Future of work
Digital Upskilling is a Journey - do your first steps now
Explore the four most crucial skills and start your learning path
I am on this journey for a couple of years. Although my background is auditing and accounting, I always wonder why some things are done in the old, slow, and sometimes papers-based way. So I try to learn more about the digital tools we can use.
When using a new tool, I asked myself: How it can help me to be more effective and have more fun at work?
My passion is also to train others. Some questions people asked repeated themselves quite often.
- But Tom, where do I start?
- Should I learn to code or focus on excel?
- Are there any good courses online which would you recommend?
I cannot be annoyed with them, they are great questions. I also asked such questions when I was at the beginning of this Digital Upskilling journey.
Three years ago I was lost in a digital world.
I watched random Youtube videos, read too many articles. I did some learning for fun, some for the projects I was working on. If I encounter a problem, I looked up a solution. However, I missed a plan or structure for learning.
In the last year, I was searching for the best way how to upskill myself. I come up with four key areas that will increase your value on the job market or in your own freelance business.
If you focus on all of them, it will be a leap from the end-user to power users.
Not only you will know where to click and how to perform certain tasks effectively. But you will also understand why the application works as it works which will be more fun for you on this journey. And you will be able to connect the dots in the current fast-changing world.
1. Digital Collaboration tools
The year 2020 is a revolution for digital collaboration. Remote work became reality. No matter what you do, you need to master these tools:
- MS Teams (and whole Microsoft 365) or Slack
- Cloud-based file management
- Project management tools.
List of free training resources:
- Microsoft Teams learning path on Microsoft learning
- Microsoft Technical documentation (really great when you are trying to solve a particular problem rather than get an overview of a tool)
- All Microsoft tools free training
- Youtuber Kevin Stratvert: Great channel with easy to follow manuals for collaborative tools (not only Microsoft)
List of paid training resources:
- LinkedIn: On using OneDrive ($29.99 per month*)
- LinkedIn: SharePoint Online — Beginner and Advanced ($29.99 per month*)
- Linkedin: Business Collaboration in Modern Workplace $29.99 per month*)
2. Data Literacy
According to this Forbes article, data literacy is the #1 job skills companies are looking for.
Everything digital is driven by data. If you want to excel in your role you shouldn't be the only consumers of dashboards and final products.
Be the one who owns data, their manipulation and interpretation. Be the one who creates useful information from raw data.
List of free training resources:
- Youtube: Data Analytics for accountants introduction
- Coursera: Data Science Crash Course (Free with using Audit button when enrolling)
- Microsoft PowerBI
List of paid training resources:
- Data Camp — from coding (Python, SQL, R) to data processing and visualization ($25 a month) — if you use this link you get a $20 discount.
- Linkedin: Data Visualisation learning path ($29.99 per month*)
- Linkedin: Microsoft PowerBI ($29.99 per month*)
- Udemy Data Analysis with Excel pivot table ($14.99)
3. Coding
Working with data in specialized software (like Tableau or PowerBI) is now available for everybody. However, the other way how you can work with data is by using some coding.
Even if you are not becoming a programmer, learn to code help to be a better problem solver.
Why? I am sharing with you this very interesting article: Why You Should Learn to Code (Even If You’re Not a Developer)
List of free training resources:
- Coursera: Programming for Everybody — Python (Free with using Audit button when enrolling)
List of paid training resources:
- Linkedin: Fundamental of Programming ($29.99 per month for whole Linkedin learning)
- Data Camp — coding (Python, SQL, R) ($25 a month) — if you use this link you get a $20 discount.
4. General Digital Skills (how it all have impacts on corporations and societies)
Finally, the ones who do the innovation and implementation of digital tools are people. Transformation is never done by itself.
You should be aware of how the digital transformation is driven by people and how it affects individual people.
If you wanna know what is happening now and how the changes are done in your company, look at these useful resources.
List of free training resources:
- Follow what is McKinsey doing — as the main consulting company, it’s worth seeing what they are up to. Because these might the changes happening now or near future
- Free learning from Google
List of paid training resources:
- Linkedin: Digital Transformation for leaders ($29.99 per month*)
- Linkedin: Leading with Innovation ($29.99 per month *)
Notes
*The Linkedin price is for the whole Linkedin Learning Website
