The future of skills

When thinking about the hot topic of future skills or technological progress, globalization, the role of education, empowerment and the working life it is very natural to seem confused, worried and lost. The truth is, not only young people feel it but also adults, even if they don't want to admit it. The articles, media, influencers, organizations and governments are doing their best to prepare us for changes to come and warn us about the ones already here, but it takes a clear mind and an overview of the systemic changes and how it impacts each of us to be able to relate and understand. We are going to introduce you to the current debate, topics, studies and examples of future skills that are vital already today to help you prepare and be ready.

The future of work is brighter than you think - created by Pearson and NESTA will help to get started with the topic and give you hope for the future. 

Their research shows that only one in five workers are in an occupation that will shrink in the near future. This figure is much lower than recent studies of automation have suggested and worried us. Occupations related to agriculture, trade and construction, which in other studies have been forecast to decline, exhibit more interesting and similar patterns with their research, suggesting that there may be pockets of opportunity throughout the skills ladder. Interpersonal or people's skills as we know them have become of great value: these skills include teaching, social perceptiveness, service orientation, and persuasion. Knowing this is important when making decisions about where to study and what extracurricular activities to pursue and what to get ready for. Think of yourself as a "brand" that you will have to market and build with time piece by piece. It will take time and patience, but the best things in life are worth the wait.

There are many myths and stigma around the future of jobs that have to be broken. Daniel Susskind - a global researcher and author has been talking about the future of work and what it means to us. Watch here to find out the 3 myths and why they aren't true.

Self reflection

Work has always changed. Think of your great grandparents and the life they had. What 5 professions do you see changing in the near future?

Interpersonal or person to person skills are paving their way and becoming the most important part of our work. Can you identify situations where this is already happening?

Think of yourself as a "brand" and know that it takes time to build, but know the direction you want to head in. What "brand" would you be?

 

Is there only one right career path?

When thinking about the  choices of our parents, peers or famous successful people we might often assume that the path they chose and took is very carefully planned knowing the end goal all along. They went on from graduating high school to knowing which university to attend and profession to seek. And after university graduation went on to work in their dream job until retirement. However the situation most often is completely different. Where young people see a step by step process, the reality most often is quite different with changing your profession, traveling abroad, getting a degree, taking time off to pursue other interests, working part time and being fluid and flexible in your life choices and possible career paths or even changing it completely and studying something new. And that is completely understandable and accessible to us all. We are able to carve our own paths, change them along the way and try out different industries and careers throughout our life times. Working remotely has also changed the working culture and many more opportunities are now open and free to explore that would have been unimaginable 10-15 years earlier, as we will see shortly.

The most popular course at Stanford (one of the leading universities of our time) at the moment is not computer science, as one would like to think - it is a course called “Design your career” where with design thinking methods you prototype, create and plan for your life and the path you wish to choose. You would think that those people who study at Stanford have already chosen their way and are completely sure what they wish to do, but the situation is rather different and people are much more willing to experiment and seek out professions and jobs that have not existed before. Also very established professionals in their career make life changing decisions and decide to pursue their dreams that they thought were unimaginable before. If at the beginning of your career you open your eyes wide to the many and varied possibilities of your future career you can feel safer and ready for making changes within your lifetime. And then the first decision - what to study and what profession to seek does not seem that scary anymore. Plan for 5 careers in your life too! 

Self reflection

There is no one right answer on which career path to persue, despite what grown ups might tell you. Have you thought about the multiple opportunities in the job market?

In our lifetime we are able to adapt and make choices, having even 5 careers. Think of 5 professions you would like to master.

21 jobs  of the future

In the US, according to a study by LinkedIn, young workers now switch jobs, though not necessarily careers, four times in their first 10 years after graduation. The changing nature of work is already making shifts in the labour market so it makes perfect sense to seek out different career paths for yourself and insure yourself for the future building your resume and learning new skills that will be valued in the long run.

With the fast and ever changing technological advances that we so gladly use in our daily life, the nature of work is also changing. That is why it seems strange to educate and prepare young people for a lifetime of work, when their future profession has not been invented yet. Of course automation and technological progress will take some jobs away but mainly those that should be automated due to the bad working environment anyway. That is not a threat to youth overall though as they already seek better jobs than their parents on a whole.

An international company Cognizant made a study and drafted 21 jobs of the future that might be there in 10 years time such as:

• data detective,
• virtual store sherpa,
• financial wellness coach
• personal memory curator.

Which one could be your job?

Find your job of the future here! 

What the Cognizant study points out is that work has always changed and adapted to the progress of the society. And also that many current jobs aren't attractive or even healthy to people around the world - so things need to change even more. Even though we are alarmed by the fast progress of technology and automation taking our jobs, the reality is that technology will always need people to program it, lead it and look after it. So old jobs are disappearing and new jobs are arising. Some jobs that will be here in 10 years time are unimaginable at the moment, but the situation is changing so rapidly that we will have to adapt. And youth are the biggest winners in this as they are by nature more “technologically advanced” with every new generation and that provides big opportunities.

Then Cognizant went further and added 21 profession MORE to the list. Watch a video about it here.

 

Self reflection 

Work has always changed and some professions are just a thing of the past.

And there are SO many professions of the future we can't even imagine yet.

Write 10 professions that might be here before 2040 in your mind.

 

 

 

Importance of creativity

According to the World Economic Forum, creativity will be the third-most-important skill for employees by 2020, behind complex problem-solving and critical thinking. The report “The Future of Jobs” states, “With the avalanche of new products, new technologies, and new ways of working, workers are going to have to become more creative in order to benefit from these changes.” In addition, with automation forecasted to eliminate many repetitive jobs, humans will move up the value chain and carry out more thoughtful, creative work. The jobs at hand and the values that are seeked upon are changing as well. That is one of the main skills that sets us apart and is unique to us. 

