Online Learning: 10 In-Demand Skills

The world around us is changing at a faster rate than it has ever been before. Technology, health, our understanding of human behavior, and psychology are just a few of the sectors that are advancing at a breakneck pace year after year.

In that setting, it’s clear that our formal education is no longer sufficient to maintain our position in this fast-paced world, making the acquisition of new skills more crucial than ever.

That’s why it’s crucial to not just discover high-demand fields and skills in general, but also to be very particular in matching those skills to your strengths and existing knowledge.

You give yourself a chance to quickly stride forward and flourish by extending that already-existing base.

However, it’s also a good idea to look outside of your comfort zone. Many abilities can be terrifying at first because they seem too difficult and out of your comfort zone.

You might be afraid of even thinking about them because you’re afraid of becoming trapped or failing if you go down that path.

The good news is that everyone has those thoughts, including you. You taught them about reading in first grade and algebra in fifth grade. At some point in life, anything new seemed frightening. Taking up a new field won’t seem so daunting once you grasp that.

There are so many different abilities to choose from, and many of them are in high demand. You offer yourself an extra chance to discover new passions in life by dedicating time, developing new skills, and putting deliberate effort into one or more of these sectors.

You might also discover new methods to make a living or simply live a more purposeful and fulfilling life as a result.

The following are ten talents that can be easily learned through online courses, whether live or self-paced. In different ways, each of them is in high demand now.

You don’t have to try all of them when acquiring new abilities. Instead, pick the ones that speak to you the most and go for it!

1. Writing

People automatically think of writing novels or non-fiction works when they hear the word “writing.” But writing entails a lot more than that. You most likely write every day—at work, when you post something on Facebook, or when you send a personal or business email.

Writing is used in almost every situation, and improving your writing skills will help you communicate more effectively in many areas of your life.

Brevity and clarity, syntax, structure, and formatting are just a few of the areas of writing that an online course may help you improve.

Just keep in mind that your own selling weapon, your resume, is written as well. The better you get at it, the more opportunities it has to stand out.

2. Foreign Languages

Globalization is here to stay, and as our society progresses, cultural barriers begin to blur. That is not in the sense of blurring those lines or losing one’s identity, but rather in the sense of working together for the greater good.
Cultures bond and borrow the best from one another, as well as learn from one another’s experiences and viewpoints.

That is why learning a foreign language will give you an advantage over your peers. Learning a second language also helps your brain and critical thinking, according to scientific studies.^[1]

3. Coding

The word coding is as terrifying as a spacewalk for most people who have never dabbled in computer programming. It sounds strange and almost impossible to comprehend.

The truth is that today’s coding isn’t the mysterious assembly language where you had to learn how to talk in the computer chip’s dialect.

Programming languages have become more understandable in recent years as a result of the usage of visual editors and the use of terminology that are more natural in nature to describe the available functions and variables.

The majority of code editors are free, and there are dozens of free online courses for various skill levels that may teach you the fundamentals of programming languages like PHP, C#, Javascript, or Visual Basic.

With guided tutorials where you get to program side by side with the teacher, you’ll be able to write your first “Hello, World!” program in no time.

4. Design

Design is all around us, and it has an impact on our choices, decisions, and behaviors. The website and the content you’re reading right now were both created by someone. The display you’re looking at and the chair you’re sitting in were both designed by someone else.

On the one hand, you bought those products because of their use-value, but also because of their appearance and feel.

You develop a talent that will set you apart from the competition when you learn how to visually adjust your work to make it more appealing. It could be as basic as improving your PowerPoint presentation design or creating attractive Excel charts.

It may be learning how to style your CV in a visually appealing manner or coming up with a color scheme for your blog that will entice visitors to stay and read it.

Although design can be sophisticated, the fundamentals are not. You can simply brush up on your design expertise, start applying it to your profession or interests and make your work stand out with a few online classes.

5. Data Analysis

Statista estimates that by 2025, there will be roughly 180 zettabytes of digital data. ^[2]If that doesn’t make sense, consider that one zettabyte is the equal of one billion one-terabyte hard drives or the whole amount of sand on all of the world’s beaches.

That may sound frightening, but it’s the truth. Every day, the world accelerates toward ever-increasing amounts of data.

