As technology continues to disrupt the workforce, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the skills required by employees now will not be the same in the future. Tech-based skills are going to take over every industry of the workforce, and the skills needed by employees of the future will reflect this change.
Determining now whether or not your skills are beneficial to the future of work could potentially save your career down the line. Should your skills not be completely applicable to the future workforce, it is best to take steps to rectify this now. Otherwise, you may find yourself shoved out by new employees who boast a wide array of skills that make yours seem old-fashioned. The first step, of course, is actually identifying if your skills are impactful to the future of work.
You Specialise in Technology
If your job is already immersed in technology and the skills you use everyday deal directly with systems and computers, then the disruption technology will cause may have a less damaging effect. Just make sure you are working at the forefront of that disruption and that you closely follow the emerging trends. Then you’ll be in the best position to have a long-lasting career.
However, if your job is more traditional and technology is still foreign to your company as a whole, then it is more than likely that your skills are not based on technology. There’s nothing wrong with this and it certainly doesn’t mean you need to quit your job. With that said, it may do you some good to consider obtaining tech skills from a reputable source. A great option that has been on the rise in recent years is coding bootcamps.
To that point, reports show that there have been as many as seven million job openings for software engineers in recent years. As the field has developed, new career paths that use coding as a skill, rather than strictly a job, are emerging faster than ever before. This is a tech skill anyone can learn but is by no means the only skill that one should consider obtaining to stay relevant in the future of work.
Your Skillset is Transferable
A strong sign that your skills are relevant to the soon-to-be tech-dominated workforce is that your skills are transferable. In truth, hard skills are often not transferable from non-tech industries, but soft skills are. For perspective, Forbes covered ten of the most important soft skills an employee can have for the future, one of which was change management.
Having the ability to adapt can give any employee an edge over others. It is far cheaper for a company to train an existing employee, rather than firing them and hiring an entirely new worker for that job. To determine whether or not your soft skills are appealing to employers, you need to evaluate what your strengths and weaknesses are.
Transferable skills are the best way to stay relevant in the future of work as they make you a versatile employee capable of tackling any challenge. Contrary to popular belief, in-depth knowledge of technical expertise is not required to stay relevant amidst the disruption. If you have the right resolve, you can develop new hard skills, but soft skills are oftentimes far more difficult to acquire.
You Have Survived Tech Layoffs
Many companies have already gone through periods of layoffs as technology has disrupted them. If your job was never threatened, then it is more than likely that you use skills that your company considers valuable to the future of work. It’s possible, however, to simply not be sure if your job was just passed over until a later date.
With that in mind, it may be beneficial to look at the current job postings of your company. Focus on the required skills, as well as the required degree level for that position. Many jobs now require education as extensive as a master’s degree. If this is the case for your company, and you notice a job similar to yours requiring a higher degree, consider pursuing an online degree from the comfort of your home (and in full compliance with today’s requirements to social distancing).
Companies will often cover some tuition costs as it is really an investment in themselves if an employee obtains more education and then stays. The benefits for you are extensive and could even result in a higher salary, not to mention more job security as your skillset has expanded.
Conclusion
As the future of work develops, it is inevitable that widespread disruption will occur in the workforce. However, that doesn’t mean you need to lose your job. Taking the time now to identify whether or not your skills will be relevant is a smart strategy to stay ahead of the change technology is causing. Adapt and overcome the disruption, rather than succumb to it, and you will set yourself up for a long-lasting career in a tech-dominated world.
