In this article, you are going to discover the top 20 vital skills for the future of work and jobs. If you want to remain relevant and useful in the 4th industrial revolution you have to upgrade your skillset! strap on your seat belt and let us take you the future!
If nothing else 2020 has thought us that we need to be prepared for anything the future throws at us. The world and workplace have completely transformed due to the pandemic, having a growth mindset and being adaptive is the only way to succeed.
Based on past events we know that the skills of the future will be much different than the skills of today. For example, in the videography industry, before drones were invented the services of a helicopter pilot and cameraman were in demand for aerial shots, this viral meme sums the story up
AI-powered machines and computer programs are on course to be so advanced that as many as 400 million to 800 million jobs are predicted to disappear due to the advancement in technology by 2030
The fact is technology is taking over many industries, but we do not all have to to know how to build flying cars or invent the next “Google” to stay relevant in the fourth industrial revolution,
the compiled list of the “top 10 skills for the future” is divided into 5 hard skills and 5 soft skills,
Table of Contents
Some of the mentions on the list are based on research carried out by the World economic forum and other is based on research carried out by us, one thing we noticed about the skills companies need most in the future is that they aren’t based on specialization like it has been for the pasts decades.
To be successful in the future of jobs you’ll need to have a more general knowledge of various subjects because machine and A.I is going to take over the routines and automatic jobs.
Humans would remain the most valuable asset to companies because of our creative nature, robots and AI may help us get to where we want to be faster, but they can’t be as creative as humans (at least not yet).
Top 10 skills for the future of work
- Coding
- Big data
- Cloud computing
- Digital marketing
- Sales
- Emotional intelligence
- Creativity
- Cognitive flexibility
- People management
- Negotiation
1. Coding
let us simply put; coding could change your life, code runs the world, it is the language of the modern world. This is a future proof career if you keep up to date with the industry development because the demand for coders is never-ending.
Learning and knowing how to code is like installing a superpower chip in your brain from having the ability to handcraft your own website to designing the brain of a self-driving car the possibilities are endless, it is like having the ability to communicate with computers and giving them instructions to follow
Just as communication among us humans requires the use of a language likewise communication with computers also. there are many programming languages you can learn some of the popular ones include
- JavaScript scripting language
- C/C++ language
- Java language
- Python programming
- Ruby language
There are plenty of free courses online to get you started, however, if you want to upgrade your skill today you should seek training I recommend learning with treehouse they would offer you a 7-day free trial if you enrol with this link
2 Big Data
Data is the new oil of the digital economy, as oil is to the 18th century so is data to the 21st century.
Literally almost everything can be measured, tested and improved. If you can measure it then you can improve it.
A Big Data architect helps companies to find and create new growth opportunities.
Big Data professionals are considered to be the most wanted professionals by almost 80% Internet of Things providers, and over 68% of them are struggling to find employees with relevant expertise in this field. The professional opportunities in this space are anticipated to grow in the years to come.
3 Cloud Computing
In our digital world we are also moving everything to cloud computing this is essentially virtual storage space shared software and shared platforms maintain this services at an optimal is a big business because if it brakes thy can take down huge companies. this means plenty of long term employment and business opportunities.
To enter this market you could do some introductory courses online to gain cloud computing skills, you’ll need to understand the cloud computing environment and have SAS(software as a service) knowledge with this knowledge you’ll future proof your earning potentials
4 Digital Marketing.
Digital marketing, or online marketing, is huge these days and would continue to remain that way as long as the internet exists. After all, the number of people using the internet has more than tripled over the last decade and rising this shift has massively affected how people buy products and interact with businesses
To become a professional digital marketer you need to know how to utilize various digital assets available to you these assets include
- Your website
- Branded assets (logos, icons, acronyms, etc)
- Video content (video ads, product demos, etc)
- Images (infographics, product shots, company photos, etc)
- Written content (blog posts, eBooks, etc)
- Online products or tools
- search engines
- Social media pages
in addition to this you also need to know how to utilize various digitial marketing strategies to run a susseful campain some of these strategies are
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Search Engine Marketing.
