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It is estimated that we will have at least 5 different careers in our lifetimes. How can we prepare for a future that will be more mobile, autonomously, and machine-driven than we are today? To adapt to the ever-changing landscape of our digital world, we need to invest in the right technologies and develop better strategies. What skills do we need to learn for the future? You can find ways to use technological advances to your advantage if you stay informed.

It is not participating in the pseudo-freedom of the gig economy. It’s about being able to pursue meaningful work and make a lasting impact on the world around us. Sure, I’m a huge fan of the best side hustles,  but only if they help you make money to invest AND new skills.

I have a problem with the gig economy. Gig workers often lack basic protections and benefits associated with traditional employment. Since they are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in self-driving cars, driving for them won’t turn into a lifetime career. It’s possible that in the near future, driving for Uber won’t be an option.

It is important to be developing future skills and not only offer a commodity service while doing a side gig. Adding value beyond what the customer is asking for can be done by providing recommendations or tips related to your gig.

How to Future-Proof Yourself

Money, success, and building wealth are all skills driven. It is equally important to have the right mindset and attitude as it is to have the skills to create wealth. Personally, I’ve been able to maximize my value specifically by learning in-demand skills (like the ones highlighted below!).

According to the Pew Research Center future jobs will specifically require enhanced social and analytical skills. Here are the skills that are essential to survive and thrive in the future, and where you can learn them. Every quarter, I try to learn 3 new skills. Keeping my skills up-to-date will allow me to stay ahead of the curve and be employable in the future.

I took an online corporate accounting class, studied how to do amazing radio interviews, and learned how to master iMovie. I’m looking forward to learning new skills and challenges this year. It is easy to learn almost anything for free online if you dedicate a few hours a week to it. You have to know where to look for free resources.

Some of the best online courses can be found at Udemy, EdX, and Coursera. The courses range from computer programming and web development to personal development and career skills, making them ideal for anyone looking to learn something new. Over the past 5 years, I have taken over 20 courses from these platforms. I recommend them to anyone who wants to learn a new skill or improve their knowledge.

Building new skills is important if you want to get ahead. Growing and learning will give you the competitive edge you need to succeed. These five skills are in-demand and can help you make more money. To remain competitive in the job market, it is important to stay ahead of the curve and continually develop your skills.

5 Skills to Learn for the Future

Here are the top 5 skills you should learn now:

1. Selling & Communication
2. Digital Marketing
3. Coding
4. Business & Marketing Analytics
5. Branding & Design

1. Selling & Communication Skills

• Selling helps you get what you want, whether it is a deal, a new job, or simply getting someone to agree with you. By honing your selling skills, you will be able to get what you need and stay ahead of the competition. Those who can sell ideas, products, and themselves will have a strategic advantage in the future. The ability to market oneself and create a personal brand will become more valuable as technology continues to evolve.
• Time Requirement: 1-2 hours a month for a year (then you will be a better salesperson than 99% of people)

Most of the world’s transactions and conversations happen between people. It is a testament to the power of relationships in our global society. The dominant form of communication is still engaging person to person. It gives an opportunity to build relationships, collaborate more effectively and create a stronger sense of trust.

Selling is an incredibly valuable skill that I recommend studying and working to get better at. Regardless of your career choice, the ability to communicate and connect with others is essential for success, and having strong selling skills can give you a competitive edge. In a world where competition is getting more intense, people who can sell both themselves and products will be in high demand. To stand out from the competition, you need great sales skills. There is a lot of information you can use to turn it into habits.

As Daniel Pink highlights in his wonderful book To Sell Is Human, we are selling in almost everything we do. It’s important to convince others of the value of your idea or product. It will be easier to make a successful sale if you offer more value.

The noise, information, and products available will only make it more difficult to sell in the future. Businesses need to stay ahead of the competition in order to be successful. People will function like brands in the future and it will be likely that you will want to side hustle and win your own clients. It is important to have entrepreneurial and marketing skills in order to build a successful personal brand.

Whether or not you plan to build a consulting business or become an entrepreneur, learning how to sell will future-proof you in a lot of ways. For an awesome guide on selling check out The Irresistible Consultant’s There is a guide to winning clients. You should demonstrate how you can provide real solutions to potential clients.

There is a next-level talk from Daniel Pink. It will make you want to take on any challenge that comes your way.

2. Digital Marketing

• Getting someone’s attention online will only get more difficult and those people who can reach and engage other’s online are in high demand. In today’s digital world, having the ability to craft compelling content, draw people in with your words and create an engaged community of followers is important.
• Time Requirement: 2-4 hours per week for 6 months, or 30 days full-time (for anyone who wants to be hardcore about it!)