Everything that has ever existed in analog form is being transformed to digital, and this process is only going to get faster. As a result, understanding data, analyzing it, and drawing conclusions from it is a critical ability that will become increasingly in demand.

The best part is that the fundamental methods and processes for data analysis can be studied and understood through online courses and books, and then applied to whatever quantity of data that comes your way.

With greater data analysis abilities, you’ll be able to make better decisions at work and even apply what you’ve learned in other aspects of your life, such as investing.

6. Presentation

More than just a pretty Powerpoint presentation, presentation skills are important. They’re a mix of talking, visualizing, and having a certain personality. When you give a presentation, some of it comes from the material you prepared (written, visuals, and audio), and some of it comes from you, the presenter. You will be a more effective presenter if you master both aspects.

This is a talent that you can use in work as well as in other situations when you may be forced to present. It could be a seminar you’re teaching or a speech you have to give in front of a group of people you know.

In any case, there are plenty of online courses that may help you hone these talents and put them to use in the real world. Combining design, presentation, and communication abilities is a winning combo that will put you miles ahead of the competition.

7. Sales

We never stop marketing from the moment we apply to college until our last job. We are continuously selling our abilities, information, and ideas to individuals in our immediate environment.

Learning to sell entails developing skills in a variety of other areas, including communication, reading and understanding others, persuasion, and presentation.

Improving your selling abilities will also assist you in improving your bargaining abilities. You can utilize them in your daily life, including personal events like purchasing a new automobile or a new home.

When you learn sales, you enhance your ability to listen and communicate with others, as well as your ability to convey your ideas clearly and concisely and to be more persuasive.

It doesn’t matter what kind of profession you have, you’re always selling something, which is why improving your sales skills will give you a critical edge everywhere in the world.

8. Artificial Intelligence

I know artificial intelligence makes it sound like you’re making robots to take over the world, but that’s not the case—at least not right now.

Artificial intelligence refers to the use of machines—in this example, computers—to analyze big data sets, discover patterns, and anticipate the evolution of various phenomena by leveraging their massive computation capability.

Although artificial intelligence is a large science that may become highly complicated, there are aspects of it that you can learn via online courses and apply in your day-to-day work to increase your efficiency.

To anticipate and estimate the future, machine learning algorithms absorb data and apply various patterns. These are especially critical if your profession requires you to deal with data and the unknown future.

You won’t be able to utilize this to win the lottery, but it will assist you in your work and possibly some hobbies.

9. Video Production

Video is obviously not a new medium. What’s new is that you can edit a clip captured with your phone with a reasonably easy piece of software and make it look as professional as any actual professional would.

This phenomenon may be seen on YouTube and other video sites where consumers control the material.

Large studios and a large workforce are no longer required for video editing and production. A camera, a microphone, and a laptop are used by some of the most successful YouTube creators, and the results are wonderful.

Having this talent under your belt will not only set you apart in your field but will also allow you to branch out into other interests.

10. Mobile App Development

Because it’s almost true, “There’s an app for that” is no longer a cliché. Between Google Play and the Apple Store, there were more than four million apps available for download in 2020.

That’s a significant figure. If you Google just about anything and add the term “app” to the end, you’ll almost certainly discover an app that performs what you’re looking for.

That means there will always be a need to make and use apps, no matter where you travel or what you do. The good news is that the app development industry has long recognized this and has sought to make it as simple as possible for developers to create apps.

In only a few clicks, some simple drag-and-drop editors can create an app that works across several platforms. You could be developing your own mobile app is only a few hours after taking an online course.

It might be something for your hobbies, your own business, or even a suggestion for your existing employer. Simply having that talent on your CV can open up many more doors and opportunities for you.

Final Thoughts

Life is a never-ending cycle of learning knowledge, using that knowledge in the actual world, and gaining insights and wisdom along the way. Your performance is built on the foundation of your abilities.

While it’s never a good idea to try to do everything at once, you should constantly make an effort to learn new talents that are in high demand, especially if they are outside of your comfort zone.

Maybe you won’t be able to finish them all. Perhaps you’ll never master any of them, but simply starting to study will provide you the opportunity to discover new things that you may come to enjoy.

That is how passions are formed, so why not try to find passions in things that are unfamiliar to you?

You’d only give yourself an extra chance to succeed in your profession and personal life.