How to get started with Upskilling

The job market today has become very dynamic as organizations are moving towards new technologies, adopting strategies to utilize data, and reinventing the traditional methods across functions. Therefore, it becomes essential for professionals to constantly upgrade their skills and stay updated with the changes in the industry. 

Most of the in-demand occupations of today did not even exist a decade ago. This justifies the importance of upskilling regularly to stay relevant in the job market. In this article, we have elaborated on how you can approach upskilling and a few tips to help you along the way.

What is Upskilling?

The term upskilling refers to learning new skills to keep up with the demands of the job the market. It is crucial to bridge the gap between demand and availability of skilled professionals across domains. 

Digital transformation has been the biggest trend for a long time and is morphing the job roles. The processes are improving to contribute to better ways of working yielding better results. In such a scenario, the mindset to constantly upskill will take professionals a long way in their respective careers. 

The need to upskill

Upskilling is a constant process and should be that a professional is doing always, irrespective of the position one is in their career. Some of the reasons to keep constantly learning are:

Gain skills that employers are seeking

Businesses are always evolving and therefore their needs are also constantly changing. Keeping a lookout for in-demand skills and upskilling accordingly will make you a more attractive candidate to employers. It will help you stand out and ahead of the pool of applications for the same role. 

Demonstrate adaptability 

The change is the only constant and to survive the change and excel, one must embrace it. Employers seek this quality in their prospective employees. A commitment towards upskilling shows the willingness to constantly learn new things and adapt to new technologies is highly appreciated and sought after by recruiters. 

Better performance at the job

Upskilling will help professionals to perform better in their roles and move up the ladder quickly. It enables a satisfying career and fast growth. Technological developments improve efficiency, reduce errors, and are designed to make jobs easier. Upskilling to these technological solutions helps professionals to align their tasks to organizational goals and hence perform well. 

Apart from meeting career goals, upskilling also helps professionals build confidence. Learning new things and having a wide spectrum of knowledge boosts self-esteem.  

Career transitions

One key benefit of upskilling comes with career transitions. When professionals reach a dead-end or feel demotivated in their current role, upskilling helps them shift careers. It helps them draw attention to their transferable skills and learn concepts that are completely new but interesting to them. 

How to Upskill

These are the steps to approach upskilling:

1. Identify skills you need to learn – The first step is to identify the skill gap you are trying to bridge. Whether you aim at a career transition, a promotion, or applying for a new job, it will require certain specific skills or certifications. 
2. Look out for learning opportunities – Being a working professional, it would be best if you look out for part-time learning opportunities. Other options are taking up full-time classroom courses or online certification programs. Great Learning provides certification courses across the domains including artificial intelligence and machine learning, data science and business analytics, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and more. Great Learning Academy is a platform that provides short free courses across tech and business domains. 
3. Utilize online resources – Upskilling should not always come with a cost, especially if you are going for beginner level courses. Make the most of the free online resources available to understand the domain better and then go for more advanced courses that are the paid ones. You could sign up for newsletters, subscribe to blogs, and follow industry experts on social media to know more about your domain. 

Upskill today with Great Learning’s certification programs across domains.

0 Source: https://www.mygreatlearning.com/blog/how-to-get-started-with-upskilling/