Digital marketing is for both the right and left brain. It allows the creative to create content that drives results and the analytically minded to measure success and adjust strategies accordingly. I love using digital data to determine how well my campaigns are doing. I look for ways to improve my campaigns and push them to the next level.

Learning the basics of marketing can give you a leg up in a job interview or help you market your own product, since both marketing and the internet aren’t going away. Digital marketing can be learned and used with the right resources and dedication. Many early entrepreneurs try to spend a lot of money on marketing. It’s often necessary to develop an in-depth understanding of the target customer and their buying habits before spending money on marketing. Even if you don’t do it forever, learning how to do it yourself will make you a more strategic thinker. It will allow you to make more informed decisions and be more proactive in achieving your goals.

Digital marketing has been one of the key drivers in my own wealth-building and side hustle journey, but I believe it is an essential skill set to develop for the future. The starting salary for an entry-level digital marketing job is between $40,000 and $55,000 in most cities, and you can learn the basics quickly. There is a great opportunity to build a career in digital marketing.

Here’s an awesome free resource to figure out average salaries in the creative and marketing industries. You don’t need a degree in digital marketing to get a job. Even if you don’t have a formal education in digital marketing, you can still build the necessary skills with the help of many companies. You just need to learn it, get certified, and prove you can do it. A lot of the best digital marketers are self-taught and make six figures. Many of them attribute their success to their willingness to take risks and try new strategies that weren’t taught in a traditional marketing course.

While the digital marketing field is massive if you have a website I recommend learning SEO and digital advertising. More specifically…

You can use this platform to run ads on the internet. It is built on an open marketing bidding system, meaning there is a live auction every time someone searches for something. Each query takes only a split second to process before the results are displayed. I was able to learn the foundations of digital marketing in a few hours on Youtube for free. If you’re looking for a new career path, digital marketing is a great place to start. You can add the certification to your resume and profile once you get certified. This will help you stand out from the competition by showing your knowledge and experience in a particular area. It is very attractive to potential employers. By showcasing your skills, you can make yourself stand out from the crowd. I taught a guy in Chicago how to use digital marketing. He has a successful career in the field and is helping others do the same. In 60 days I got him a $45,000 job at a digital agency as a PPC specialist.

Here is the first video from Google in the YouTube Google Adwords course so you can get started.

Facebook Advertising : Facebook’s advertising platform is terrible, but it’s an effective digital marketing platform and worth learning from. To make the most of your digital marketing efforts, you need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each platform. It is also easier to learn.

The key with Facebook ads is to have strong images and videos. You can learn how to do Facebook advertising on YouTube or through Facebook’s free tutorials.

Some of my other favorite digital marketing resources are search engine land and Neil Patel.

3. Coding

• This should be obvious. Future-proofing your decision will help you adapt to the ever-changing landscape of technology. Code runs the world. Code is the language that helps power technology, and it proves that code truly does run the world.
• 8 hours per week for 6 months is required. The project should be completed in 6 months. It’s a little bit of a commitment, but you can learn the basics quickly. It’s a great way to meet people who share the same interests. There are many boot camps where you can learn how to code in 30 days, which is great if you want to make the full leap into a new lucrative career. If you’re willing to put in the time and dedication, coding boot camps can be an excellent way to quickly get up to speed with the necessary knowledge for a programming job.

The way you look at the world will be changed by coding. You can get a better understanding of how the world works with the help of coding. Being able to code will give you an advantage in the future. If you don’t want to become a coder, learning how to code will teach you a lot about how the world works and how the future is being built. Every piece of hardware that you use is powered by code. We can interact with technology in ways that were never before possible with the help of coding.

I started learning how to code at the age of 15 and built a website using a few programming languages over the years. It is much easier to learn the second one once you have learned one. It’s possible to master multiple languages more easily than you think. I recommend learning programming languages like Java, Python, and Ruby. These languages are popular and widely used, so mastering them will give you a great foundation for future coding projects.

A great place to start for free is Codecademy, where you can start feeling it out and go at your own pace. I learned Ruby from using Codecademy. If you want to learn Java and the fundamentals of programming, here is an awesome sequence of 5 Duke offers online classes in java. People can learn the basics of Java programming in a convenient and accessible way.

