Technology has indeed revolutionized our lives, especially in the last few years. Not just the IT industry, technology is the backbone of all sectors – education, healthcare, marketing, finance and many more. The rapid stride of technology has led to a skill gap between industry demand and available talent. This has been further accentuated by the current crisis that has given rise to new uncertainties, resulting in job losses and an added demand for new skills.

According to latest reports, AI and Data Science have been listed as top in-demand jobs for 2021. Moreover, the World Economic Forum (WEF) estimates that 133 million new jobs will be created in major economies by 2022, as we accelerate towards the ‘future of work’. In a post-Covid world, restructured work types coupled with the need to reskill talent will take centre-stage.

The digital revolution is already driving innovation across sectors and swift developments in new-age technologies like AI, Big Data, Machine Learning (ML) and so on, disrupting job roles and the way businesses function. Therefore, demand for skills in emerging technologies has been on the rise. It is imperative to update oneself in these hottest digital trends to stay ahead of the curve as the future lies in tech.

Choosing the right skill

There are two things that one needs to consider when it comes to choosing the right skill - aptitude and career growth. A fresh graduate should focus on skills that are currently in-demand. A mid-level professional, on the other hand, should focus on skills that would be in demand for the next 5-10 years While senior professionals must pick a domain along with tech for best result. Therefore, you need to think about the stage of career that you are in and accordingly build your capabilities.

Let us understand this with the help of a few examples.

Freshers should learn coding. They should know how to write at least 100-150 lines of code in a day. It’s not an exaggeration that coding is the DNA of the digital world. Every basic app, website, computer programme, or any appliance rely on coding. Today companies are open to any programming languages of one’s choice. New industries such as finance, marketing, etc. are looking to hire coders. Companies look for freshers who have a clear understanding and coding abilities which can be polished under proper training and guidance. If you ask me, I would say start with cybersecurity. This burgeoning industry is becoming increasingly competitive. If a person starts early and develops advanced knowledge in the field, it can reap huge dividends later.

For a mid-level professional with 4-5 years of experience, acquiring new skills in AI/ML should be the goal. Even the government of India has recognised the potential of AI and believes that it can boost the country’s GDP by billions of dollars. Businesses are constantly looking to automate their operations primary manual roles and hence the demand for AI/ML experts are on the rise. So, start learning AI/ML now and keep working on problems on sites like Kaggle. This will provide a great thrust to your career. For the ones who do not excel in Mathematics, blockchain can be a perfect option. It is believed that blockchain is one of the most promising technologies as financial institutions are increasingly picking it up. The blockchain industry is still growing so one needs to have patience till it starts giving results.

Similarly, if we look at people with a decade or more experience, learning applied skills in fintech could be another option. Simply put, fintech is a combination of multiple technologies specializing in financial services. AI is also making inroads in the healthcare industry as stated earlier. AI-powered tools like chatbots and virtual health assistants have already found many takers and this will only surge

in the future. So the key is to mix a domain with technology. Another alternative that senior professionals can look at is mentoring start-ups. Every start-up looks for experienced professionals as mentors. By guiding a new-age start-up one can gain deep knowledge in cutting edge technologies. It may not be rewarding at first but in the longer run it’s a win-win for both the parties.

Another area to focus on

Design Thinking is a mandatory skill that I strongly recommend everyone should have. While it is not specified as a primary skill, it is tested in all technical interviews. Design Thinking improves collaboration, performance, team spirit and drives innovation. With mastery over this skill, you will surely make a better leader tomorrow. Also, there are great blogs that one can follow to learn Design Thinking. Some of the world’s leading brands such as Google, Apple, Samsung have adopted the Design Thinking Approach and it is being taught by premier universities worldwide.

Final thoughts

From my experience, I can say that acquiring the right skill is the key. The demand for AI/ML, and data science professionals is booming and there are very few people who fit the bill. There are lots of online courses which impart hands on learning in these areas. I hope the recommendations above will help you in finding the right skill and building a successful career.