These 8 Skills will Help You Future-Proof your career in 2023
The job market and employment trends are changing constantly, and in order to succeed, we need to adapt to these changes. Technology, innovation, world events, and climate change have impacted the needs of companies and governments. With new industries, new job requirements are also emerging. And, with digital transformation, not only has our world changed dramatically, but our businesses have been influenced as well.
According to a recent report by LinkedIn, job skill sets have changed by almost 25% since 2015 and are expected to change 41% by 2025. The report also states that the share of highly skilled jobs has increased by 25% in the last 20 years and that more than a billion jobs worldwide will be transformed by technology in the next decade.
Organizations today seek people who are strong communicators and have a high level of emotional intelligence and empathy. However, it doesn’t just stop there; you’ll also need a balance consisting of knowledge about artificial intelligence, software coding, and all sorts of tech platforms and apps. As we’ve already seen the acceleration of trends during the pandemic, things will continue to change in the future, and we need to be flexible and keep learning.
- Communication and Collaboration
Verbal and written communication are a must for any role or industry. Communication involves not only speaking effectively but many other factors as well, such as active listening, adapting, friendliness, giving and receiving feedback, understanding body language, etc. These factors also determine the emotional intelligence of a person. According to a 2019 report, “emotional intelligence” is a relevant addition to guide the achievement of career success. It allows you to be a better communicator, decision-maker, problem-solver, and manager. The pandemic has shown us that remote communication and collaboration are skills that candidates should master. The expertise in synchronous tools for remote communication and collaboration include chat, video or audio conferencing, instant messaging are inevitable skills for your career in 2023.
- Data Engineering
“Data is the new oil,” said Clive Humby in 2006 and that still holds true. Companies today have big volume of data at rest, data in motion (streaming data), data in many forms (structured, unstructured) and data in doubt (uncertainty); however, there is a need for synthesizing that data to produce actionable results from it. Several reports state that intelligent data enables companies to make better decisions, gain visibility, streamline processes, increase productivity, and drive higher profits. This is why data analytics and engineering has become one of the top skills sought by many organizations. The knowledge and efficiency to work with relational, dimensional, data Lakes and distributed data engineering technologies are mandated to make you future-proof.
- Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is becoming one of the fastest-growing sectors as companies compete to bring their applications to market quickly and in a cost-effective way as the cloud is a major enabling technology for digital transformation. To become future ready, you should have thorough knowledge and proficiency of modern hybrid cloud environment, visualizations, agile processes, scalability and hyperscale multi-cloud technology. Cloud computing offers on-demand computing resources, provides data backup and disaster recovery, and offers more flexibility overall compared to maintaining local data and IT services. Cloud providers are moving closer to the edge to respond to the growth of 5G, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and latency-sensitive applications. As companies move their data to the cloud, job growth in this sector will continue to grow in the coming years, with more and more companies hiring cloud engineers and experts to develop cloud-based applications. According to Markets and Markets, “the global cloud computing market size is expected to grow over USD 832.1 billion by 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17.5% during the forecast period.”
- Cybersecurity
Today, the one sector that is crying out for talent is cybersecurity. According to Secureworks’ 2022 Boardroom Cybersecurity Report, the number of open cybersecurity jobs worldwide grew between 2013 and 2021, from 1 million to 3.5 million. According to industry experts, skilled IT security staff are something employers can’t afford to lay off in 2023, even with the threat of a recession weighing heavily on leaders’ minds. In fact, today, companies need security leaders and experts who can drill cybersecurity awareness into the collective thinking of the organization and can establish a resilient and trusted digital enterprise with cyber security services and technology. Cybersecurity areas which makes your career future-proof in 2023 are networks security, cybersecurity, cloud security, hardware security, cyber forensics, threat intelligence, security analytics.
- Artificial intelligence
Future-Proof your career AI, meaning they are likely to persist well into the future AI related engagements. As Artificial intelligence is transforming the global economy and enterprises of all sizes, thus AI jobs are in high demand for today and in coming decades. Artificial intelligence vows to deliver numbers of significant developments of this century. Self-driving cars, robotic assistants, and automated disease diagnosis are all products of an emerging AI revolution that will reshape how we live and work tomorrow. So, the demand and opportunities for talented AI engineers and professionals are immense who want to work on the cutting edge of AI research and development.
- Blockchain
Blockchain technology has progressed to become one of the most frequently used terms in corporate board meetings. Enterprises today require blockchain professionals who can assist them in making the best use of blockchain technology to achieve their business objectives. Many research firms have predicted the possibilities for a manifold increase in investments in blockchain technology. This is perfect time to acquire blockchain expertise for a decent future ready career. Blockchain technology has the potential to reengineer the way of business, from financial services and supply chain management to healthcare and identity management. By 2023, the global expenditure on blockchain solutions will be nearly $15.6 billion. As of 2019, the worldwide expenditure on blockchain technology was $2.7 billion, with promising disruptions in the finance sector.
- Coding
Coding refers to the usage of a programming language to instruct a computer system to act in a way that is required. Coders can also be called “software engineers”, “software developers” or “programmers”. Coding will also see continued and intense demand in 2023 and beyond. However, in the new digital world, knowing a single programming language isn’t enough, and it will be helpful to possess a comfort level with learning new software design paradigms and programming trends as well.
- Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is not a new skill by any means, but it still remains one of the most sought-after abilities and will continue to be in great demand. The ability to effectively and efficiently promote brands and to connect with their target consumers using the web and other digital tools is something that every company needs, regardless of size or industry.
The key is to have a skill set that makes you holistic. For the world is becoming more dynamic and having only one or two specific skills won’t be enough. You’ll need a combination of different skills to advance within your organization and grow in your career. Despite a possible recession, there will always be demand for employees who are agile, quick to adapt and learn new skills.
(The views expressed in this article are by Prof Debashis Sengupta, Area Director & Dean – Technology Initiatives, NIIT University. Onlineandyou.com doesn’t own any responsibility for it.)
