5 In-Demand Employability Skills You Can Teach Yourself for Free
Source: unslpash
No matter where you live, the job market is likely very tough. Sure, service sector jobs abound with careers in hospitality taking the lead. But if the Coronavirus pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that restaurant or hotel work is precarious, at best. And it doesn’t pay that well, either. According to the Australian Industry and Skills Committee, about half of the people who enroll in hospitality certification courses don’t complete their study programs.
It could be that, as they study to become hospitality experts, they come to realise that such work offers little room for advancement. Now, add to that the fact that a mere virus, albeit an infernal one, can end one’s earning prospects. The last three years have been enough to convince many to seek their fortunes in other industries.
Around the world, many people spent their pandemic lockdown time teaching themselves skills to boost their employability. Positioning themselves optimally for post-pandemic professions was a smart move. But do-it-yourself (DIY) education predates the pandemic. According to Pearson Education, continuous learners have been teaching themselves new skills to enhance their CVs since at least 2019. What is everybody studying?
Computer Programming
In a 2021 article, Forbes magazine reported that the US Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) projected a shortage of software developers exceeding 85 million by 2030. In part, that shortage is due to corporate hiring practices, they admit. But the lion’s share results from a dearth of people who know how to code.
Note that that report was delivered at the height of the pandemic. Since, then, businesses and government offices alike have been rushing to establish their online presence. Especially those entities that, pre-COVID, considered establishing their digital foothold a low priority. They’re now scrambling to hire programming talent.
Many enterprising learners are taking that bull by the horns. With all the resources available online, most of them at no cost, you too can learn how to code. The only question is which programming languages to learn.
That depends on your career goals. The booming field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning call for coders well-versed in Python and the C programming language. Conversely, if you want to get hired more quickly, you can learn how to design and build web pages. For such jobs, you’ll need to know Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), cascading style sheets (CSS) and JavaScript.
Learning the C language and JavaScript alone will make you a good, all-around programmer. JavaScript runs 98% of all web pages. The C language underpins other, more popular languages like Python, Ruby and many more. Just those two languages are enough to start earning as a coder, and you can always learn more languages once you land your first gig. Best of all, coders can work remotely.
Resources for Teaching Yourself How to Code
First, get familiar with the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C) page. There, you will find everything from tutorials for various programming situations to a debugging tool. It will allow you to test your code for faults and give you tips on how to fix them. You may also join the W3C community and get tutorials from experienced programmers.
JavaScript, Python and many other languages have web pages that offer troves of resources, too. As with the W3C site, you may connect with other programmers, explore tutorials and learn more about the language.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) regularly host coding courses in partnership with the world’s leading universities. Alison offers more than 900 Information Technology courses, including modules in HTML, CSS and JavaScript, all for free.
A New Language
English speakers are notoriously negligent at learning other languages. That’s due, in part, to English being the world’s Lingua Franca. We’ll not speculate on other reasons why pursuing language studies just doesn’t spark us, although it should. Because speaking another language yields tremendous personal and professional benefits.
People who speak more than one language tend to be more organised and better multi-taskers. A Harvard study has proven a link between bilingualism and cognitive benefits, including sharper critical thinking skills and better communication skills. Wouldn’t you know it? These are all highly sought-after personal qualities employers look for.
Let’s gloss over the fact that English is the language of business, science and aviation. We need to focus on the fact that every non-English-speaking student in the world learns how to speak English in school. They are already reaping those cognitive and professional benefits. They’re showing us that we need to reach beyond the safe and familiar to expand our linguistic abilities.
You might download the Duolingo app for your fun, free, 20-minutes of language learning each day. Alternatively, you could turn to YouTube’s ‘Pod101’ language channels. Simply affix the language you want to learn in front of the ‘Pod101’ designation to find a trove of instructional videos. Some of the more popular channels include FrencPod101, SpanishPod101 and RussianPod101. If you, like so many others, have been surfing the South Korean Hallyu Wave, KoreanClass101 is the channel for you.
