As the future of work gets closer with each passing day, it’s only natural to wonder where that future is headed and if your skills will fit into that future. Employees who hold traditional jobs, in particular, may be wondering if their jobs will even exist in the future of work. The unfortunate answer is that it is unlikely that all skills or jobs will be a part of the workforce in the coming years.
Keeping this in mind, however, it’s not impossible to stay as a part of the workforce, even when your current skills don’t necessarily align with that future. Adapting your skillset today can give you all the skills you need to launch a dynamic new career in a fascinating field. Technology is the disrupting force guiding the change of the workforce and, due to this, pursuing skills that are based on technology is the best course of action for preparing for the future of work. The question remains, though, how can one acquire these skills?
Attend a Trade School
Trade schools are fantastic sources of education for anyone who has an idea of what they may want to do in the future. These specialized forms of education offer specific classes that prepare students for certain careers. While these careers can vary, most of them are heavily based on technology.
To that end, consider taking a career quiz to identify if there are any paths that line up with your skills or interests. From there, you can find a trade school near you to pursue the knowledge needed to enter that career. A benefit of trade schools is the ability to take them completely online and defer tuition, for some, if needed. This makes it an appealing option for anyone who is currently working full-time.
There are hundreds of trade schools around the country that offer courses in a variety of careers. Preparing your skillset for the future of work is easy using this method given the speed at which one can graduate. For most trade schools, students can be done and ready to enter a new field within a year, whereas other graduate programs could take twice as long.
Find a Tech Bootcamp Near You
In the past decade, new educational institutions have emerged as a result of technology and the skills needed to enter tech jobs. By far and wide, coding bootcamps are the most well-known source to develop a tech skill. This is just the beginning.
Different technological fields, ranging in complexity, now offer bootcamps to anyone who has an Internet connection and a desire to learn. For example, data science bootcamps are becoming more popular and have made a field that used to require a master’s degree accessible to anyone. This ease of learning makes it a great way to pick up a new skill while retaining your current career.
Bootcamps have become so popular in recent years that companies are even willing to pay graduates more than traditional university graduates, in some cases. Eleven Fifty Academy published a piece that covered how coding bootcamp graduates, for example, can make as much as $65,000 to $70,000 upon their graduation. Keeping in mind that it can be as little as a few months before you graduate, it’s easy to see why this option has grown in popularity.
Simply Study Technological Trends
Overall, one of the best ways to develop the skills needed to launch a career in the future of work is to simply study the tech trends of today. The skills needed by employees at tech companies today are the same skills that will lead to work in the future. Look at your companies hiring boards and see who they are looking for.
Better yet, take a moment to imagine where you will be in five years. Focus on whatever career that is and look up employees of that industry now. If their skills overlap with your own then you may not need to do much updating. However, if there is a mismatch of skills, it may do you some good to brush up on the current technological trends and skills needed by workers.
Conclusion
The future of work is coming faster than anyone can prepare, and building a dynamic skillset for that future will involve gaining skills in tech that few people have. Fortunately, technology is a disruptive factor that will not only create new jobs but make education accessible for all. Discover the different ways you can develop tech skills today and find a source near you to obtain the knowledge needed to thrive in the future of work.
