. Companies like Microsoft, Google, Twitter & Marriott have reported loss of business opportunities due to a lack of people with the requisite language skills.  And contrary to popular belief, machine translation has actually driven the demand higher for professional translators & interpreters. This is because in the last couple of years, it has become more evident than ever that human beings are very much needed to understand the nuances of language and express the intended meaning of words and phrases. And machines cannot account for what is lost in translation, both literally and metaphorically. Learning new languages can open the doors to opportunities in the fields of Media Localisation, Computational  Linguistics and even Project Management in linguistic agencies. 

Content Creation:

Content is everything. It’s what communicates a brand’s vision, beliefs and attitude apart from the goods & services it provides. With growing social awareness, there has been a noticeable shift in focus from the product a brand offers to what it “stands” for (like with  Nike & Colin Kaepernick), with the latter now driving sales of the former. Content Creation has also single-handedly led to the advent of social media influencers, which is where astute & savvy brands now go to promote themselves and piggyback on the perception and following these people have already created. It’s not only a viable occupation, but one that pays well. Content Creation as it stands today is an amalgamation of blogs, photos and A/V media -  accessible to the masses and for the masses. But it requires a great deal of imagination, creativity and craftsmanship to create content that really leaves a mark. It’s a fast-emerging field and is predicted to become one of the best-paying jobs in the near future.

There has been a lot of research conducted on the skills and qualifications that will be relevant tomorrow, by institutions of eminence like the Pew Research Centre, The European Center for  Development, Harvard Business School and the World Economic Forum to name a few -  especially over the last 3 years. What it conveys is that the market is becoming increasingly competitive, diverse, and everyone wants to be ahead of the curve. But beyond the skills listed here, another salient observation comes to the fore: job categories with the highest growth almost always require a high degree of social acumen, analysis, and creativity. Though strong management skills/domain expertise is the patent answer, it’s something that can be learnt on the job, and is probably where it is learnt best. The year Steve Jobs returned to Apple and pulled it out of quicksand, his first move was to fire all the general managers at their HQ and restructure the company. He famously stated that it was easier to make a good manager out of a good worker than to make a good worker out of a good manager. His next move was to open the channels of communication between all internal departments, stressing the importance of interpersonal dialogue and collaboration. These skills, although subjective and hard to measure,  are of paramount importance to attain not just organisational goals but also personal fulfilment.  And it’s not surprising to see why - ask any worker what skills they rely on the most in their day-to-day, and the majority answer with interpersonal skills, critical thinking and good communication. It is thus imperative to have a good mix of both - hard, discipline-oriented skills, complemented by relationship-building, creative thinking and open-mindedness when preparing for the future.

Learn about International Investment and its benefits in next week's article.