Teaching yourself how to speak Korean, Mandarin or French is a good start but you have to have someone to practice your speaking and listening skills with. You might join an online language exchange community such as Italki or visit your city’s Cultural Centres. For instance, if you’re learning French, you could join your city’s Alliance française.
Public Speaking
You might think there’s nothing to public speaking other than getting over a massive case of nerves. Though it might appear that easy, anyone who addresses the public is, in fact, displaying enormous skill. They have to pace their speech and breathe well throughout. They have to speak clearly and distinctly, projecting their voice so their audience can hear them. Above all, they have to have the confidence to do so.
Just having the confidence levels required to address the public will boost your employability. That major benefit aside, being able to communicate clearly will help you ace your interview. It may even see you promoted to a leadership position more quickly. But you needn’t aim for anything lofty. Teachers, reporters and marketing specialists are public speakers too. If you have your sights set on such jobs, public speaking skills will help you.
Learning those skills is as easy as joining your local Toastmasters chapter. Toastmasters International was founded in the US just under a century ago to teach young men how to address the public. Today, this organisation is far more democratic and far more widespread. With 16,000 clubs in 145 countries, there’s bound to be a Toastmasters outlet near you.
While you wait to attend your first meeting, you might explore the Toastmasters website. There, you’ll find loads of resources, including a library full of tutorial videos. Their resource library also contains scripts, guides and templates you can use to write effective speeches. You may even enroll in one of their learning programs or, at the least, benefit from a mentor’s guidance.
Computer Skills
We’ve already talked at length about learning how to code. Now we need to discuss computer skills other than coding that could promote your employability. These skills range from creating and maintaining databases to designing images. Best of all, these skills give you access to remote work opportunities. Mastering even a few of them could give you access to clients all over the world. Considering the broad spectrum of computer skills, acquiring a masters degree in computer science online can further elevate your expertise and marketability, providing you with a comprehensive understanding of advanced concepts and emerging technologies that are crucial in today’s dynamic job market.
Let’s start with drawing skills. Today, everyone from advertisers to webtoon artists uses software to create vivid images; the top name in digital art is Wacom. You may have even used a Wacom tablet before, perhaps to sign your name at the back or to claim a parcel. You may have a natural ability to create art but you might need a bit of help transferring your skills into the digital realm. Wacom tutorials can help you do that.
Wacom tablets aren’t the only way to draw in cyberspace. AutoCAD is widely used across many industries from engineering to architecture. You don’t have to be an architect or engineer to use them. You may simply offer your skills as a worker proficient in AutoCAD to land a plum assignment. But first, you have to learn how to use this program. These sites can help:
- myCADsite
- Cadalyst
- CADTutor
- Tutorial 45
- Ellen Finkelstein
- Draftperson.net
- The CAD Setter Out
Photoshop is widely hailed as the gold standard for photo editing. It could be pretty pricey to learn how to use it, let alone all of the tips and tricks that the pros know. You could read the actual Photoshop manual but popular consensus says it’s not very instructional. Fortunately, several sites offer interactive tutorials that will see you editing images in no time.
And then, you can import your newly-edited images into a PowerPoint presentation – but only if you know how PowerPoint works. It is one of the three most-used Office Suite applications, the other two being the document and spreadsheet creators. You might think that learning how to use Office software is passé; isn’t it just all so much typing?
Yes, but only in the most general sense. Office Suite applications go beyond those oft-used three; they include drawing and maths functions, too. And you can create databases. In our data-driven economy, anyone who can build, maintain and use a database would be highly sought after. In fact, the BLS projected a 9% job growth over the next 10 years for database managers.
Learning the five skills covered in this article will serve you well. You may be a continuous learner by nature or simply want to increase your employability. At the very least, keeping your brain engaged will deliver massive cognitive and intellectual benefits. And at most, you can become a Superprof, teaching your acquired skills to others. At best, you’ll mentor others as you work in your chosen field.
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