The robots are not coming, they are already here. They are changing the way we work, entertain ourselves, communicate, learn and live. Work and jobs have always lived and transformed together with society as a whole. However there are still many jobs and tasks currently in the world that are not pleasant or safe for humans and that are in need of technological advances. And technology will always need the personal touch and knowledge, guidance, to make it, set it up and maintain it. It comes back to the core skill that sets us apart from robots - our CREATIVITY  that we need to enhance and develop, as technology solves problems but sometimes also creates them. The soft skills are the most needed in today's world: creativity, collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking and social and emotional skills. These skills we will need regardless of technological change.

3 Key Benefits of fostering creativity in the workplace include:

1. Creativity Builds Better Teamwork: Creativity inspires employees to work with each other. The creative process encourages collaboration. Businesses need to encourage the mindset of continuous learning encouraging employees to seek new information, knowledge and new ways to do things. Many unique ideas come from just one person but they are molded by a team to become fully formed. Very often the best and most creative ideas in the room arise from the people not in the decision making positions, so don't be afraid to speak up if you have a great idea.
2. Creativity Improves the Ability to Attract and Retain Employees: When creativity is encouraged employees are more content with their jobs and are committed to remaining loyal to the company and also invite friends to work in their company. Talent acquires talent.
3. Creativity Increases Problem-Solving: With the ability to think creatively and outside of the box, employees are more likely to come up with unique and innovative solutions to obstacles they encounter. This eagerness to solve problems can lead to new ways to accomplish tasks and adds to a more efficiently run business.

What is upskilling and reskilling?  and how does it relate to me? Watch the video to find out more.

Self reflection

Creativity is one of the Top 3 skills of today, so make sure to foster it!

Be open to new ideas and make sure to voice them.

Creativity can also be trained and enhaced. Find out tips and tricks to stay ahead.

 

 

Know yourself!

Are you a researcher type or idea generator? What kind of animal are you? Are you a team player or do you prefer individual work? Your parents are urging you to become a banker or lawyer - but is it true to you? These are all questions very frequently asked at job interviews, motivation letters or a friendly chat with your future colleagues. It is good to know yourself and be able to understand your strong suits, what motivates you and gives you joy and what is your role in the team. We are all different and it is natural that we excel at different things, so being true to yourself at the very beginning in forging your career path is important.  Here personality tests can help.

Check out these personality tests that will give you a better insight to yourself and allow you to plan accordingly your next steps in your personal and professional development:

• 16 personalities
• The Holland Test
• Assess Yourself
• What animal are you?

These are also questions that most often get asked in a job interview and it is good to be prepared. 

Take this FUN test to find out what type of co-worker are you.

Self reflection

Knowing yourself before choosinga career path is very important. Dig deep and understand yourself.

Take the tests and find similiarities and differences.

Understand your motivation and what brings you joy!

Nature vs nurture 

Nature refers to our genetics that we have inherited. Many charecteristics are controlled by our genes: our blood type, hair and eye colour. The nurture means care = the environment we live in and the circumstances we have to adapt to. This is an interesting paradimg to think about. Many things we take for granted are made up both of nature and nurture that shape us to who we are. Watch an intro video here.

Some people are very talented in different things: music, sport or chess for example. So a question arises - can anyone with the right knowledge and very extensive training become an expert in this field? Or is there some special sauce aka DNA that makes us more special in predetermined ways to master a special skill. Is our DNA that powerful? Watch to find more about the power of DNA. 

Author Malcolm Gladwell is a famous author that postulates the 10 000 hour rule in the book “Outliers” - that if you put in the right amount of effort you can master a specific skill. Although it is so tempting to believe it, the truth is much more complex because both nature and nurture are important to determine your success in a specific skill. Without the correct circumstances, environment and support your natural born talent might not flourish and develop. You can forge your own path in spite of and thanks to specific DNA and the right circumstances. So make it count and use the opportunities given to you!

Self reflection

We are a combination of both genetics and the environment we live in.

Each of us is unique but we do have our similarities.

It takes 10 000 hours to master a skill - in the right set of circumstances.

 

The changes brought about by the pandemic

Almost 44% of business leaders think that the prolonged effect of COVID-19 pandemic to the world will lead to high levels of structural unemployment especially for youth. This is an alarming situation and the restrictions on in person education are worrying as well about the long term effect on knowledge and youth development. However it also has changed the nature of work that can mean more accessible jobs for youth:

• Reskilling is the current topic to change the work force's skills and requirements to be adaptable to changes. If you are a young student and don't have too much previous experience, you can also benefit from this, as it means you can be taught and guided in a new profession. This is the time to learn fast and step up in the professional world. Use this opportunity!
• Remote work has become the norm now. What seemed impossible just a few years back is now mandatory for many. No more long commutes to work or many long meetings in person. The time that you have saved now you can use to dive deeper in the topic, learn, study and become better at the chosen profession. There is so much free content out there: seminars, lectures, podcasts, free online courses. Use the time you have to build your resume.
• This in turn has made employers trust their employees much more and is creating this trust and acceptance atmosphere that is very beneficial to young people as well. You can be given great opportunities to prove yourself, so be courageous and take initiative.
• Another thing is the fact that everyone is in the same boat = everyone is impacted by the pandemic and we are all in it together! So we will all need to learn to adapt to the changing situation and this is a great time for innovative methods, structures and ideas. Be brave and forthcoming and go the extra mile, it will pay off very soon.

Self reflection

Work has changed forever, adapt to it.

COVID-19 is bringing changes to the labour market, use them to your advantage.

Take initiative and go the extra mile!