We have been warned: Covid-19 has the world barrelling towards an economic downturn. After a great deal of job losses, wage cuts and no-pay leave, a recession is becoming more and more apparent as our day-to-day spendings drop, leaving a domino effect that expands in countless directions.
It’s hard to sit still not knowing where you’re headed after the pandemic blows over. But first, let us evaluate where you stand – and what you have to equip yourself with – to make sure you have an ace up your sleeve if your career has been affected by the virus.
The truth is, much of the knowledge and technical skills acquired through degrees can become obsolete quickly in this fast-changing world. But the single, most important takeaway from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and other analyses is that the knowledge economy no longer pays graduates for what they know.
That’s why you should seriously consider upskilling or reskilling yourself, in order to expand your job prospects and increase your value as an employee.
Employers are valuing “soft skills” more than ever
“Google knows everything these days. The knowledge economy pays you for what you can do with what you know. Success is no longer about reproducing content knowledge, but about extrapolating from what we know and applying that knowledge to novel situations,” says OECD’s education and skills chief, Dr Andreas Schleicher.
There is, of course, much research and advice being given out on the technical and people skills required to land jobs and thrive in them.
Not enough attention, though, is being paid to the “soft skills” that many employers are also seeking. Applicants are now required to be adaptable, able to work in multicultural teams and capable of communicating effectively.
These are the skills which will enable an individual to not just land (or keep) a job in the post-pandemic world, but also thrive in it.
Learning is already being done in many different places and many different ways, online and offline. There are MOOCs (massive open online courses), microcredentials, industry certifications, work-study and apprenticeship programmes and coding schools, like Holberton and 42.
Increasingly, employers will not be looking at just degrees, but also at certifications, badges and various other forms of skills assessment. It’s already happening in some fields, such as computing, with tech companies. Many also believe that the future lies not with degrees, but with microcredentials – a certification indicating competency in a specific skill.
The verdict? A degree is, at best, just a stop along the way in your learning journey. As you’re looking for more ways to ready yourself for the new working world, here are the top 10 in-demand skills to take note of: