The Future Of Work: Why It’s Important To Keep Your Skillset Updated

The future of work concerns everybody, especially those who believe they’re going to become outdated and possibly lose their jobs. That’s why it's important to adapt.

In the past, people didn’t abandon their jobs enmasse during the industrial revolution. Rather, they adapted by learning new skills and migrating to different roles or industries where their new abilities were necessary.

History will now repeat itself as tech continues to reshape industries. It would be a mistake not to adapt and learn the new skills necessary for our evolving economy. Tech Jobs continue to rise and will probably represent most of the workforce in the future, so you need to start refining your skills. Do you have what it takes? Let’s find out.

The Future Of Work

Machine learning and artificial intelligence will cover a lot of ground in the future because of the importance of automation. This is already happening; consider how many things are now done by algorithms and machines, from automated recommendations online to self-serving cashiers at grocery stores. Self-driving cars also continue to evolve.

Nonetheless, there will never be a future of work without humans. You just need to be on the right side of the revolution. Technology will occupy a significant position in the future of work, so gaining skills in Cybersecurity, Software Development and Data Science is a good way to stay up to date.

It’s worth noting that there is currently a big tech talent shortage, even though they will be the foundation of the workforce in the future. This gap is hard to believe, but the tech firm Korn Ferry predicted that by 2030 there would be a deficit of 85.2 million tech workers worldwide.

This should be seen as an opportunity to join the tech ranks. Here are some of the most in-demand tech skills you should consider learning to ensure a bright future in the changing economic landscape.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning branch off the same root, but differ in certain aspects despite people sometimes using the terms interchangeably.

Machine Learning is teaching a machine about how to learn by itself. This way, it’ll be able to identify patterns. Machine Learning is like teaching someone a new language; with time, it’ll be able to learn new words and phrases by itself.

On the other hand, Artificial Intelligence means the machine uses deep learning to solve complex problems once only left to humans. Deep learning imitates the nature of the human brain.

These two aspects of automation are the future of work and will continue to drastically alter the economic landscape. Products driven by these processes continue to overtake the consumer market and jobs are being created to keep the momentum going.

Accenture recently launched a report titled “Reworking the Revolution.” In it, you’ll notice Artificial Intelligence was tapped to generate 10 percent more jobs by 2020.

Data Science

Data Science is another profession that will be in demand in the future. Today, almost everything relies on data and this trend will continue.

A data scientist studies data to create meaningful insights to solve problems. This skill is already used in essential areas such as drug development and climate change organizations. Data Science is having a significant impact on almost every industry and will continue to do so in the future.

Data science has a low supply of graduates, making it a good choice if you’re looking to upgrade your skills and shift your career path in line with changing workforce needs.

If you’d like to start learning the fundamentals of data science, you can do it by earning a bachelor’s degree, or better yet, by attending a data science Bootcamp such as the one from Galvanize, which is a quicker way to master all the tools needed to become a data scientist.

Cloud Engineering

In the data-driven future, the need to safely store data will continue rising and cloud systems will be the primary outlet for companies to save and share data. This trend has already taken hold and the demand for cloud engineers has increased.

Cloud engineers create, maintain, and update cloud systems. Cloud systems allow companies to access data no matter where their employees are. These systems will also affect the way we work as it won’t be necessary to physically be in an office and the remote workforce will grow.

The Importance Of Keeping Your Skills Updated

Keeping your skills updated will ensure you have a spot in the future workforce. However, this isn’t the only benefit of learning new skills as it will also make you more confident and valuable for your current company.

Once you dive into a tech field, you’ll become a lifelong learner, meaning you must stay ahead of current trends and evaluate how you can improve your skills to stay afloat.

About the Author:

Artur Meyster is the CTO of Career Karma (YC W19), an online marketplace that matches career switchers with coding bootcamps. He is also the host of the Breaking Into Startups podcast, which features people with non-traditional backgrounds who broke into tech.

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