With the exponential pace of change in technology, it is inevitable within every industry and every job that new skills must be learned to stay relevant. Imagine your role 10 years ago. What did you or the person before you use for technology? What did their day-to-day look like? I suspect it looked very different. Different software. Different hardware. Even different processes. Each one requires some level of technical training which is now commonly referred to as upskilling and reskilling.Additionally, people are living longer than ever before and many people will have several careers in their lifetime. There are countless 40 and 50-year olds who leave the business world to open a restaurant, go into consulting, begin their tech career, or get their doctorate to teach. You no longer have to do the same job you thought you wanted to do at age 25.

Digital Skills Gap

When you hear people discussing the digital skills gap, this is what they are talking about. This educational space between the latest technology needed for growth and the current technology used. Employers often are in search of a goal but do not even know the skills necessary to meet that goal. This is why consulting a tech expert when hiring is helpful. Now you ask, what are the skills needed right now to fill the skills gaps today? Well, that suggests there is one solution to fit all. Every industry has different technical needs and will experience the gap in different ways. The answer is that it depends. Our business has seen high demand for .NET Developers, Frontend Web Developers, UI/UX Designers, and Software Engineers. Forbes reports, “As the digital economy continues to rapidly expand, the demand for workers with at least some cybersecurity skills will only rise…” In some cases, automation and artificial intelligence will help to fill these gaps. Even with these technical advancements, human talent is necessary to create and run these future technologies. Who knows? You could invent your own job.

What are some causes of the Digital Skills Gaps?

There are many forces at play here that contribute to the digital skills gap. The two largest issues that everyone can agree on are:

1. The speed of technological change is fast and growing exponentially.
2. The educational system has not kept up with the pace of technology.

What is the educational influence on our technical skills gap? We all understand that education begins at a very young age and exposure to many different types of topics creates curiosity. This is why you have seen many schools in recent years focus on the STEM courses, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Although it is important to have a well rounded education, those specific areas are lacking attention as compared to what the jobs are available in today’s economy. “Many business are targeting specifically the lack of STEM knowledge in potential hires. Almost 60 percent of Business Roundtable executives said that data science and computer science were “very relevant” to their current openings. However, roughly half of executives indicated that these skills were also “very problematic” to find.” Companies have been telling us for years that these basics are vital to building the foundation of a successful technical career. Unfortunately, changes to education will not happen overnight. Learning takes time.

Upskilling and Reskilling for your Technical Career

You can make the change for yourself with upskilling and reskilling. Embracing education and personal growth is a vital part of a successful technical career. This could mean learning a skill that aides in your current role. This could also mean learning a whole new skill and reinventing yourself completely. For many, this is a refreshing look on the future of your career. You are not pigeon-holed into one role for the next 20+ years. These experiences open your mind to new ideas and new opportunities. This may also mean letting go of your “5-year plan.” Instead of setting up expectations of what your career SHOULD look like, change your mindset to always be curious. If you have the digital talent needed to meet the immediate needs of these companies - the right marketable skill set, the opportunities will come. If you ask anyone who you consider successful, did they know this is where they would end up. The answer is almost always “no, and here are some of the lessons I have learned along the way.” Give yourself the education and skills to be ready to embrace opportunities when they come knocking. Also, do not underestimate yourself. You may not be an expert now, but with a high level of interest and motivation, you can become an expert.

Digital Talent Available at TECKpert

At TECKpert, we understand the need for continuing education, upskilling and reskilling. So much so that we offer that as a part of employment. All of our TECKperts have access through our own custom app to an array of tech classes. Topics range from Computer Science and Data Analysis to IT & Cloud. You will find classes like AI Chatbots without Programming, CS50’s Web Programming with Python and JavaScript, and AWS Developer: Building on AWS. We are proud to give our team members this opportunity and to be able to offer the latest skills to our customers for their next digital transformation. Whether our customers need a new and improved app or they need an expert in software development, we have the digital talent ready to deliver on those vital projects. To our future TECKperts, download our app today to see what opportunities are available. To our future clients, reach out today for the right digital talent to make your digital transformation happen today.