With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, globalisation and digitisation have seen huge growth. Although the pandemic did not start digitisation, it has however made more organisations and individuals embrace digitisation in the quest to keep doing business as the world continues to grapple with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One key area that has been affected by the digitisation drive has been the demand for digital skills. As more and more organisations continue to embrace digitisation, the demand for digital skills has grown exponentially.
Therefore, professionals who want to remain relevant in the global marketplace have to either upskill or reskill to stand a chance in the global marketplace.
Deciding to embrace digital skills is one thing, but deciding the specific digital skill you want to acquire is the key strategy to stay relevant. In this post, I will be sharing the top 10 in-demand digital skills that every young professional should consider acquiring.
Data Science
With the advent of digitisation, many companies often have the possibility of gathering a lot of data on their customers and their business. However, the downside is that most organisations do not know how to make sense of the plenteous data available to them which is where a data scientist comes in. A data scientist typically helps an organisation with the strategy on how to collect important data, analyse the data, and make intelligent business decisions with the data available to them.
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Development (Web/Mobile/Software)
For a business to start its digitisation process, it typically needs a software or website where customers and prospects alike can interface with it. Developers are typically tasked with developing the software that businesses use as an interface or a solution to conduct business with customers. Software development is a very wide field with a huge range of specialisations and languages to choose from.
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UI/UX Design
The user interface of a digital solution and the user experience is very central to the success of the solution. Users are typically turned off by websites and mobile apps that give them a poor user experience. UI/UX designers are very important to the process of giving the end-users a positive experience with the software that they are interacting with. Therefore, UI/UX designers are always in high demand.
UI/UX designers typically do a lot of research and tests to try and predict how a user will interact with the software while designing the best probable experience for them. This skill is perfect for anyone who wants to in a role that combines creativity and analysis.
Cybersecurity
One of the unfortunate offshoots of the globalisation drive is the ugly trend of cyber attacks. Cyber attacks are when malicious people use ransomware or hacking to hijack your important networks. As a business, a cyberattack may allow hackers to steal your intellectual property and in extreme cases your customer data which may lead to litigations. To stay safe from this ugly trend, companies typically hire cybersecurity experts and ethical hackers to keep them safe from prospective attacks. Cybersecurity executives are high in demand all over the world making it one of the most in-demand skills globally.
Cloud Computing
With many organisations going digital, there needed to be a solution that replaces the old system of storing physical files and cloud computing was the answer. Cloud computing allows one to store and share files digitally or “on the cloud”. Naturally, with the rise of cloud computing came the need for cloud engineers who build and maintain the infrastructure for cloud computing. As digitisation grows and the need for cloud computing continues to grow, there will always be a demand for skilled cloud engineers.
Digital Marketing
As more and more users join the digital world via the use of social media websites and other platforms, companies and organisations have increasingly opted to use digital marketing as a tool for reaching audiences at a cost that is typically less costly than traditional advertising. Accordingly, organisations have continued to add digital marketers to their marketing teams, making it one of the most in-demand digital skills in recent times. If you are looking to specialise in an area of digital marketing, you should consider content marketing, social media marketing, search engine optimisation etc.
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Graphics Design/Animation
Graphics design and animation are two visual skills that will always be relevant. As the attention span across the board decreases, businesses have had to turn to visual designs to pass their brand message across. As a result, there is an increasing demand for graphics designers and animators globally.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence has been touted as the revolution of the future severally, but it seems like the future is here in full swing. Artificial intelligence is the ability of machines and computers to be able to make intelligent decisions based on the data it has been fed. In most cases, artificial intelligence is used to empower machines to do the mundane repetitive tasks that humans used to do. And while it is true that advancements in artificial intelligence will lead to job losses, it will however create more new jobs. According to research by Gartner, although artificial intelligence will take 1.8 million jobs, it will create 2.3 million jobs before the end of 2020; meaning it is not all gloom. Machine learning engineering, data science, business intelligence development, and research science are some of the career paths in artificial intelligence.
Project Management
Project management might not be a new skill, but it is also applicable in the digital ecosystem. Project managers in the digital sphere typically work in software development firms, helping the team stick to project deadlines and making sure that everyone on the team is pulling in the same direction. Product management and leadership is one of the offshoots of project management in the tech sphere.
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Conclusion
Digital skills are here to stay as globalisation surges and digitisation grows. To stay relevant in the global marketplace of today, one has to stay up-to-date with in-demand digital skills, then upskill or reskill appropriately.
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