Author Topic: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years  (Read 12558 times)

Schaefer Light

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Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« on: September 03, 2015, 08:27:15 AM »
What skills do you all think will be the most valuable to potential employers over the next 10 years?  I say 10 years mainly because it's a good round number, but also because it's incredibly difficult to predict the future and it only gets harder the further out you try to look.

I'm curious to hear opinions about hard skills vs. soft skills, and which particular skills you think will be most valuable.  Some folks seem to think hard skills (like knowing how to program in a particular software language) is the way to go, while others think soft skills (like communications or leadership) will be more valuable.  I also wonder what you think about the impact of globalization (especially as it relates to ever-increasing competition from foreigners for jobs that can be done remotely).

I look forward to your responses.

Kaikou

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2015, 11:19:39 AM »
Great post, I have nothing to offer at the moment.

JLee

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2015, 11:27:22 AM »
IT - storage/virtualization (VMware, EMC, Netapp, etc).

Axecleaver

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #3 on: September 03, 2015, 11:36:09 AM »
If you have not read it before, check out Seth Godin's _Linchpin_: http://www.amazon.com/Linchpin-Are-Indispensable-Seth-Godin/dp/1591844096

Our workforce is moving toward more independent thinking and less hierarchical structure. Gone are the days where you could punch the clock, work your 8 hours, and expect someone to tell you exactly what to do. The linchpins are the people who know how to connect the problems to the problem solvers with minimal management oversight. They thrive in chaos and understand, or discover, tactically how to achieve the strategic business goals of the enterprise.

The most important skills, then, are still the entrepreneurial list: sales, marketing, the thousand and one aspects of delivery in your business of choice, and soft skills/people skills.

I also like renewed focus on the tradeskills and debunking the idea that everyone needs a 4 year degree to be successful: check out Mike Rowe Works at profoundlydisconnected.com

ColoradoEng

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2015, 11:51:02 AM »
It all depends on what kind of work you want to do.  STEM technical knowledge is typically employable.  However, the lack of communication and organizational skills from my peers to be frustrating.  Learn to talk to people on their level, to explain your thoughts clearly.  Many times you will not be dealing with people who have the same knowledge base as you do, the ability to speak to them is important.  These people could be clients, peers, or superiors, but the ability to communicate with them clearly is vital.

Organizing your work makes you look more professional and helps you track your work.  I used to think that I had all my tasks in my head, or had the basics down on my notepad.  I was soon being asked about when things were completed and when they were passed off.  All I could answer is that I knew I had done it, but not when and no proof I passed it to the next person.  I now use Microsoft OneNote to track all of my tasks and drawings, and keep dates on when I receive, complete, and transmit documents.

Fishindude

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #5 on: September 03, 2015, 12:00:18 PM »
The natural answer to this is IT and technical skills, however as the world has gone down this path for the last couple decades it has created a real shortage of skilled people who can do things with their hands, tradespeople, service techs, etc.   

Most of those folks are at least 40 or 50 now and the younger generation hasn't joined the ranks because the educational system has pushed so hard to convince everyone that they should go to college while demonizing blue collar work.

Skilled and technical hands on trades like this are going to be in very high demand and pay is getting better all the time.
It can be a real inconvenience when the computer goes down, but I've got a real serious problem when the toilet won't flush.

pbkmaine

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #6 on: September 03, 2015, 02:06:24 PM »
There is and will continue to be a great need for people who deeply understand technical issues and can explain them simply and clearly to people with non-technical backgrounds.

mozar

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #7 on: September 03, 2015, 04:09:37 PM »
"Skills" for the most part are irrelevant and always has been in the us. Our job market is based in elitism, rascism, agesism and sexism. People who have tech skills and soft skills at the same time, who can focus etc, had a priveledged upbringing. For example I went to an "elite" private university. Employers are falling all over themselves to hire me. Meanwhile my cousins aunt, my mom, two of my first cousins, and one of their husbands all lost their jobs recently. I think the lot of them are smarter than me but whatever. I could go on but Im tired of typing on my phone.

Schaefer Light

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #8 on: September 11, 2015, 06:49:00 AM »
If you have not read it before, check out Seth Godin's _Linchpin_: http://www.amazon.com/Linchpin-Are-Indispensable-Seth-Godin/dp/1591844096

Our workforce is moving toward more independent thinking and less hierarchical structure. Gone are the days where you could punch the clock, work your 8 hours, and expect someone to tell you exactly what to do. The linchpins are the people who know how to connect the problems to the problem solvers with minimal management oversight. They thrive in chaos and understand, or discover, tactically how to achieve the strategic business goals of the enterprise.
Thanks for the book suggestion.  I picked it up at the local library and I'm about 1/3 of the way through it right now.  I agree with a lot of what he has to say, but I'm still not sure exactly how those types of skills can be quantified on a resume or even in an interview.

