The Most Valuable Career Skills of 2018 (And Resources to Get Them)
The combination of a rapidly changing world economy, greater competition in the workplace, and a deeper understanding of what drives productivity has resulted in a greater demand for a diverse skill set.
Because of this, you need to consistently be working to improve your own skill set to both broaden and deepen your capability.
Every craft, industry, and business is different. However, there are certain career skills that are valued over all overs. The only problem is, the skills that are valued most now are completely different to what was valued even a few short years ago.
That’s why we’ve gathered a list of the most valuable career skills for 2018, an up-to-date recap of what employers and executives value the most — these will place you in a position to achieve maximum success and earning power.
Climbing to the top demands strength, whether it is to the top of Mount Everest or to the top of your career.
– A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
The Most Valuable Career Skills of 2018
Based on a LinkedIn survey of 2,000 business leaders, here are the most sought-after career skills:
Soft skills
The way we approach productivity and efficiency in the workplace has evolved, and soft skills are more sought after than ever.
There are only a few really key soft skills you’ll want to develop, however, each one of them can offer a lot of value with respect to your career:
1. Leadership
Leadership is arguably the most important skill on this list for career growth and advancement. It not only has to do with improving your ability to work in a group setting, but also how to produce results and take action.
Learn to be a better leader
I can think of few people better to learn about leadership than Seth Godin. Over the past several years, high-level experts in various subjects have begun jumping into the online course industry and, as a result, we get to benefit by learning from the masters.
And that’s exactly what you get with Seth Godin’s Leadership Workshop, presented by Acumen.
Learn how to improve your leadership skills on Udemy
2. Communication
Communication is one of the most fundamental career skills. Communication skills include listening, speaking more intentionally, public speaking, and communicating big ideas (among many others), all skills that are highly valued in the workplace.
Learn to improve your communication
Our understanding of what it means to communicate effectively has evolved quite a bit over the past decade, and the Advanced Communication Skills for 21st Century Leaders online class does a great job of illustrating those changes as well as teaching you what you need to know to put those advanced communication skills into action.
Learn how to improve your communication skills on Udemy
3. Collaboration
Collaboration is a bit of a vague term. However, no one can argue that learning to work with others better is a critical skill in the workplace. Like each of the other soft skills on this list, collaboration includes several different skills baked into one master skill, but covers things like collaborative workflows and bouncing and developing ideas.
Learn to collaborate more effectively
As we just spoke about, collaboration is a bit nebulous. However, Learn How to Survive in the Open Workspace Environment is the ideal resource for learning everything you need, including how to deal with toxic colleagues and understanding energy.
Learn to collaborate more effectively on Udemy
4. Time management
Time management is one of the quintessential productivity skills. And, the great part about putting some thought into improving your time management skills is that if you’re effective with your time, people will take notice quickly.
Learn time management
Time management includes a large umbrella of potential productivity and efficiency techniques. One great course that does this is Learn Time Management, Get Organized & Get Everything Done on Udemy. If time management is something you believe you could use some work on, it’s a great place to start.
Learn time-management on Udemy
Hard skills
Photo Credit: LinkedIn Sales Navigator on Unsplash
Hard skills are both straightforward in their nature while also being much more diverse.
If you’re in college still trying to figure out your direction or are considering a career change, the list below can help inform your next career decision.
Data from LinkedIn’s over 500 million members shed light on the most valuable hard skills for 2018:
1. Cloud and Distributed Computing
Associated jobs include:
- Platform Engineer – $120,000
- Cloud Architect – $135,000
Course recommendations:
- 70-535 Architecting Microsoft Azure Solutions
- Microservices with Spring Cloud
- Amazon Web Services Certification (AWS) 2018 – All 4 Certs!
2. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining
Associated jobs include:
- Business Analyst – $72,000
- Data Analyst – $62,000
- Statistician – $90,200
Course recommendation:
3. Middleware and Integration Software
Associated jobs include:
- IT Manager – $95,000
- Systems Integration Engineer – $98,000
Course recommendation:
4. Web Architecture and Development Framework
Associated jobs include:
- Web developer – $65,000
- Full Stack Web Developer – $77,000
Course recommendation:
5. User Interface Design
Associated jobs include:
- UX Designer – $85,000
- Web Developer – $65,000
- UI Designer – $72,000
Course recommendation:
6. Software Revision Control Systems
Associated jobs include:
- Web Developer – $65,000
- Software Programmer – $64,000
Course recommendation:
7. Data Presentation
Associated jobs include:
- Graphic Designer – $45,000
- Data Scientist – $113,000
- Business Consultant – $83,000
Course recommendations:
- Data Presentation for Business: How to make great charts
- Colors for Data Science A-Z: Data Visualization Color Theory
8. SEO/SEM Marketing
Associated jobs include:
- Marketing Specialist – $49,000
- Online Marketing Manager – $80,000
- Advertising Manager – $61,200
Course recommendations:
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM): #1 Step-by-Step Tutorial
- The Complete Digital Marketing Course – 12 Courses in 1
9. Mobile Development
Associated jobs include:
- Mobile Engineer – $95,000
- Mobile Application Developer – $83,800
Course recommendation:
10. Network and Information Security
Associated jobs include:
- Information Security Specialist – $96,000
- Cyber Security Specialist – $92,500
Course recommendation:
11. Marketing Campaign Management
Associated jobs include:
- Online Marketing Manager – $80,000
- Digital Marketing Specialist – $52,000
- Digital Marketing Manager – $77,000
Course recommendation:
12. Data Engineering and Data Warehousing
Associated jobs include:
- Software Engineer – $95,000
- Database Developer – $85,000
- Data Analyst – $62,000
Course recommendations:
13. Storage Systems and Management
Associated jobs include:
- Database Administrator – $91,000
- System Administrator – $68,800
Course recommendation:
14. Electronic and Electrical Engineering
Associated jobs include:
- Electrical Engineer – $81,000
- Electronic Engineer – $88,400
Course recommendation:
15. Algorithm Design
Associated jobs include:
- Software Engineer – $95,000
- Lead Software Engineer – $120,000
- Lead Developer – $109,000
Course recommendation:
16. Perl/Python/Ruby
Associated jobs include:
- Software Engineer – $95,000
- Data Scientist – $113,000
Course recommendations:
- Complete Python Bootcamp: Go from zero to hero in Python 3
- The Complete Ruby on Rails Developer Course
- Learn Perl 5 By Doing It
17. Shell Scripting Languages
Associated jobs include:
- Linux System Administrator – $75,000
- System Engineer – $90,000
- Java Developer – $80,000
Course recommendation:
18. Mac, Linux and Unix Systems
Associated jobs include:
- System Administrator – $68,800
- Linux System Administrator – $75,000
Course recommendation:
19. Java Development
Associated jobs include:
- Java Developer – $80,000
- Web Developer – $65,000
Course recommendation:
20. Business Intelligence
Associated jobs include:
- Business Intelligence Analyst – $73,000
- Forecast Analyst – $64,000
Course recommendation:
21. Software QA and User Testing
Associated jobs include:
- User Experience Engineer – $85,000
- Software Test Engineer – $80,000
- Quality Assurance Engineer – $77,000
Course recommendation:
22. Virtualization
Associated jobs include:
- Network Engineer – $82,000
- Network Administrator – $65,000
Course recommendation:
23. Automotive Services, Parts and Design
Associated jobs include:
- Vehicle Engineer – $96,500
- Industrial Designer – $63,600
Course recommendations:
- Car Design Sketching: Render a Car in Photoshop
- How to Sketch, Draw, Design Cars Like a Pro
- Car Maintenance Anyone Can Do
24. Economics
Associated jobs include:
- Business Development Manager – $99,000
- Auditor – $56,000
- Research Analyst – $56,400
Course recommendation:
25. Database Management and Software
Associated jobs include:
- Database Specialist – $53,000
- Database Administrator – $91,000
Course recommendation:
- Database design using ER modeling & Normalization technique
- From 0 to 1: The Cassandra Distributed Database
- Database Management System
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