This is 2022, an era dominated by digital technologies and their ability to transform everything about our lives and societies. This brings up an urgent need for everybody to adapt and learn some basic tech skills. You need this minimum tech skills in order to stay relevant as concerns the very things that affect our day to day like relationships, learning, jobs and security.
Tech skills are no longer restricted to professionals working in the digital space. It has become a must for most fields of study and professions and employers are very much aware of this. You should be worried if you don’t have some basic know-how in some common aspects about tech.
I am by no means saying you should learn how to be a system administrator, a computer engineer or anything of that sort. You just need to get hands on some very basic things and be comfortable with computers and phones overall. The minimum you need to learn may be determined by your field of work, your studies or things you face on a daily basis.
So this article is all about me trying to highlight some of the most common tech skills you may come across and would want to learn.
Basic computer knowledge and manipulation
When I say computer here I don't just mean your PC or laptop. Tech has evolved so much that portable devices like phones and tablets have unbelievable abilities. With this in mind, it’s paramount to be comfortable operating these devices.
You should be able to boot a computer or phone and be comfortable navigating through different locations on the device. This might sound really dumb and too basic to you but trust me a lot of people out there and maybe you too have no clue on how to boot a computer and that is okay. But it is very important that you not only learn how to do that but also know how to do things like file manipulations, Copying, deleting and editing files. Knowing things like downloading apps or tools you need, sharing and sending files across to other people can come in very handy. Once you know these basic things, you can then focus on learning more specialized tools and software required by your profession or studies.
Data Processing and presentation
Word processing with Microsoft word or google docs, numeric data manipulation with excel, presentations with powerpoint and others. These are skills that have been common and widely used since the invention of computers. The thing is, you must know the very basics of typing and formatting text documents with Word processing software like Microsoft Word, Google Docs or any of the available ones out there. You also need to learn Powerpoint for presentations, and I can bet you there will be a time when you need it (thesis report, presentation of a project, business ideas, plans or whatever). Excel might be optional for some people but is required for professionals or students of fields like data analysts or accountants. It is also a great tool to organize data even if you don’t operate in a field where it is required.
These are just the basics and your work or daily activities might require you to learn other data presentation software. There are computer and mobile apps for all science and arts specialities. It will be ideal that you do research on the digital tools available in your field, then try learning them in order to stand out.
Googling and research
About research, I am hoping you already know about Google, cause it is arguably the most important tech tool in existence. We all use it everyday and as a matter of fact, google should be registered as a reflex action in your brain.
Before we talk about google and doing research, you need to know that one of the most important things about tech is the internet. The internet gives you access to the world and is what makes technology as exciting as it is. I assume you already know what a browser is (Safari, Chrome, Mozilla, etc) and how to use it for navigating the internet.
Doing research on the internet has been made super easy by Google. It is what techies call a search engine and is simply a gateway between you and an information bank waiting to be queried. It helps you easily find stuff on the internet, be it information for the purpose of research or education, be it places you can buy stuff from or really anything to know can be found on the internet.
The catch with Google is that it has a system or what we can in tech jargon an algorithm. So it uses this system to search for the most relevant results for the search query you submit. Understanding how this google selects what results it sends back to you is a must learn tech skills today. Knowing this can be game changing and make you more efficient at what you do. Can also save you a lot of time for doing research and finding things online. So learn how to google like a pro.
Digital marketing
The internet opens up a world full of opportunities and digital marketing is one of the most prominent. Digital marketing is simply marketing done through digital technologies and the internet. It will help you promote, sell pretty much anything online or simply build an online presence and reputation. Trust me there are so many advantages of being highly visible online and having a network of people that recognize you for something specific.
The reason I think everyone should learn a digital marketing skill is because of the wide range of opportunities it offers. If you want to do business online, freelance and simply become a digital marketer yourself, Digital marketing is the skill that will make you visible and accessible to the huge pool of active users on the internet. It is known for how lucrative it can be for both the businesses using it for promotion and the digital marketing expert who earns huge returns for his services.
Digital marketing has many branches and you can choose any depending on what you want to achieve. I might not have touched the core of its importance but you definitely want to have an extensive look into it.
Freelancing
A freelance is an independent form of work where you earn money for completing tasks or short term jobs. It is a must learn tech skill because of the potential and advantages it brings to the table, the freedom and control involved. You can freelance even if you have a full time job in a company. You just need to master time management and organize yourself accordingly. It is a great way to earn passive income.
The main advantage with freelancing is that practically anyone can become a freelancer and all it takes is a skill or in case you have no skill, the ability to learn and master one. The skills you need can be as simple as proofreading, translation right up to more complexe stuff involving engineering. The income opportunities that freelancing offers are open and accessible by all. There is no excuse for not looking into this and exploring the possibility of getting involved.
Okay that’s just about it for the tech skills you should learn regardless of what field you operate in. These skills will help you in many different ways, from expanding your knowledge base to securing a job, growing your monthly paycheck with passive income and saving you time. Knowing all or most of them will always put you miles ahead of any competition at work, in school or among your peers.