IT - storage/virtualization (VMware, EMC, Netapp, etc).
Based on what I'm seeing in my industry, I'd say you're 100% right about these skills being in demand.

STEM technical knowledge is typically employable.  However, the lack of communication and organizational skills from my peers to be frustrating.  Learn to talk to people on their level, to explain your thoughts clearly.  Many times you will not be dealing with people who have the same knowledge base as you do, the ability to speak to them is important.
Agreed.

There is and will continue to be a great need for people who deeply understand technical issues and can explain them simply and clearly to people with non-technical backgrounds.
This is similar to what the poster above said, and I totally agree.

Schaefer Light

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #9 on: September 11, 2015, 06:51:09 AM »
The natural answer to this is IT and technical skills, however as the world has gone down this path for the last couple decades it has created a real shortage of skilled people who can do things with their hands, tradespeople, service techs, etc.   

Most of those folks are at least 40 or 50 now and the younger generation hasn't joined the ranks because the educational system has pushed so hard to convince everyone that they should go to college while demonizing blue collar work.

Skilled and technical hands on trades like this are going to be in very high demand and pay is getting better all the time.
It can be a real inconvenience when the computer goes down, but I've got a real serious problem when the toilet won't flush.
Good post.  The last sentence was funny, and it definitely makes your point.

Villanelle

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #10 on: September 11, 2015, 07:15:00 AM »
I think networking will be (continue to be?) one of the most important skills.  You can network your way into so many jobs doing so many things, regardless if skill set, training education, or experience. 

JLee

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #11 on: September 11, 2015, 07:24:22 AM »
"Skills" for the most part are irrelevant and always has been in the us. Our job market is based in elitism, rascism, agesism and sexism. People who have tech skills and soft skills at the same time, who can focus etc, had a priveledged upbringing. For example I went to an "elite" private university. Employers are falling all over themselves to hire me. Meanwhile my cousins aunt, my mom, two of my first cousins, and one of their husbands all lost their jobs recently. I think the lot of them are smarter than me but whatever. I could go on but Im tired of typing on my phone.

I grew up around the federal poverty income level and put myself through a community college. Pretty sure I didn't have a privileged upbringing by most standards. I can spell it, though. :P
I think networking will be (continue to be?) one of the most important skills.  You can network your way into so many jobs doing so many things, regardless if skill set, training education, or experience.
This is absolutely the truth.

mozar

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #12 on: September 11, 2015, 11:43:50 AM »
I also grew up around the federal poverty level and put myself through college and grad school. A lot of people confuse having privilege and having money. They are related but not the same. I don't see how spelling abilities relates to anything now that we have spellcheck. I've also never networked in my life. You asked a question and I answered it. If you want to deny reality that's your problem.

JLee

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #13 on: September 11, 2015, 12:39:13 PM »
I also grew up around the federal poverty level and put myself through college and grad school. A lot of people confuse having privilege and having money. They are related but not the same. I don't see how spelling abilities relates to anything now that we have spellcheck. I've also never networked in my life. You asked a question and I answered it. If you want to deny reality that's your problem.
Actually - I didn't.

ncornilsen

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #14 on: September 11, 2015, 03:25:11 PM »
"Skills" for the most part are irrelevant and always has been in the us. Our job market is based in elitism, rascism, agesism and sexism. People who have tech skills and soft skills at the same time, who can focus etc, had a priveledged upbringing. For example I went to an "elite" private university. Employers are falling all over themselves to hire me. Meanwhile my cousins aunt, my mom, two of my first cousins, and one of their husbands all lost their jobs recently. I think the lot of them are smarter than me but whatever. I could go on but Im tired of typing on my phone.

Dude, get real. I can cite multiple examples where being of a 'privileged' background was a determent to employment prospects, most notably during the internship draft at my former school.

Even IF I were to grant you your premise, my answer would be 'tough shit.' As someone who hires people, I need someone with both technical and soft skills. Those who want to trade labor for money are responsible for acquiring marketable skills, and if they have them, they'll get a job regardless of their race/sex/age.

mozar

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #15 on: September 11, 2015, 03:35:11 PM »
There are lots if questions in the original post, you "looked forward to people's reponses" and I gave mine. If you are not interested in people's opinions you should not elicit them. I don't know everything that happens everywhere of course, but the intersection of "isms" and the job market is something I have studied over the past several years. I was trying to help out, but all I got back was childish and rude responses (from the op).

