5 Digital Skills Every Student Should Know

(Hint: It’s Not Just Coding)

Published in

ILLUMINATION

4 min readFeb 13, 2024

If you're reading this, chances are you're a student like me who has heard about digital skills, wants to acquire them, but doesn't know how to or where to learn them.

If you fall into the above category, then this write-up is for you.

So....

Why should you learn a digital skill?

The truth is that there are numerous reasons why, as a student, you should learn a digital skill but I’ll take two.

1. A source of income :- Some of us have allowances, but not everyone has, or some might not have big ones, and this skill can be offered for a price as a service to those who need it, which, in turn, generates income for us.

Besides, even if you do have a huge allowance, it’s nice to have an additional stream of income.

2. It gives you an advantage over others :- When it comes to securing a job, just knowing how to use Excel or edit videos might make the difference in you securing that role.

Enough chit-chat; let's delve into digital skills that you can acquire ⬇️

1. Content Writing :- You must have heard about this a lot. I mean, from the stories you read on Facebook to newsletters, even to this write-up you’re reading right now. It’s all content writing.

It’s all about you using your words to create text that informs and engages your audience while providing relevance.

And there are so many sub-categories to choose from.

You have:

Copywriting
Blog writing
Technical writing & so much more.

So you need to research and see what suits you.

2. Graphic Design :- This involves the use of tools to create visually appealing graphic designs and logos.

Ok let's use the famous iPhone, that logo of the iPhone was made by a graphic designer.

Also, big tech companies like Samsung, NVIDIA, Tecno, Microsoft, and even the non-tech giants like Coca-Cola, all of them had their logos designed by someone. So, if you are good with color combinations – Graphic Design just might be your field.

3. Web Development :- The website on which you’re reading this write-up, was developed by someone. This process involves using programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, along with design principles, to create visually appealing websites.

Web development also has its subcategories, including:

Front-end development
Back-end development
Full-stack development
Web design.

Again, do your research to find out which suits you.

4. Video Editing :- involves using software such as Capcut, and Adobe Premiere to manipulate and arrange short video clips to create a final video project.

Here are some examples below 👇

5. Data analysis :- is the process of using computer programs, such as Excel, Power BI, and PostgreSQL, to collect, clean, sort, and visualize data sets to answer questions and solve problems.

© Helpful Professor <https://helpfulprofessor.com/data-analysis-examples/>

P.S. The above image is an example of a graphic designed by some one.

Now I've talked about why you should learn a digital skill and some of the ones you can learn (there are more).

But what about where to learn them?

That's why I've curated a couple of places where you can learn them both for free & paid and even get a certificate (not all free ones give certificates, but don't bother about that, what you need right now is the knowledge).

— YouTube

Content writing

Graphic Design

Web Development

Data Analysis

— Online Education Platforms

Now, there are a few things I need to say before I end this, and that is:

1. Now, don't prioritize your skills over your studies. You are sent to school to learn. Don't ignore your studies for the sake of your skills.

2. Gaining mastery of these skills is not easy and may require up to a year.

Each time you feel discouraged, picture yourself gaining mastery and making money from your skill in the next year. Use that as motivation to keep going.

Even Jesus did the same.

4. Pray - Committing things into the hands of God should never be underrated. Before you choose a skill, pray to Him to guide you to the best one for you, and pray for wisdom to grasp all that there is to learn about the skill with ease.

5. Finally, while it’s nice to have a certificate, first get the knowledge. You don’t have to get a certificate before you begin to earn.

And it’s a wrap. If you found this helpful and insightful, do give it a clap and share it with a fellow student who needs to see this. Au Revoir 👋.

5 Digital Skills Every Student Should Know

(Hint: It’s Not Just Coding)

— YouTube

— Online Education Platforms

Written by William A.