4. Business and Marketing Analytics

• We don’t have to guess why people buy or engage since there is data on us all the time. By analyzing this data, we can gain valuable insights into consumer trends and identify opportunities to maximize our business potential. The data can be overwhelming if you don’t know what to do with it. As more of our actions are tracked, the use of data and analytics will only increase. The implications of this increased tracking need to be carefully considered. Most roles in the future will require you to learn how to use data to make decisions. Strong data analysis skills will give you an advantage in the future job market, as data-driven decision making is becoming the norm.
• You need 1-2 hours per week for 8 weeks. It is worth taking a course for the time it takes. Taking a course in Business Analytics will give you the knowledge and skills to make data-driven decisions that can help your business succeed.

The art and science of analyzing data is what I love the most about it. A lot of people don’t understand that. Data is only useful if you know how to find it. Understanding data’s value and potential applications is dependent on interpreting it correctly. The easy part is how to find it, but the harder part is what it means. Look beyond the surface and draw deeper connections to understand what it means. It is incredibly powerful if you can figure out what data means.

I work with and study business and marketing analytic data. Marketing analytic helps to identify new opportunities for growth, while business analytic helps to gain insights into customer behavior and trends. I actually do a lot of my consulting work at the intersection between business and marketing analytics, or more specifically I try to determine three things:

1. How to build the best marketing strategy to grow a business
2. How to best track the impact of marketing on a business
3. How to best determine the health of, and opportunities for a business

If you can master all three, you will be a more valuable job candidate, as well as having a measurable impact in most business environments, and companies, or even use the info to launch and maximize your own business. By using the knowledge gained from these skills, you can become more successful in any endeavor. I use a mixture of business intelligence dashboards and analytic tools. We go back a long way and I spend a lot of time using the internet. I can honestly say that the success I’ve had is a result of my use of Google Analytics.

You should check it out if you don’t know how to use it. There are lots of resources to help you get started. Like Google Adwords, you can learn how to use it for free online at the Google Analytics Academy. To go deeper on business analytics, check out this business analytics Coursera course. Here is the best practical book that I’ve read on how to actually understand business analytics – Data Science for Business: What You Need to Know about Data Mining and Data-Analytic Thinking.

There is a great video on business analysis. This video is a good place to start if you’re new to business analysis.

5. Branding & Design

• We are all brands. By understanding the importance of developing a strong personal brand, we can make sure that our future is secure. A Brand embodies values. Don’t give up, amplify, and master it.
• 1-2 hours per week for 8 weeks, then a lifetime of refining? For the long-term benefits you will reap from this program, this time requirement is a small investment.

We have entered an image and influencer-driven world. The people who create and organize content will thrive in the future since people are looking for someone they can trust. This is why everyone needs a blog and here’s how to launch one.

Design and branding are at the intersection of image and influence. The image of an influencer is shaped and perceived by their audience through the use of design and branding. In less than a second, we form opinions of people and products. Past experiences and preconceived notions are some of the factors that can lead to these opinions. The process of design and messaging is called branding. Art and science work together to create a feeling, an emotional response that is created by both art and science. Future-proof skills are essential for creating an effective, successful brand because branding is a powerful tool that can influence how customers perceive a company, product, or service. Human perception of color, angles, and even fonts are included in the science behind branding. It is possible to create a successful brand identity by understanding the science behind branding.

If you want people to pay attention to you, you need to learn how branding and design work can give you an advantage. A strong brand and design will help you stand out from the competition and make it easier to capture the attention of your target audience. Here is the best book I’ve read on design and branding: How to Use Graphic Design to Sell Things, Explain Things, Make Things Look Better, Make People Laugh, Make People Cry, and (Every Once in a While) Change the World 

Here is the best online course I’ve seen on the topic of personal branding (only $10). There is a clear video on what branding is. It’s a great place to learn how to create and maintain a successful brand.

Bonus Skill: Meditation

The world is moving so fast that it will only increase in pace. It’s important to stay ahead of the curve and keep up with the ever-changing environment. Our million-year-old brains can’t keep up. We should strive for continuous improvement because we are not perfect.

We are tired and anxious. Our minds and bodies are reaching a point of no return. Success in the future will be determined by your ability to engage and disengage. Success in the future will be determined by the ability to properly manage engagement and disengagement. Simple 20-minute mediation, which I started two years ago, has had a profound impact on my life. It has allowed me to make better decisions for my well-being by becoming more aware of my thoughts and actions. It’s a good idea to make it part of your daily habit. I use the website Calm.com and the Headspace app regularly.

What did I miss? I don’t know what happened while I was away. Are you future-proofed?