JLee

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #16 on: September 11, 2015, 04:02:34 PM »
There are lots if questions in the original post, you "looked forward to people's reponses" and I gave mine. If you are not interested in people's opinions you should not elicit them. I don't know everything that happens everywhere of course, but the intersection of "isms" and the job market is something I have studied over the past several years. I was trying to help out, but all I got back was childish and rude responses (from the op).

I didn't post this thread, and I disagree with you. We are free to disagree - this is the internet, after all.

"Skills" for the most part are irrelevant and always has been in the us. Our job market is based in elitism, rascism, agesism and sexism. People who have tech skills and soft skills at the same time, who can focus etc, had a priveledged upbringing. For example I went to an "elite" private university. Employers are falling all over themselves to hire me. Meanwhile my cousins aunt, my mom, two of my first cousins, and one of their husbands all lost their jobs recently. I think the lot of them are smarter than me but whatever. I could go on but Im tired of typing on my phone.

Dude, get real. I can cite multiple examples where being of a 'privileged' background was a determent to employment prospects, most notably during the internship draft at my former school.

Even IF I were to grant you your premise, my answer would be 'tough shit.' As someone who hires people, I need someone with both technical and soft skills. Those who want to trade labor for money are responsible for acquiring marketable skills, and if they have them, they'll get a job regardless of their race/sex/age.

I have an unrelated two year degree and a mere three years' experience in my current field, but drive + networking has ~tripled my salary in three years. In my experience it is more about drive/motivation, work ethic, and desire to learn (and ability to network, to some extent) than it is about fancy degrees.  I am in IT though, which doesn't generally require a degree. I'm sure if I worked in education that would be different.

ender

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #17 on: September 11, 2015, 07:56:10 PM »
If you have not read it before, check out Seth Godin's _Linchpin_: http://www.amazon.com/Linchpin-Are-Indispensable-Seth-Godin/dp/1591844096

Our workforce is moving toward more independent thinking and less hierarchical structure. Gone are the days where you could punch the clock, work your 8 hours, and expect someone to tell you exactly what to do. The linchpins are the people who know how to connect the problems to the problem solvers with minimal management oversight. They thrive in chaos and understand, or discover, tactically how to achieve the strategic business goals of the enterprise.

The most important skills, then, are still the entrepreneurial list: sales, marketing, the thousand and one aspects of delivery in your business of choice, and soft skills/people skills.

I also like renewed focus on the tradeskills and debunking the idea that everyone needs a 4 year degree to be successful: check out Mike Rowe Works at profoundlydisconnected.com

This is pretty much my strategy for what I want to focus on.

Learning this approach in an IT environment for data/ETL work, while working with offshore teams - lots of opportunity for that in the future, I expect.

mozar

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #18 on: September 12, 2015, 04:26:08 PM »
Quote
drive/motivation, work ethic, and desire to learn

I think this is an insidious myth. People don't learn how to have drive/motivation etc in a vacuum. You have to learn what this means, have role models etc. It also suggests that people who struggle don't have drive/ motivation, are lazy etc. The majority of people who are poor have jobs, but weren't raised with the privilege of knowledge that other options exist. How do you get an IT job if you've never heard of the field of IT? People who are doing well assume that everyone has the same access to information, and information on how to learn. This is simply not true.
Also, I wouldn't put my faith in IT jobs in the future. I was just reading an article about how the IT hiring boom is over, and now Silicon Valley is hiring people with "human skills" like marketing. I couldn't find the article, but here is one similar:
http://www.business.com/entrepreneurship/why-silicon-valley-startups-need-more-mbas/

JLee

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #19 on: September 12, 2015, 04:53:11 PM »
Quote
drive/motivation, work ethic, and desire to learn

I think this is an insidious myth. People don't learn how to have drive/motivation etc in a vacuum. You have to learn what this means, have role models etc. It also suggests that people who struggle don't have drive/ motivation, are lazy etc. The majority of people who are poor have jobs, but weren't raised with the privilege of knowledge that other options exist. How do you get an IT job if you've never heard of the field of IT? People who are doing well assume that everyone has the same access to information, and information on how to learn. This is simply not true.
Also, I wouldn't put my faith in IT jobs in the future. I was just reading an article about how the IT hiring boom is over, and now Silicon Valley is hiring people with "human skills" like marketing. I couldn't find the article, but here is one similar:
http://www.business.com/entrepreneurship/why-silicon-valley-startups-need-more-mbas/

I don't even know how to respond to this, but you certainly aren't getting a job in IT if you've never heard of a computer (and if you have, it's not a huge leap to think there must be some industry behind it).  Just like I wouldn't expect someone to get a job at NASA when they don't know that Earth has a moon.

