Why Half the IT Jobs will Disappear & Only Upskilling can Save You

Wow!

That’s more than half the people employed in the IT industry and if they feel this way, there’s certainly reason to worry.

Interestingly, it was the same group of respondents who provided a solution to this unique problem. According to them, furthering their education was one way to prevent their skills from becoming obsolete. Yes, upskilling or continuing education is the latest mantra by which IT professionals and their employers keep their skills fresh and in demand.

Here are some reasons why it’s important to get trained in the ‘skills of tomorrow’ or what are being termed as the ‘next-generation skills’ if you are an IT professional.

• The more the skills, the better

Some skills just don’t cut it any more and if you are only trained in those skills, you might find the going rather tough in the job market. For example, just knowing how to code may not be enough to get you a job anymore (exactly like knowing how to read or write does not guarantee employment). The languages you code in may become obsolete in the future; the technologies you work with may get replaced by newer ones. So in addition to your coding skills, you need to showcase other abilities to your employers such as your new domain expertise, business knowledge, design thinking, and leadership skills.

• Upskilling = Guaranteed competitive advantage

Upskilling will increase your job opportunities. Being skilled in the latest technologies will give you bargaining power and a competitive edge over others in the job market. The simplest way to outrun your rivals to the winning post is to arm yourself with skills that are in demand right now. For example, Apple has developed a new (and simpler) programming language called Swift – it is an alternative to the Objective-C language. Presently, there are only a few handful of developers working on Swift, but in the near future, there will be a demand-supply mismatch. What this means for IT pros is that those who take the effort to learn the new language right now will be the ones who will be in big demand later.

• Get the odds in your favour

While you stay in your bubble working on traditional technologies, your company is out there pitching for projects in App Development, UX/UI design, Big Data, digital marketing, cloud computing, and other technologies of the future. Who do you think is going to get those projects? You or the guy who took the pain to get trained in these technologies despite his busy schedule? And it doesn’t end there. The big salary jump or the next promotion is also going to go to him. If ever the company wants to reduce its staff, who do you think the axe is going to fall on? Believe me, the only way to beat redundancy, grow in your role, and enhance your chances of a promotion and a salary hike is to upskill, upskill, upskill.

• Learning, earning and satisfaction are directly proportional

When you learn something new, you experience a high. Your morale hits the roof and you feel more satisfied. Safe to assume, that’s the kind of mindset you need if you want to perform and achieve at your highest capacity. The better your performance, the higher your chances of rising through the ranks at your organization. 

• Your new skillset and you; both become an asset

Upskilling in new technologies will help you build credibility with your employers. If they value you more, they will invest in you more. The important thing to remember is that you should be more than an employee for them. They should look at you as an asset.

• It is the key to building your network

Upskilling also helps you expand your network, especially if you enroll for formal training programs delivered by industry experts. As part of your program, you will regularly meet and interact with professionals from the industry. You could be attending seminars, webinars, conferences, or networking events – all of which will help you develop your pool of contacts.

Modern-day IT professionals want to learn new technologies in order to keep pace with the changing times and demands of the job. Seamedu School of Pro-Expressionism offers its Degree in App Development in Pune and Bangalore, tech capital of India, with a view to enabling aspiring and current IT pros with the skills of tomorrow.

Keep your skills sharp by getting trained in the next generation technologies now!