The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way people do business. It has accelerated companies’ and consumers’ shift to digital, making the situation harder for those left behind. Those who couldn’t shift quickly to remote work setups and adapt to the growing demand for online services had to face huge financial setbacks and other challenges. On the other hand, the situation has offered great opportunities for those willing to go beyond their comfort zone and upskill to thrive in the digital arena.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur wanting to take advantage of digital transformation or a professional who wants to try your hand at doing business online, you can benefit from learning new technical skills. Here are some of these technical skills you need to become or remain competitive in the post-COVID era.
AI and Machine Learning
There are skills that you’d rather outsource. Take printed circuit board (PCB) assembly, for instance. You’d rather hire and ask for a quote for an SMT line assembly than build one yourself. That’s because such complex skills and services take decades to master and require stringent quality control and inspection.
You can’t say the same for AI and machine learning. To be clear, these are not easier skills to develop. But because these are developing facets of software development, you’ll find tons of content, news, and even free AI and machine learning courses online to study them. These growing resources can give you a head start. And you can still gain a first-mover advantage when you start incorporating AI into your current business processes or developing products through machine learning. AI projects were non-existent 10 or 20 years ago. But they can dominate the business world in a few years.
Studying AI and machine learning can open a world of opportunities. At a fundamental level, you’ll better understand the apps, programs, and tools you interact with daily. If you spend more time developing these skills, you can even create cutting-edge products like manufacturing robots, Smart assistants, and more.
Mobile App Development
To date, there are 6.3 billion smartphone users worldwide. That number is expected to grow every year. It’s a shame if your business can’t tap that huge market online. One way to ensure you don’t miss that market is to build a website for your brand. Shopify, WordPress, and other CMS and e-commerce platforms are there to help you create one. But if you want to take this further, learn mobile app development.
Learning to write code can help you build useful mobile applications that can set you apart from your competitors. Imagine how many new customers you can gain with a mobile app that allows single-click ordering. Mobile apps can also be used to reward loyal customers and keep them engaged with your brand.
Mastering mobile app development skills is also an ideal path if you plan to build a tech startup. You can create a new company that caters to businesses that can’t create mobile apps. Sure, you can hire a bunch of mobile app developers for this new company. But it’s a huge bonus if you know every detail of the process. You can make crucial decisions faster because you know what exactly entails to develop a new mobile app.
Data Science and Analytics
High school or college education introduced us to the foundation of data analytics: statistics, algebra, and calculus, and statistics. Why don’t you take this step further by studying big data science and analytics?
Evaluating and making large data sets sensible is a complex task. But with this skill, you can highlight buying trends and discover crucial details that can help your business develop better strategies. Not all business owners or professionals can maximize the abundance of data available at their fingertips.
At heart, data science and analytics are all about solving problems. Developing an ability to think analytically and approach problems in multiple ways is a skill that will always be useful, even after the pandemic. Plus, making sense of big data helps improve your communication skills. You have to learn to communicate complex information to your partners and employees to take full advantage of big data. With improved problem-solving and communication skills, you’ll be better equipped to run a business.
As the world shifts to a digital post-COVID era, you need to upskill to stay relevant and competitive. By being proficient in these technical skills, you can gain a head start and thrive in a world that relies heavily on technology to stay afloat after a huge economic crisis. As early as now, position yourself for success.