IT isn't going anywhere.  What good is a startup technology company without any engineers?  You can only farm out so much work overseas - who manages, maintains, and repairs the computer systems for all the companies in this country? Who manages IT for the banking industry?  Government contractors?  Any major company has a heavy reliance on computers and not everything can be fixed by outsourcing overseas or by hiring people with soft skills.

You can have a room full of MBA's, but when their computer can't connect to the network because the switch port that services the WAP has died, are you going to fly someone in from another country to troubleshoot/fix it? Nope. :)

And if somehow IT doesn't work out long term, well, then I'll go do something else.  However, the quantity of recruiter calls I've received over the last months indicates that this will not be an immediate concern.

As for motivation...I've seen it first hand, many times.  Those with a desire to learn and move up will learn and move up. Those who really don't care and just sit on their ass to collect a paycheck don't go very many places. YMMV.
« Last Edit: September 12, 2015, 05:00:08 PM by JLee »

mozar

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #20 on: September 12, 2015, 08:45:07 PM »
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it's not a huge leap to think there must be some industry behind it

It is for some people.

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Just like I wouldn't expect someone to get a job at NASA when they don't know that Earth has a moon

Right, my point is that it's a privilege to have access to this information. My perfectly reasonable, college educated ex-partner swore up and down that the moon landing was fake. My ex didn't have the opportunity to be around people who understand science growing up. Not everyone knows this stuff, and it's not because they don't have "drive."

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IT isn't going anywhere.

Yes it is. Over the next ten years (and beyond) fewer and fewer people who have the opportunity to work in IT. It will become automated.

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Those who really don't care and just sit on their ass to collect a paycheck don't go very many places. YMMV.

I'm obviously not going to change your mind right now but my hope is that one day you will have empathy for other people's situation and not make blanket statements about people without knowing their backgrounds/ motivations.

Here is some further reading:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/04/us/last-task-after-layoff-at-disney-train-foreign-replacements.html

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/robots-and-their-impact-on-the-future/

JLee

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #21 on: September 12, 2015, 09:56:01 PM »
Quote
it's not a huge leap to think there must be some industry behind it

It is for some people.
Perhaps I should have included "intelligent" on my list. People who are smart and who are driven to make something of themselves will often do so. I don't have a fancypants college degree, but somehow I'm making a solid income with only three years of experience in my field. How? I have met people, networked with them, and I make an effort and learn quickly. My point is it's not necessary to have a prestigious education to do well in the working world, depending on your field. MMM has written about this as well: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/07/25/50-jobs-over-50000-without-a-degree-part-1/

Quote
Quote
Just like I wouldn't expect someone to get a job at NASA when they don't know that Earth has a moon

Right, my point is that it's a privilege to have access to this information. My perfectly reasonable, college educated ex-partner swore up and down that the moon landing was fake. My ex didn't have the opportunity to be around people who understand science growing up. Not everyone knows this stuff, and it's not because they don't have "drive."
...

.......well, anyone in the US with access to a public library "has access to this information." I was under the assumption we were talking about people in the States (or areas with publicly available information and internet access). I don't feel having internet access in the USA constitutes "privileged" - if so, then our definitions vary wildly and that may be the root of this disagreement.

Quote
Quote
IT isn't going anywhere.

Yes it is. Over the next ten years (and beyond) fewer and fewer people who have the opportunity to work in IT. It will become automated.
Someone still has to design it, build it, and maintain it. Until we have legitimate AI, there will be a human factor.

Quote
Quote
Those who really don't care and just sit on their ass to collect a paycheck don't go very many places. YMMV.

I'm obviously not going to change your mind right now but my hope is that one day you will have empathy for other people's situation and not make blanket statements about people without knowing their backgrounds/ motivations.

Here is some further reading:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/04/us/last-task-after-layoff-at-disney-train-foreign-replacements.html

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/robots-and-their-impact-on-the-future/

What people are we talking about? This is a theoretical discussion about future job fields, not a sympathy party for people who were laid off because of robots. Sure, I would feel bad for them and help them find new jobs, but that's not the topic here.

YMMV means "your mileage might vary." In other words, my experience may not mirror your own.  I'm referring to lazy / uncaring people in my workplace, with which I have had direct experience.  The ones who don't care to learn don't move up. I was promoted five times in three years. Your experience will be different than mine, just as your workplace is different than mine. I am sharing my experiences, hence the disclaimer. If you have lazy coworkers who don't care about doing well and they keep getting promoted, I'm glad I don't work there!

ender

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #22 on: September 13, 2015, 06:28:05 AM »
IT isn't going anywhere.  What good is a startup technology company without any engineers?  You can only farm out so much work overseas - who manages, maintains, and repairs the computer systems for all the companies in this country? Who manages IT for the banking industry?  Government contractors?  Any major company has a heavy reliance on computers and not everything can be fixed by outsourcing overseas or by hiring people with soft skills.

