It’s not exactly a secret— 2020 was HARD! For many of us, it’s been the most challenging year ever – and what multifaceted challenges we have faced! A novel super virus would be one thing, but let’s add in mass unemployment, modern day civil rights movement and economic recession as well! It’s like new day, new issue taking the spotlight.
Unemployment is at record highs, and many “normal” jobs are not expected to come back in any meaningful way. While that all sounds (and frankly, is) scary, new opportunities are rising from the ashes.
Tell me there’s good news.
Digital jobs have already increased at a staggering rate in the past decade, with this time of lockdown only accelerating the digitization process. According to Microsoft data, there will be about 149 MILLION new digital jobs by 2025. These jobs will be a huge factor in economic recovery going forward, so much so it is being dubbed “The Fourth Industrial Revolution.” We are living through brand new experiences every day, and brand new skills will be moved to the forefront of the workforce.
Now is the best time to learn new digital skills, or add to your portfolio, and take control of 2020 and beyond!
One company that is taking these challenges to the workforce and laying out a plan of action is Microsoft. Combining their assets from Microsoft, LinkedIn and GitHub, they have created a huge pool of online resources to help reskill the global population for new labor demands. Insights into the global economy, based on data from LinkedIn, are available to see what jobs are most in demand and where.
Okay, so now what do I do?
Now is the perfect time to learn a new digital skill in order to take advantage of the upcoming transition to digital jobs. Here are 3 resources that can help you take control of 2020:
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning (or Lynda.com – with a free intro month!) is where industry experts lead college-style lectures on tens of thousands of subjects. Low-cost, industry-recognized certifications are also available through this wide sweeping initiative. This place has it all – the assets you need for education, job searching and job application have all been brought together into one online hub aimed at adapting the workplace we know now for the workplace we will need tomorrow.
Online Learning Bundles
Another route for learning new digital skills (and one that I have used myself!) is buying an online learning bundle like The Business Bundle. If you need a more dynamic, exciting format of learning to really stick with it and excel, these businesswomen are your answer! Each course is taught by a different professional who knows their subject inside and out. And as an added bonus, there are some great life skill courses as well, like financial planning and journaling towards your goals! These women will help break down and clarify the skills needed to be a boss in the digital workforce.
Pro-tip: These types of bundles are only available for a limited time (usually 5-7 days), so be ready to jump on them as soon as they appear.
Online Course Platforms
Online platforms like Coursera and EdX partner with hundreds of universities and companies to bring individual courses and personalized degrees right to your laptop. Currently, both have introduced hundreds of free courses with inexpensive certificate add-ons.
Coursera specifically has offered free access to their 3,800 courses and 400 Specializations (from such institutions as Duke, IBM, Stanford, and Google) for students impacted by Coronavirus and representatives from governmental organizations that directly serve unemployed workers. Individuals outside of these parameters can still audit many courses for free, or at a low cost.
EdX works similarly, also having expanded their free course catalogue, available to individuals who are not students or government employees. This platform hosts courses from Harvard, MIT, Microsoft and more. EdX also has a business-specific portal aimed at upskilling current employees.
Long story short, whether you are still employed or not, the landscape of digital work is rapidly changing. We can’t even blame Corona for all of it! The pandemic has kicked the rate of change into overdrive, but it is still the same path we were on beforehand.
After all the uncertainty this year has given us, these resources can provide a solid foundation for moving forward in the new economy, and the new world.
Leave a comment below if you’re launching a digital side hustle in 2021.
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