What Lies Ahead
Five years ago, if we dared to ask to work from home or virtually attend a conference, a number of daunting, practical complexities would arise. Eventually, this request would have been rejected acknowledging the unfeasible nature of remote work within our industry. Until the hurricane of the pandemic hit our office doors, adaptability within the working space became a top priority. The disorienting global situation of Covid-19 has definitely taught us one thing: “Never say Never”. The future is full of possibilities that we have not yet discovered.
Similarly, as the job market is moving in different directions, I will introduce to you the top skills to learn for the future to grow both as a person and a professional. New job positions will come into being, while others will become obsolete or over-packed with low or no demand. Because of the unprecedented times we have experienced that made us grow faster as professionals, by now, we should have been well-equipped with adaptability for the future. Therefore, we should be ready to accept changing roles, employ new skill-sets and shift our expectations to the workplace of tomorrow. Let’s find out what the top skills to learn for the future are and be ready for whatever lies ahead.
Predicting the Top Skills for the Future
Based on today’s evolution, we can predict the top skills for the future and pave the way for a successful career. We may say that in the future, the human factor will be replaced by machines, but what we miss is the fact that jobs will still require a creative mind behind the machine. The technical acumen necessary to make, fix, and control these machines will be of high importance. Historically, technology has shown that it creates more jobs than it destroys.
Particularly, in today’s fast-evolving working environment, we have experienced tremendous technological changes that are here to stay. Thus, these technological changes will shine the spotlight on many emerging careers and the relevant skills needed to thrive.
What are the Top 10 Skills to Learn for the Future?
1. Technology Skills
One of the most sought-after skills. Being digitally literate is a powerful tool that one can carry as a professional. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and data science shape the computational intelligence that pretty much every job requires and definitely still will in the future.
2. Numeracy
The ability to work with numbers, understand their meaning and use them in a wide range of situations will never lose its value.
3. Critical Thinking and Reasoning
Logical thinking and reasoning strategies are the core of effective business decisions and strong team-building.
4. Analytical Thinking
In order to overcome complicated issues and make informed decisions on collected data, we need strong evaluative skills. Additionally, with analytical thinking, everything becomes feasible, step-by-step, from ideation to production and development.
5. Emotional Intelligence
Working with people requires a great amount of emotional intelligence to identify and manage our and others’ emotions. High emotional intelligence characterises managers and big leaders who want to build a happy, healthy and dynamic organisation.
6. Complex Problem-Solving
Problems and uncertainty can undeniably be disruptive for every big business. In order to achieve big goals and grow and manage a business, one has to identify and understand the problems. The ability to approach and efficiently solve both simple and complex problems is a success factor for every industry.
7. Active Learning
To actively learn means to constantly grow. Whether being a student or an employee, ongoing learning needs to be part of your academic and professional growth. Since the job market constantly fluctuates, professionals start pursuing more degrees and certificates to advance their careers or even switch industries.
8. Creativity and Innovation
Being able to come up with new innovative ideas, get inspired by your surroundings and use your imagination brings a totally fresh touch to a project. Creativity and innovation skills make you stand out from the crowd and be a step ahead.
9. Flexibility
Similar to efficient problem-solving, flexibility or adaptability is an effective skill in these fast-changing times. We need to learn how to be adaptive to let ourselves cope with new conditions and situations. As a result, we will be able to smoothly transition to a new position and flourish, whatever the circumstances. Moreover, being flexible makes us able and willing to take on new challenges.
10. Stress-Tolerance and Resilience
Resilience is a skill that works like a shield for us mainly during difficult times when we encounter obstacles, complications or face a crisis. It takes time and courage to become resilient enough and be able to recover quickly from the adversities of the business world. As the future looks promising but not too easy, it would be in your best interest to train yourself to tolerate stress and negative emotions.
Upskilling, Reskilling and Retraining
According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, “50% of all employees will need reskilling by 2025, as adoption of technology increases. Respondents to the Future of Jobs Survey estimate that around 40% of workers will require reskilling of six months or less.” Therefore, having job-specific skills and competencies is not enough. You have to optimise them to the fullest while improving over time. Acquiring further skills and knowledge about new industry trends and practices should be a top priority for every professional.
By conquering the top skills to learn for the future, you will be able to evaluate and handle several opportunities and challenges that come up. Hence, do you have the ability to adapt to change, be flexible in your decisions and communicate complex ideas? Are you digitally literate enough to use emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and data visualization? With a combination of these hard and soft skills, success is around the corner!
Degrees to Professionally Advance and Delve into a Field
Since the pandemic has increased the trend of online reskilling, “employers providing online learning opportunities for their workers increased fivefold and there was a ninefold enrolment increase for learners accessing online resources through government programmes,” as mentioned in the relevant WEF article.
Unicaf’s got you covered! Its partner universities offer numerous postgraduate degrees that aim to further develop one’s technology, analytical, managerial and other professional skills. Henceforth, we have selected some currently popular Master’s degrees for you to check out.
University of East London:
MSc Information Security and Digital Forensics
Unicaf University in Zambia:
Master of Business Administration – Management Information Systems
Master of Science in Web Design and Development
Master of Science in Managerial Psychology
Unicaf University in Malawi:
Master of Business Administration (MBA) – Management Information Systems
Master of Science (MSc) in Organisational Psychology
Alternatively, if you aspire to future-proof your CV within a short period of time, choose one of Unicaf’s Professional Development Courses in the below fields. Upskill yourself with the top skills to learn for the future within a few months or even weeks:
Also, feel free to explore our website to find more trending Professional Development Courses and special offers.