I expect anyone working in a major company has a horror story with the results from outsourcing IT to India (or elsewhere) going horribly wrong.

While eventually that will be more reliable, there are significant cultural differences which will provide obstacles for the short term.

And the more outsourcing you do of "general IT work" the more important it is to have experts/knowledgable people in the USA/Europe who actually know what those cheap consultant folks are doing. You can outsource the work, but if you outsource your thinking/strategic planning, your company will have significant problems.

mozar

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #23 on: September 13, 2015, 06:01:28 PM »
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If you have lazy coworkers who don't care about doing well and they keep getting promoted, I'm glad I don't work there!

Wow, now you're insulting my co-workers. I'm going to take the high road and not personally insult anybody.

Sure there are hiccups, but things are changing faster than people think. Relying on IT, or being a human who can interpret IT, isn't going to be enough. But we shall see.

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #24 on: September 13, 2015, 06:57:58 PM »
My view is in 10 years the whole "explaining IT in simple terms" thing will be bunk, by then most people would have grown up with IT and understand it just fine. You would be far more valuable in having a deep set of IT skills themselves with a focus on infrastructure and networking as those are location dependent and hard to outsource remotely.
Other IT areas will be risk management both in the applicable sense such as penetration testing but also more generalised vendor and lifecycle management. The reliance on third parties especially foreign service providers will demand added levels of oversight in the most protected/regulated industries.

Aside from IT I believe the emphasis in most first world countries will be on aged care and medical fields. Baby boomer demographics will shift the population to a larger proportion of aged people who will have almost entirely changed from producers to consumers.

Finally the one skill that always seems to be around is sales. A good sales person (not the stereotypical used car guy) is always in demand and you see them everywhere. You see them getting local business as they ply their trade, you see them securing vendor contracts for large public companies, you see them making large margins on luxury goods and you see them rising to partner by bringing in business as associates in private firms.

JLee

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #25 on: September 14, 2015, 09:38:37 AM »
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If you have lazy coworkers who don't care about doing well and they keep getting promoted, I'm glad I don't work there!

Wow, now you're insulting my co-workers. I'm going to take the high road and not personally insult anybody.

Sure there are hiccups, but things are changing faster than people think. Relying on IT, or being a human who can interpret IT, isn't going to be enough. But we shall see.

I think we have a fundamental misunderstanding - when I say "lazy people shouldn't move up," I do not mean "people who don't move up are lazy." There are plenty of people with no desire to do anything differently than what they're currently doing, and they happily do what they do. There's nothing wrong with that. :)

My view is in 10 years the whole "explaining IT in simple terms" thing will be bunk, by then most people would have grown up with IT and understand it just fine. You would be far more valuable in having a deep set of IT skills themselves with a focus on infrastructure and networking as those are location dependent and hard to outsource remotely.
Other IT areas will be risk management both in the applicable sense such as penetration testing but also more generalised vendor and lifecycle management. The reliance on third parties especially foreign service providers will demand added levels of oversight in the most protected/regulated industries.

Aside from IT I believe the emphasis in most first world countries will be on aged care and medical fields. Baby boomer demographics will shift the population to a larger proportion of aged people who will have almost entirely changed from producers to consumers.

Finally the one skill that always seems to be around is sales. A good sales person (not the stereotypical used car guy) is always in demand and you see them everywhere. You see them getting local business as they ply their trade, you see them securing vendor contracts for large public companies, you see them making large margins on luxury goods and you see them rising to partner by bringing in business as associates in private firms.
Yep. Also skilled trades - welders, electricians, plumbers, will all be needed for the foreseeable future.

tvan

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #26 on: September 14, 2015, 09:40:31 AM »
Being able to sell and "tell a story" seem to be skills that will retain value for a long time. 

Schaefer Light

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #27 on: September 16, 2015, 10:38:09 AM »
The reason I started this topic (other than being truly interested in hearing where folks think the jobs of the future are going to be) is that I'm feeling a bit lost at the moment.  I feel like I could be doing so much more to make my circumstances better than they currently are, but I just don't know where to begin.  I guess what I'm struggling with can best be summarized by stating the following:

- I don't like my current job
- I don't know of any other jobs that I would like better
- Thus, I don't have a clue what skills I could be working on to help me get a job that I'm better-suited for in the future

Maybe everyone feels this way at times, but it seems like I've been feeling this way for far too long.  I appreciate all of the replies, and I will certainly take them into consideration.