- Local Search Marketing.
- Content Marketing.
- Re-marketing.
- Pay Per Click(PPC)
- Responsive Web Design.
- Email Marketing
- Social Media Marketing. etc
5 Sales and communication
Sales are the backbone of any sort of business success, it’s all about building trust and solving the problems your customers have in a strategic way
There are endless opportunities available to people who can sell and communicate well, the opposite is true for those who can not.
You do not have to be the “greatest showman” to get your message across great communication isn’t about how loudly you put your point across and sales is not about lying to your prospects.
Both are a skill that can be learned and perfected through guidance. Mastering these skills will give you a strategic advantage in business and your personal life.
6 Emotional intelligence
The first soft skill on this list is emotional intelligence, this is defined as the ability to manage other peoples emotion and yours successfully to derive desired positive results.
Many people believe that emotional intelligence aka (EQ) is more important than (IQ) in attaining success in their lives and careers.
As individuals, our overall success including success in our career depends largely on our ability to read other people’s emotional signals and react appropriately to them, this is what machines and robots cannot do hence why this skill is so important to incorporate in your personal life
EQ give you the ability to develope a of interpersonal relationship with others which is tantamount to success in your life and career.
In today’s connected world, almost everyone has immediate access to technical knowledge, thus, “people skills” are even more important now as you must possess a high level of Emotional intelligence to better empathize and negotiate with other people in the global economy.
The five categories of emotional intelligence
- Self-awareness.
- Self-regulation.
- Motivation.
- Empathy.
- Social skills.
7 Creativity
According to the World Economic ‘Robots may help us get to where we want to be faster, but they can’t be as creative as humans
Creativity is a key skill in the future, most people do not see themselves as a creative person, some think it’s an exclusive domain for great musicians and authors.
If you’re able to connect the dots of separate pieces of information and put ideas together to create something ‘new’, then you are a creative person.
So how can you develop this skill? one thing we suggest is to let your mind wander withing and outside the space of the problem you are trying to solve, this is allowing serendipity take over, this is why some people get their best ideas while they shower!
8 Cognitive flexibility
The easiest way to define cognitive flexibility is having a solid mental agility, it is the ability to switch between different task with fluidity. Cognitive flexibilty should not be confused with “mutitasking” which is a myth as the brain is not designed for that.
So why is cognitive flexibility so important as to be listed a must-have skills for the future by the world economic forum? as you already know the world of work is changing which means employees are often asked to carry out the broader scope of tasks than their job description implies, this would obviously place importance your ability to switch between activities seamlessly
A person with strong cognitive flexibility is able to solve problems more creatively, learn and acquire new skills faster and not get overwhelmed when presented with new challenges.
How to develop strong cognitive flexibility
- Mindfulness meditation.
- Expose yourself to new experiences. Travel, try new food, brake your routine often.
- Practice your creative thinking.
- Mix with diverse groups of people. They will inspire new ways of thinking.
- Get a good quality, regular sleep.
- Learn a new skill or start a new hobby. This creates a new neural pathway in the brain.
9 People Management
Employees are still the most prized resources of a company, irrespective of how advanced artificial intelligence gets
Humans are simply more creative than machines, however being human at the workplace entails a lot of management and maintenance because we can easily get sick, demotivated or distracted.
For the managers and team leaders of the future having solid people, management skill is vital to keep your team motivated and increase productivity.
Being a great manager has a lot to do with emotional intelligence, knowing how to delegate, and developing your own management style.
10 Negotiation
With robots taking over the workforce and automation predicted to become, the new norm. Having solid social skills will be very important in the future.
Even people in purely technical occupations will soon be expected to show greater interpersonal skills, and being able to negotiate with your colleagues, managers, clients and teams will be high up on the list of desirable skills.
The half-life of a skill has fallen from 30 years to an average of about 6 years, it’s time to begin acquiring new skill-sets that will make you valuable in the future of work.
Thank you so much for reading through if youhave any question or comments kindly drop them below in the comment section.
How has automation impacted the industry you are currently in? what skill is the first one you plan to tackle?