What to learn for professional growth is not a simple decision. You can take some shortcuts to arrive at it. For example, if you can know what others are choosing to learn, you can select from their choices.
Coursera recently published a report titled “The Job Skills of 2024”. They publish such a report every year and this is the third year of its publication. While the report aims to help guide institutions by highlighting essential skills and credentials for the near future, you can use the same information to get an idea of the skills that will enable you to get a good job in 2024. I am presenting a summary of their findings.
Coursera draws its conclusions from the number of enrollments in various courses it offers. This report is based mainly on the courses taken up by people working in various businesses, government departments, and educational institutions. They have a better understanding of what their organizations are looking for, and you can benefit from it. Some employees look for vertical growth, i.e. in their current area of work, while others look for horizontal growth in new areas of opportunity. So we can get an idea of courses popular for either of the two.
Technical and digital skills listed in the report are mainly for jobs connected with information technology. People in other vocations need to look at other sources of information.
AI and Leadership
“Generative AI for Everyone” course was Coursera’s fastest-growing offering in 2023. It is obvious that many people expect some effect of AI on their jobs. Through this course, they will be better prepared for the impact of the AI revolution. The report says that “Up to 49% of workers could see significant changes in their jobs due to … models like ChatGPT.”
The other courses chosen by many people are in leadership. People who can steer teams and businesses in the present times of change and innovation are in demand. Leadership courses pursued include People Management, Negotiation, Influencing, Employee Relations, and People Development.
Business Skills
Business skills lead the demand for learning. These include E-commerce, Media Strategy & Planning, Search Engine Optimization, Customer Success, Audit, Marketing Management and Customer Relationship Management.
Technical and Digital Skills
The fastest-growing tech skills are focused on web frameworks and cloud computing. Data visualization is a digital skill on the top. Courses on Linux operating system and web development frameworks React and Django are popular.
There is a high demand for cybersecurity experts in both the public and private sectors, Cybersecurity skills are System Security, Computer Security Incident Management, Cyber Attacks, Security Software, and Security Strategy. Coursera offers Professional Certification in Cybersecurity from ISC2, Google, and IBM.
Conclusion
To win, follow the crowd. It is a simpler way to know what to learn to get a job easily in 2024.
Photo by Richard Stachmann on Unsplash