JLee

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #28 on: September 16, 2015, 10:48:45 AM »
The reason I started this topic (other than being truly interested in hearing where folks think the jobs of the future are going to be) is that I'm feeling a bit lost at the moment.  I feel like I could be doing so much more to make my circumstances better than they currently are, but I just don't know where to begin.  I guess what I'm struggling with can best be summarized by stating the following:

- I don't like my current job
- I don't know of any other jobs that I would like better
- Thus, I don't have a clue what skills I could be working on to help me get a job that I'm better-suited for in the future

Maybe everyone feels this way at times, but it seems like I've been feeling this way for far too long.  I appreciate all of the replies, and I will certainly take them into consideration.

That's a tricky position to be in.   In a broad sense, what do you generally enjoy or dislike?  Do you like working with people or more on your own? Do you prefer to work on a team or lead a team? Build stuff or fix stuff? Design stuff or review stuff? Work with people or work with things?

Highbeam

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #29 on: September 16, 2015, 11:35:35 AM »
Back to the OP. I'm actually considering getting a CDL so that I can retire to an easy/part time job of local trucking. Maybe propane, septic, or local construction. There always seems to be jobs for trucking.

Schaefer Light

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #30 on: September 16, 2015, 12:24:17 PM »
That's a tricky position to be in.     
In a broad sense, what do you generally enjoy or dislike?  I like things that are results-oriented (like a 100-meter dash), and I hate things that are based on image or perception (like figure skating).
Do you like working with people or more on your own?  On my own
Do you prefer to work on a team or lead a team?  Neither ;).  I like working completely alone.
Build stuff or fix stuff?  Not sure I have a strong preference, but I'd lean towards building stuff.
Design stuff or review stuff?  Design stuff.  Though I probably like researching stuff even better.
Work with people or work with things?  I'd say working with numbers is more fun than working with either people or things to me.
« Last Edit: September 16, 2015, 12:28:46 PM by Schaefer Light »

mozar

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #31 on: September 16, 2015, 05:47:57 PM »
OK, we're good JLee.

Quote
-I don't like my current job
- I don't know of any other jobs that I would like better
- Thus, I don't have a clue what skills I could be working on to help me get a job that I'm better-suited for in the future

 It's a cheesy title but "What Color is your parachute" helped me a bit.

Kaikou

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #32 on: September 16, 2015, 08:14:53 PM »
all cities have free resources offered to help you in your career including career change. Check your local DES office, library, and community colleges.

http://www.iseek.org/careers/skillsAssessment

This is a good resource to figure out where you are and where you could be an asset. If you want more resources let me know.

Schaefer Light

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #33 on: September 17, 2015, 06:51:32 AM »
It's a cheesy title but "What Color is your parachute" helped me a bit.
I may have to check that out from the library.

all cities have free resources offered to help you in your career including career change. Check your local DES office, library, and community colleges.

http://www.iseek.org/careers/skillsAssessment

This is a good resource to figure out where you are and where you could be an asset. If you want more resources let me know.
Thanks for the link.

2Birds1Stone

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #34 on: September 17, 2015, 07:04:21 AM »
In my industry and role, social selling, consultative selling from a soft skills perspective are getting more important.

From hard skills standpoint, technology is changing everything. Learning the internet of things/ big data , and how it will impact almost every industry would definitely give you a leg up.

alexrcraig

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #35 on: September 17, 2015, 10:23:55 AM »
Awesome topic and question.

My personal opinion is that there is value in both hard skills and soft skills. A lot of times hard skills will get you into entry level jobs, but it is soft skills that takes you into management positions and higher. The skills I think will be important in no particular order are:

1. Programming/Computer Science
2. Psychology (In the realm of marketing)
3. Data Analytics/Scientist (The world continue to collect data and they collect more and more. They need people to read through the data and make it meaningful).
4. Sales (Things are always going to need to be sold. It is hard now with the line between marketing and sales blurring together)
5. Medical

Those are the skills I think will be most in demand. However, with that said I think you have to look at how you define the term valuable.

My take on valuable is something that the world needs or wants, but very few people are willing to do it. For an obvious gauge of finding what is valuable look at repeatability. By definition, in economics says, anything that can be replicated over and over again easily is therefore not valuable.

For example, answering emails or having meetings can be repeated by just about anyone. It is the reason McDonalds workers do not make a lot and programmers do. It is difficult to replicate coding skills because of the massive time spent developing them.

Which I think this ties into your foreigners question. Though there are a lot of foreigners willing to work for cheaper there is a certain point where they do not care to grow any further. In the US they say if you make about $70,000 per year happiness is achieved. I think very few people are willing to put in the hours to become the world's best. Also, most people like dealing with US workers, it is way easier.

