Want a new career in 2020?
Here are our top 5 tech areas to upskill in if you want to hit your career goals in 2020
The new year is a great time to learn a new skill. Whilst everybody else is fretting over gym memberships or dry January, you’ll be given the space to focus on setting yourself up for ultimate career fulfilment.
With so much recent media attention being paid to lifelong learning, upskilling, and bridging the digital skills gap, it’s increasingly clear that we should all be thinking about keeping ourselves competitive for tomorrow’s job market. The advice seems to be universal: brush up on your digital skills and reap the rewards.
To help you learn the skill best for futureproofing your career, we’ve summarised some of our favourite research on tech trends in the UK. 2020 career goals, here we come!
- Data Science
Data science roles are everywhere.
Why so popular? Big data is, well, big. Businesses need to understand what their data is telling them so they can solve problems effectively and identify hidden opportunities for growth. Data scientists apply technical know-how to navigate complex issues so are a key part of any business.
If you already have a commercial mindset and fancy being one of the UK’s most sought after professionals, consider learning some data science skills. Your career will have quite the boost!
Jobs to look out for: Data Scientist, Business Intelligence Consultant, Business Intelligence Analyst
2. CRM & Productivity
We know from the growth in data science that digital and technical skills are in demand because of the benefits they are bringing to business. This is why technical skills that enhance a range of business functions (thereby improving productivity) are also growing in popularity.
A course in a CRM (customer relationship management) software, such as Salesforce, will help your business to maximise business processes and structure, leaving you more time to manage relationships with impact.
Jobs to look out for: Relationship Manager, Sales Manager, Account Manager, Business Development Manager
Not all tech roles have to be growing at a fast pace to catch our eye in the Knoma office. Some roles, like full stack developers, are so sought after that even the slightest growth is impressive.
3. Full Stack Development
Software development roles represent the largest proportion of tech roles in the UK. These roles need filling so there’s no better time to take the leap and learn to code.
This growing demand means most coding schools will teach you the right skills to land the development job of your dreams. Learning full stack development will enable you to work with both the front and back ends of a website or application. This means you’d leave the classroom with the right skills to build websites, work on databases, or even help with business planning activities.
Jobs to look out for: Full Stack Software Engineer, Full Stack Engineer, Full Stack Web Developer, Full Stack Coder, Web Developer
4. Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is a very important skill to know that can benefit you if you decide to start your own business in the future, along with on a freelance basis. SEO is something of a myth to many business owners, creating an opportunity to use your expertise and knowledge to impress and earn money from as more and more business decision makers are investing in this area.
Everything from social media, paid social, PPC, content marketing, content and digital PR has an impact on your site’s ranking and visibility online. The more visibility for a business means more revenue, customers, site visits and conversions, meaning you’ll never really be short on work if you have expertise in this area. It doesn’t look to be slowing down either, with the internet and its algorithms changing monthly, making it a great skill for those who keep up to date with the latest trends.
Jobs to look out for: Digital Marketing Manager, Marketing Manager, SEO Manager, Social Media Manager
5. Designer
UI design stands for User Interface Design. It is often seen alongside, but not to be confused with, UX Design (User Experience Design). This trending tech discipline is responsible for shaping how users interact with websites and applications. This can include elements of visual design but also looks at other aspects, such as voice controlled ones.
UI Design can make or break a customer’s experience so businesses are investing more money into taking this area seriously and hiring the best. With the rise of wearable tech It’s all about structure, user manipulation and communication so if you’re interested in learning this as a skill then have this at the forefront of your mind.
Jobs to look out for: Designer, UI Designer, User Interface Designer, UX Designer (yes, we know, several job boards get this wrong so look at the job description — the employer could have made a mistake!)
If you are interested in studying a new tech skill like the ones above, Knoma can help you kickstart your lifelong learning process and get ahead of the game. Get in touch about our finance options.
Look out for more tips and tricks on how to land yourself the best career in tech in 2020. Good luck!
References
1. https://www.careerexplorer.com/
2. No Longer Optional: Employer Demand for Digital Skills: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/807830/No_Longer_Optional_Employer_Demand_for_Digital_Skills.pdf
3. A Bright Tech Future Report: https://technation.io/bright-tech-future/
4. Tech Nation Report 2019: https://technation.io/report2019/
