No matter how many degrees and certificates you have, this world is all about skills. Your skills speak for you. They prove their worth every single time whether it’s in your personal or professional life. From even finding a job in this digital era of computers and internet to preparing for the same and keeping the one you get, you need some really practical skills. Here we are going to focus on the important technical skills that level up your game in that floor space where everyone is trying to make a place for themselves. Let’s head up from the very basic skills to the very specific ones.
MS OFFICE
On the very basic level MS Office skills let you have the standard resume that works well and thus gets you started. Apart from creating word documents MS Office lets you arrange and store data, create or analyse budgets through its various mathematical formulas, write reports and make them effective with its multiple tools such as charts and tables. And who doesn’t know how effective a PowerPoint presentation output is when you are showcasing your work or ideas. From creating a to-do list for your staff to filing in the monthly report, you are going to use MS Office for everything. You can learn MS Office on your own because it is pretty basic and therefore very easy. For the people in Maharashtra, MS-CIT is the best option. It is an initiative of Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Ltd (MKCL). You can do this short course and get the certificate after qualifying the online exam they conduct. This 3 month course teaches you complete MS-Office and basic typing too. The eligibility mentioned is 10th pass, but students younger than that can also join if they are not completely new to the computers and can adjust to the learning well. MS office when learned well makes you eligible for the job positions such as Receptionist, Clerk, Back Office Candidate and also one can become a Customer Service Executive in Call Centres.
HTML
Learning the html will take you to another level of your career. This Hyper Text Mark Up language is the standard language for creating web pages. This way you can design websites and thus take your business on another level. Also you will save the amount you have to pay to some other website designer for your website. Many technical jobs such as Programmer, Computer Developer, Web Developer, Software Developer have html as top requirements in their advertisements because there is no programmer who doesn’t know programming languages. Many people simply earn by freelancing as a website creator or designer or a programmer. This lets them have the flexibility with time and thus one can keep studying or working on their dream project along with earning through this skill. This programming language is what makes the web pages look so interesting. It is beneficial to learn CSS and JavaScript along with html for even better career opportunities and in order to survive in the competition. There are many educational centres mainly private that teach these skills. These are certification courses that make it easy to start in the field as a professional. Also there are plenty of reputed websites that teach you all this for free. HTML along with other programming languages is important part of the syllabus for the students of Computer Science Engineering. So if you are looking at programming and web development as a lifelong full-time career, it’s better to have at least bachelor’s degree in it.
PHOTOSHOP
This extremely popular app among visual art creators is a great way to extend your technical knowledge in different area. This raster graphic editor also renders text, vector graphics, 3D graphics and videos. This is used to edit photos, design products such as website mock designs, business cards, movie posters and other branding and marketing tools. Considering its uses it is among the must need skills for the positions of Fashion designers, Web developers, Graphic artists, Photographers, Architects, UI/UX Designer, Photoshop Operator and other such creative professionals. This layer based editing system also lets you give that extra touch of perfection to your normal job. You can make your photoshoped images lift your standards even on your social media handles. Also you can win attention on your presentations or reports with a little use of photoshop. Retouch your scanned images in photoshop and they are as good as newly created ones. Photoshop along with good knowledge of Corel draw, Adobe Flash, In-design can establish you as a technical artist. And with creativity fuelled by imagination you can take it to the highest level to impact your career.
DATA ANALYSIS
These days all information is tabulated in terms of data. Every bit of information on the World Wide Web is at your finger's click. With so much information we often end up in chaos. With the blessing of having the data we also get cursed by how to use the data. This is where you are going to thank yourself for learning data analysis. A data analyst is skilled in searching out the needed information in the loads of it. He or she also finds out the meaning of random information collected on that topic. Say like joining the pieces of the torn map and telling where the treasure is. Data analysing skills thus help you to work effectively under pressure and in limited time. There are various exclusive job opportunities out there specially for this one skill. The post remains of the Data Analyst only, but the need of it is in all the industries that exist today. There are many online courses from Harvard, MIT, Microsoft, etc to choose from. A bachelor’s degree in fields like Math, Statistics and Computer Science is needed to get an entry level job in this field. There are even certificate courses that save the time of a complete degree.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media has now become essential not only to connect with your loved ones but to pursue your interests and make your dreams a reality. . This addictive wave has actually taken some businesses really high. And it can be equally useful to you if you use it effectively. The number of people it lets you connect to, that too without any barriers of time and distance is insane. And therefore it is highly recommended for any career oriented person to know how to use these platforms. You can showcase your work and your achievements and even connect to your future employers here. Also maintaining a good social media wall plays crucial role in getting you hired. Because now-a-days, interviewers are not only interested in your qualifications but also in your thoughts and morals. They obviously do not want any unethical and socially illogical person to be part of their venture. So they do actually check you out on your social media handles to see what type of person you actually are. I am sure you don’t want to mess it up on social media after years of studying. So one can top the game with also knowing social media tricks and hacks or one can totally make it a niche to earn. One can have a part-time or a full-time career as a Social Media Marketer, Social Media Manager, Social Media Executive, Digital Media Professional, Digital Media Planner, etc.
These skills alone or in combination make you stand out in the crowd. With the population we have in India and the jobs that do not match its level you need to increase you probability of getting hired. And these skills come to your rescue. Some jobs are solely based on single skills whereas others require many. Sometimes even you can on your own learn a few skills that are not mentioned in the requirements but are needed to simplify your life. Above mentioned are the few basic ones that work in any sector. Their uses vary time to time and industry to industry. So you as a job seeker need to go through the requirements of the industry you wish to work in way before you are eligible for the interview. Because this is going to give you the clarity of what you need to learn outside your textbooks and you will also have the time in hand. And remember that just learning the skill and attaching the certificate is not enough though it makes your resume look better. One should always aim to get better at them with practice. Due to the technological advances we have, it’s easier than ever to learn whatever we wish to learn. YouTube is a great source to do so. There are many YouTube channels teaching these skills. And as you know, it’s all for FREE! Once learnt well, you can teach these skills and become a trainer yourself. Every skill lets you pursue the path of a teacher. With the limited number of jobs we have available, teaching is a good way to earn. Also, teaching is the field that offers the highest amount of job satisfaction. So remember, skills are never a waste and can lead to a better life and a more lucrative career.
- Manali Shelke
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Want to get published on EMN and join the community? Here is an opportunity to join the Board of Young Leaders Program by Eat My News. Click here to know more: bit.ly/boardofyoungleaders
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