Anyways, Cal Newport on his site (calnewport.com) talks about what I just talked about. He talks about how finding a rare and valuable skill is pretty easy. If it is something very few people are willing to do because it is "hard" then it is probably a rare and valuable skill. The example he gives are critical thinking. How many people do you know spend an hour day in deep concentration? I do not know anyone who does.

Hopefully that all makes sense.



 

alexrcraig

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #36 on: September 17, 2015, 10:37:10 AM »
The reason I started this topic (other than being truly interested in hearing where folks think the jobs of the future are going to be) is that I'm feeling a bit lost at the moment.  I feel like I could be doing so much more to make my circumstances better than they currently are, but I just don't know where to begin.  I guess what I'm struggling with can best be summarized by stating the following:

- I don't like my current job
- I don't know of any other jobs that I would like better
- Thus, I don't have a clue what skills I could be working on to help me get a job that I'm better-suited for in the future

Maybe everyone feels this way at times, but it seems like I've been feeling this way for far too long.  I appreciate all of the replies, and I will certainly take them into consideration.

You should check out Cal Newport's material. Calnewport.com The guy has some interesting philosophies, but he has really helped me out.

He talks about how it is likely you will not like your entry level job, almost nobody does, but the goal is to build rare and valuable skills, so you can get rare and valuable things in return like autonomy, make an impact, etc.

The biggest problem with finding your "passion" is how do you even know what you are passionate about? You have not even explored every field in life. He says pick a field that you have enough interest in to develop yourself and eventually passion will follow. He believe that passion follows success rather than success follows passion. All of this is in his book "So Good They Cant Ignore You"

But you also will not know which job you like better by reading some book like "What Color is my Parachute". Trying to guess your passion like that is trying to unlock a combination lock when you only have about 25% of the combination. It is going to almost never work out because the idea of finding your passion is that you will find that one thing that you 100% like above everything else but when you do not know everything that is out there it may cause you to question if your current position is what you like. I think this might be what you are experiencing.

For example, I was an accountant for a long time. I became dissatisfied and thought this was not my passion because I was not 100% fulfilled by it. There are parts of accounting and any field that are boring, a pain in the butt, and down right awful. Once those feelings creep in you automatically assume you have not found your passion because you have not tried everything yet. You wonder if there is a field out there that will lead you to it. In my case I began thinking of careers I knew nothing about like Nursing or Programming.

If you have the passion mentality, all of your problems that exist now, will show up in any field that you go into it does not matter.

But sometimes your boss really is just a giant extra jerk, and so I think it is okay to leave. I think the number one reason to leave is that the company is not allowing you to grow anymore.

rmendpara

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #37 on: September 17, 2015, 10:37:33 AM »
Didn't read all the stuff above, but generally speaking here are the industries I think will do well, and you can serve these industries with a variety of skills:

- IT/software/tech hardware
- healthcare
- infrastructure/materials

... to name a few. You could work in the "front office" or actually providing those services (ex. software engineer, doctor, construction engineer) or the "back office" (ex. finance analyst in one of those industries), but you get the idea.

tooqk4u22

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #38 on: September 17, 2015, 02:44:28 PM »
Back to the OP. I'm actually considering getting a CDL so that I can retire to an easy/part time job of local trucking. Maybe propane, septic, or local construction. There always seems to be jobs for trucking.

And there is a shortage of them that is getting shorter every year as the average age of truckers is quite $100k+

mozar

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #39 on: September 17, 2015, 07:19:56 PM »
I agree with everything that alexrcraig is saying but I still think "what color is your parachute" is a good read because it talks more about how the general job market/ society works.
Also check out Ramit Sethi

tooqk4u22

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #40 on: September 18, 2015, 12:28:59 PM »
What skills do you all think will be the most valuable to potential employers over the next 10 years?

- Anything STEM related, as long as you stay current on changes
- Trucking, as stuff always needs to be transported.
- Sales, as stuff always needs to be sold, no company (even Facebook) would exist with out sales. Sales people have always existed and many times thrive, and they always will.
- Skilled Trades, as stuff always needs to be built or fixed.

If the goal is to be employable into the future then focus on above, but that still won't solve the problem of what/who you want to be and what is right for you.

Schaefer Light

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #41 on: September 18, 2015, 02:16:09 PM »
The reason I started this topic (other than being truly interested in hearing where folks think the jobs of the future are going to be) is that I'm feeling a bit lost at the moment.  I feel like I could be doing so much more to make my circumstances better than they currently are, but I just don't know where to begin.  I guess what I'm struggling with can best be summarized by stating the following:

- I don't like my current job
- I don't know of any other jobs that I would like better
- Thus, I don't have a clue what skills I could be working on to help me get a job that I'm better-suited for in the future

Maybe everyone feels this way at times, but it seems like I've been feeling this way for far too long.  I appreciate all of the replies, and I will certainly take them into consideration.

