With changes in technology, there are plenty and more and more work opportunities that have become more available. Thanks to the demand for workers in the technology sector, upskilling has become a necessity for those who wish to work in the Information Technology field.
Upskilling is the process of updating new skills and knowledge to your current skill set roster in your field. It is not the same as reskilling. Compared to reskilling, upskilling updates your skill set in your current role, while reskilling equips you with knowledge and skills for a different career in a different industry.
So how does one upskill? You can upskill by taking certification courses such as an AWS certification and reading up on blogs. Since upskilling deals with hard and soft skills, there are many ways that you can add to your current skills and knowledge.
What Is Upskilling?
As you adapt your talent strategy for the digital economy and your job security, upskilling will become crucial in your journey to keep pace with industry changes.
Upskilling means investing in honing the workforce’s existing skills to fill current and future needs. Along with reskilling, upskilling is a crucial component of the talent strategy of today. It is crucial for soft and hard skills, especially technical ones.
For example, soft skills like emotional intelligence and strong communication skills are improved to support better leadership, especially in work environments that observe remote and hybrid arrangements.
Upskilling vs. Reskilling
Upskilling is linear and starts with existing skills honed over years of experience. For example, you are a programmer. To become a systems analyst, you must upskill your hard and soft skills.
In contrast, reskilling prepares employees to move into newly-created roles as the current status quo of work changes to leverage and utilize digital transformation. For instance, many blue-collar roles are being replaced by automation. As a result, employees in those roles have to reskill so that they can manage automation technology.
The Pros of Upskilling
The benefits of upskilling are:
- Improve Your Employability – The more skills you have, the more job opportunities are available.
- Better Job Security – When upskilled, you develop skills that are in demand and relevant to your industry.
- Career Change – Your newly acquired skills can help you land a promotion or help you get a similar job at a new company.
- Better Outlook – According to studies, upskilling improves one’s morale. It also gives you the potential for more varied work and a broader understanding of your company.
How Do You Upskill?
To upskill, you need to invest time and your other resources to improve and add more to your current skill set. Ways you can upskill are:
- Read blogs and watch educational videos related to your industry – If industry thought leaders produce blogs, you could learn from reading them. In addition, you can watch educational videos about your industry that are available on Youtube.
- Take a short course – There are plenty of courses and certifications on the Internet you can take to level up your skills. In technology, Google Digital Drive has a free Fundamentals of Digital Marketing certification, and Yellow Tail Tech offers an AWS Certification program.
- Shadow a co-worker – For those who want to improve their soft skills, you can offer to shadow a co-worker whose soft skills you admire. From there, you can get an idea of how they run operations in their team and treat people.
- Receive mentorship from a co-worker – A good alternative to shadowing a co-worker is asking your co-worker for direct mentorship. In a remote working environment, this practice is also better as it is more collaborative, and your mentor’s knowledge is directly passed to you via word of mouth and if your co-worker trains you.
- Attend an industry conference – Industry conferences were more common in the technology and advertising industry. By attending them, you learn more perspectives and gain more connections in your industry.
Improve Your Employability With Yellow Tail Tech
There are many ways that you can upskill and remain relevant in your industry. Whether you invest in your soft or technical skills, these become valuable tools to help you retain job security.
Yellow Tail Tech was launched in 2014 and offered 6 to 9 month-programs built for serious and motivated students who want to transform their careers. We have industry-certified instructors who work for top enterprises and provide hands-on experience for real-world challenges. Thanks to our air-tight and excellent program, we have produced extraordinary results. Book a 10-minute intro call with our enrollment advisors now!
