Skills – the new gold of the future! Every company is in daring need of skills, especially in the digital area. Is the job you have applied for and started years ago still the same? Most probably not, a lot of tasks have changed and you were and are still required to keep up to date with acquiring new skills and expertise. Skills can be acquired on the job through learning by doing. But if you want to take the next step in your career and be in the driving seat, it is now the time to polish your skills.

Look at the job you have done 2, 5 or even 10 years ago. How were the tasks different? What kind of skills have you learned on the job? For which did you attend a specific training? Looking into the past will help you to find out how you learned best, which skills can be acquired in a course or for which do you need experience on the job.

Now look ahead of your career, can you predict what other skills you might require? To ensure your get the right skills for your next career step, you have to understand where your current role is leading to. Write down possible new tasks your job could bring in the near or far future. Read about your industry and look for predictions of it.

Can you see yourself in this future role and industry? Do you feel motivated and enthusiastic about the tasks that are predicted for your job? When learning new skills you have to be clear why you will acquire these skills. Skills can help you to advance in your current role, so ensure they are matching the direction your industry is evolving. Or you might want to seek new opportunities in the future and want yourself prepare for it now. But even if you feel, you would simply like to learn something new, getting trained on new skills will always have a positive impact.

Once you are clear about the skills you want to learn, find a suitable way to get started. There are different options; you can try to find someone in your company helping you to get skilled. Offer them to exchange skills and ensure you both can have added values, such as language exchange. Or you want learn at your own pace where an online course might be more suitable. Ask your friends, co-workers and communities what they would recommend. Attend meetups and events from communities as those from our #wetechtogehter event and talk to like-minded people. Or you might even want to get certified and take a course at a university or similar institution. Which ever way you choose, ensure the course adapts to your current private and professional life, is in line with what you expect and adheres to your next career step.

Are you ready for a career move or open to new opportunities? Don’t forget to join TechFace., for all new members, we are offering a free coaching call to help you get started with building your best career in tech.