You should check out Cal Newport's material. Calnewport.com The guy has some interesting philosophies, but he has really helped me out.

He talks about how it is likely you will not like your entry level job, almost nobody does, but the goal is to build rare and valuable skills, so you can get rare and valuable things in return like autonomy, make an impact, etc.

The biggest problem with finding your "passion" is how do you even know what you are passionate about? You have not even explored every field in life. He says pick a field that you have enough interest in to develop yourself and eventually passion will follow. He believe that passion follows success rather than success follows passion. All of this is in his book "So Good They Cant Ignore You"
Thanks for the book suggestion.  I will definitely check that one out.

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gaja

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #43 on: September 19, 2015, 07:02:33 AM »
There is an old saying: "It is difficult to predict stuff, especially about the future."

That said, the changes I think will come in the next 10 years, is a localization trend (in contrast to the globalization trend). You see it already in the local food movement, peer to peer lending, airbnb, local ownership of electricity grid and production (from single solar panels and battery banks in your home, to larger scale community owned windmill farms), etc.

What does mean for you and me? A lot of opportunities in the job market for creating small scale businesses, if you are good at local networking, making apps or control systems that are well targeted or adaptable for different local communities, or can make a good product that you could sell directly locally. I think the story telling that was mentioned above already is very important, but will be increasingly more important. There has been a trend of people loosing trust in large corporations, in how clothes and other stuff is made in the megafactories. I think there will be a lot of opportunities of making money if you can get people to trust you.

Yes, there will be more and more stuff made by robots and machines. So large scale mainstream production is no longer an option. But if you can sell people good conscience, based on the good story and trust, you can price your products a lot higher.

Yarn is one example. You would think that local yarn production would have disappeared with the introduction of the spinning jenny in the 19th century. But people are willing to spend crazy amounts of money on handspun plant died yarn from happy sheep.

JLee

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #44 on: September 19, 2015, 01:57:46 PM »
There is an old saying: "It is difficult to predict stuff, especially about the future."

That said, the changes I think will come in the next 10 years, is a localization trend (in contrast to the globalization trend). You see it already in the local food movement, peer to peer lending, airbnb, local ownership of electricity grid and production (from single solar panels and battery banks in your home, to larger scale community owned windmill farms), etc.

What does mean for you and me? A lot of opportunities in the job market for creating small scale businesses, if you are good at local networking, making apps or control systems that are well targeted or adaptable for different local communities, or can make a good product that you could sell directly locally. I think the story telling that was mentioned above already is very important, but will be increasingly more important. There has been a trend of people loosing trust in large corporations, in how clothes and other stuff is made in the megafactories. I think there will be a lot of opportunities of making money if you can get people to trust you.

Yes, there will be more and more stuff made by robots and machines. So large scale mainstream production is no longer an option. But if you can sell people good conscience, based on the good story and trust, you can price your products a lot higher.

Yarn is one example. You would think that local yarn production would have disappeared with the introduction of the spinning jenny in the 19th century. But people are willing to spend crazy amounts of money on handspun plant died yarn from happy sheep.

Another example of locally produced / niche market items - Adventure Tool Company makes canvas tool rolls, bags, etc. They're extremely expensive when compared to the cheap Chinese tool rolls, but for people living on (or off) the road who want quality gear they will never have to replace, they provide a perfect solution.

Schaefer Light

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Re: Skills Development for Future Job Opportunities - Next 10 Years
« Reply #45 on: October 15, 2015, 11:53:12 AM »
You should check out Cal Newport's material. Calnewport.com The guy has some interesting philosophies, but he has really helped me out.

He talks about how it is likely you will not like your entry level job, almost nobody does, but the goal is to build rare and valuable skills, so you can get rare and valuable things in return like autonomy, make an impact, etc.

The biggest problem with finding your "passion" is how do you even know what you are passionate about? You have not even explored every field in life. He says pick a field that you have enough interest in to develop yourself and eventually passion will follow. He believe that passion follows success rather than success follows passion. All of this is in his book "So Good They Cant Ignore You"
I've been reading So Good They Can't Ignore You, and I think it's a very interesting and well-written book.  However, I've noticed that Newport never uses anyone in a traditional management role as one of his examples.  He does talk a bit about a venture capitalist who founded a company, but that certainly isn't a normal management / supervisory position.  I'm wondering if Newport believes that the theories he promotes can even be applied to management jobs.  I've given this some thought, and I'm not sure how a manager is supposed to put in the hours of deliberate practice that he feels is so valuable to building up career capital.  I can easily see how a scientist, writer, doctor, programmer, etc., can perform this type of practice (and get instant feedback), but I have no idea how a manager could do that.

 

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