Best Skills for the Future. Top 10 Skills to Learn in 2023.

Did you know the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report predicts that "50% of all employees will need reskilling by 2025 as technology adoption increases"? Do you know what these top ten skills are? If not, continue reading. Because it might help you gain perspective and be more strategic when determining which training to prioritize or which strengths to seek.  As the employment world becomes more complex and competitive, keeping up by regularly improving your talents and skills is critical. 

Here is an overview of these ten skills you can start improving based on data:

1. Analytic thinking and innovation
2. Active learning and learning strategies
3. Complex problem-solving
4. Critical thinking and analysis
5. Resilience, stress tolerance, and flexibility
6. Creativity, originality, and initiative
7. Leadership and social influence
8. Reasoning, problem - solving and ideation
9. Emotional intelligence 
10. Technology design and programming

Visit the WEC Website to Read the Full Report

What do these ten skills to learn in 2023 mean? Which small actions you can take to start somewhere?

Here is an oversimplified and practical deep - dive:

1. Analytic thinking and innovation: Analytic thinking breaks complex problems into smaller parts and examines them to find solutions. Coming up with new and innovative ideas to tackle issues in novel ways is what innovation entails. In addition to taking data analytics and business analytics courses, attending innovation workshops, innovation summits, or participating in hackathons are a few ways you can consider to strengten this muscle.
2. Active learning and learning strategies: Active learning includes engaging with the information and actively participating in the learning process. Learning strategies entail employing effective methods for retaining and applying knowledge. These abilities are essential in today's fast-paced society, where new knowledge is continuously generated. You can start improving these skills by taking online courses, attending workshops on learning strategies, delivering webinars, creating your own online course by using LMS (Learning Managements Software) or practicing active reading and note-taking.
3. Complex problem-solving: Complex problem-solving is about solving problems that are difficult to identify or structure. These issues may include several variables and necessitate a creative solution. This expertise is helpful in various fields, particularly - but not limited to - if you are working in technology, engineering, and healthcare. Participating in problem-solving workshops, attending decision-making and risk-management courses, and using brainstorming approaches are ways to improve.
4. Critical thinking and analysis: Critical thinking entails systematically and objectively examining information and arguments. Analysis is about breaking down complex material into smaller pieces to better understand it. You can improve these skills by taking  critical thinking courses, joining a debate club, reading books on argumentation and rhetoric, or practicing analysing arguments in everyday situations.
5. Resilience, stress tolerance, and flexibility: Resilience is the ability to recover from setbacks and difficulties. The ability to handle stress and pressure healthily is called stress tolerance. The ability to adjust to change and uncertainty is referred to as flexibility. Practicing mindfulness and relaxation techniques, meditation, engaging in regular physical exercise, or getting help from friends, professionals (such as coaches and mentors:)), and family are some ways to start here.
6. Creativity, originality, and initiative: Creativity refers to the ability to generate fresh and inventive ideas. The ability to think outside the box and challenge traditional thinking is required for originality. Taking action and being proactive in reaching goals is what initiative entails. These abilities can be essential in art, marketing, and entrepreneurship. You can improve your skills by practicing brainstorming techniques, attending creative seminars, starting a personal creative project, studying design thinking, and learning about creative copywriting.
7. Social influence and leadership: Leadership inspires and guides others toward a common goal. Social influence is the ability to convince and influence others to take a specific action. These abilities are instrumental in business, politics, and education. Participating in leadership courses, reading books on leadership and communication, joining a group or organization that resonates with your values, completing coaching training and beginning mentoring, and joining a debate club, completing a negotiation course are practical things you may do to improve here.
8. Reasoning, problem-solving, and ideation: Reasoning is the process of thinking logically and making sound conclusions. Finding solutions to problems in a methodical and structured manner is what problem-solving entails. Ideation is about coming up with fresh ideas and possibilities. Learning about design thinking, sketching, mindmapping, storyboarding are some options you can consider if you want to start getting better in this one.
9. Emotional intelligence: The ability to comprehend and control one's own emotions as well as the feelings of others is referred to as emotional intelligence. You can practice mindfulness and learn about how to identify your emotions, emotional regulation techniques, attend emotional intelligence programs, or seek feedback and coaching from others to help you develop this area. 
10. Technology design and programming:  The ability to create user-friendly and intuitive interfaces for software and hardware is required for technology design. Programming is the process of producing code and developing algorithms for software applications.

In a period when technology, especially AI (artificial Intelligence) is changing the job market quickly, keeping relevant and competitive takes a commitment to learning new things and getting better at what you already know. By figuring out the top skills that will be important in the future of work, choosing and prioritizing what you will be learning next, you can set yourself up for success and stay ahead of the curve. So keep on investing in yourself and your capabilities and please remember that it is never late to learn or start upskilling.

Here is what we`ve covered:

1. Analytic thinking and innovation
2. Active learning and learning strategies
3. Complex problem-solving
4. Critical thinking and analysis
5. Resilience, stress tolerance, and flexibility
6. Creativity, originality, and initiative
7. Leadership and social influence
8. Reasoning, problem - solving and ideation
9. Emotional intelligence 
10. Technology design and programming

 Tip:

It is great that you have read until here. As a thank you, here is a tip: As AI (Artificial Intelligence) is getting more and more present in our daily lives, one concept you can look into and start learning more about  is called "Prompt engineering". In simple terms, when you learn Prompt Engineering, it can help you instruct AI to complete tasks by writing AI what to do.

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References:

1. Cappelli (2018). The future of work: How the new business order will affect your organization, management style, and life. (From the Harvard Business Review Press.)
2. Freeman, S. Eddy, M. McDonough, M. K. Smith, N. Okoroafor, H. Jordt, and M. P. Wenderoth (2014). Active learning improves students' performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. National Academy of Sciences Proceedings, 111(23), 8410-8415.)
3. Dörner, D. (1996). Failure logic: Recognizing and avoiding error in difficult settings. 
4. Fisher, A., Scriven, M., and the Critical Thinking National Council (1997). The definition and evaluation of critical thinking. National Council for the Advancement of Critical Thinking.)
5. Luthans, C. M. Youssef, and B. J. Avolio, 2007. Psychological capital: enhancing human competitiveness. University of Oxford Press.)
6. Amabile, T. M. (1983). A componential conceptualization of the social psychology of creativity. Personality and social psychology journal.
7. Bass, B. M. (1985). Outstanding leadership and performance.
8. Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., and Caruso, D. R. (2000). Emotional intelligence models, in Handbook of Intelligence, pp. 396-420.)
9.  How to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence - Professional Development | Harvard DCE