Remaining competitive in your career field is a challenge for some seasoned IT professionals. Learning new skills through ‘upskilling’ is a way to be more valuable in your current position or avoid challenges in finding work when faced with unemployment.
Upskilling is the process of adding additional education or training to something that is applicable to what you already know. Staying relevant and competitive in the IT industry has never been more important than it is today. As technology advances this is one way to situate yourself for better job opportunities in the future.
Job descriptions are changing and can often happen during your employment with a company. The job you were hired for may change the required needs as software and technology rapidly advances—just like the popularity of programming languages changes over time.
Soft skills are also just as important to consider when upskilling yourself. Soft skills are abilities ranging from how present yourself to how you interact with other people. Creative problem solving and critical thinking are a good example. Most can only be gained with experience and practice, but other like communication skills and leadership can be improved with courses, workshops, and training. All things to help boost a resume or improve your value at your current company.
Some experienced programmers look at upskilling with programming certifications. One of the most popular programming certifications in 2022 is an AWS Certified Solutions Architect. Jobs in this field are among the list of top highest-paying IT certifications with an average annual salary as high as $113k. An AWS Solution Architect Certification will help increase your value in your current role and improve your ability to be considered for more jobs.
Online institutions like LinkedIn and Coursera offer free or paid courses online where you can earn new certifications or learn additional skills like programming languages or software.
Companies are also seeing the importance of upskilling their employees and the benefits to their organizations. Investing in current employees is often more efficient and less costly than recruiting a new employee with the new set of desired skills.