The future of work is changing faster than ever before. Rising technologies are threatening to disrupt every industry of work and there’s nothing anybody can do to stop them. With this in mind, the question turns to whether or not your own skills are prepared for that future of work. If you already work in an occupation heavily immersed in technology, rest easy.

However, for the majority of workers who are not heavily involved in technology, identifying the prominent skills needed in the future of work may help you discover what skills you need to develop to stay relevant in the changing times. Below are skills that are becoming increasingly important in the steadily advancing workforce.

Coding Abilities

Without a doubt, coding is one of the strongest skills anybody can develop for the future of work. In fact, many tech jobs already require proficiency with one or more coding languages as a base skill. Coding only really emerged over the last decade but has taken the workforce by storm due to how widespread it has become. 

In fact, it’s been estimated that over 27 million software developers will exist by 2023. While this may seem like a large number, it’s expected to increase at an exponential rate by 2030 alone. Getting in on this trend early, before the market becomes oversaturated, can help you stand out from any potential competition. 

The best part about coding is that it isn’t too difficult to learn. Prominent coding bootcamps, such as those listed on Bootcamp Rankings, can teach students anything and everything they need to know about coding in a number of months. Students can also choose from a number of different coding languages, depending on the specific job they are considering pursuing. 

Data Analytics

Another prominent skill for the future of work is data analytics. The size of data warehouses has increased drastically over the last decade and there is no sign that this trend is going to slow down. Keeping this in mind, learning how to analyze large amounts of data can open the door to a number of career opportunities. 

One such career is digital marketing. The insights that can be unlocked using data can be invaluable from a marketing standpoint. Digital marketers with data skills have the ability to make use of relevant information to boost sales. When it comes to digital marketing, data skills don’t necessarily need to involve coding. A digital marketer that can interpret the data freely provided by Google Analytics, or that knows how to make the best possible use of Facebook ads, can use this knowledge to reach new customers and improve the company’s bottom line.

Combining this skill with others, such as coding, can open new doors. As a broad field, data science covers the range of merely analyzing data to actually implementing it in an effective way to make better business decisions.

Learning how to analyze large amounts of data is the first step towards entering the field of data science. After all, you can’t run before learning how to walk. Taking the time now to get familiar with data and sorting meaningless information from meaningful one can give you an edge over the competition. 

Design Thinking

Believe it or not, there is still a place for the creative thinker in the future of work. While certain hands-on artistic professions have seemed more difficult to land over the last few years, new tech jobs such as web design hope to change that. With a projected 8 percent growth over the next decade, this is just one example of a career for anyone who is creative or has a strong aesthetic sense. 

To pursue this career path or others, you will need to learn how to manipulate websites and understand the basics of human psychology. What drives a person to click on an ad? How do you drive traffic to a website? Learning these skills can help you land a design-based job in a technological future. 

Conclusion

As a whole, nobody can predict the dynamic future of work. Technology will come and go as will certain jobs. With that in mind, creative destruction ensures that jobs will always exist, so long as you have the skills necessary to work in those jobs. 

Don’t settle for staying in a career path that will lead to a dead end. Update your skills for the future of work. If you only had to pick one skill to develop, it should be coding. The reasoning behind this decision is that coding is used as a base skill in many tech jobs today, so developing it now will simply save you from the first wave of disruption the workforce goes through. Keep an eye on your industry and always focus on adapting when necessary.

Author: Artur Meyster