Work of the Future – How to Bulletproof Your Career From Automation Part 1
Automation and the elimination of worker jobs is a popular topic in almost all areas of the world economy. According to McKinsey, in the US alone, between 39 and 73 million jobs stand to be automated within the next 5 years, which is around a third of the total workforce. We want to ensure that this doesn’t happen to you.
Another groundbreaking report released by McKinsey also predicts that by 2030, as many as 800 million jobs worldwide could be lost due to automation. This shocking statistic highlights just how severe and widespread of impact automation is having on most industries. This means that at least one person on your team could be missing the job skills necessary to make the leap into the new, “data-intensive” economy.
Additionally, companies are streamlining overall business processes to eliminate those without technical and soft skills. If you don’t have a mix of both, you could be in trouble. Career automation and a lack of data literacy are extremely important issues that need to be addressed and resolved by today’s tech workforce.
Companies need to attract talent who are excited by data science and have mastered a core set of skills that are valuable and help produce business results. Colaberry will teach you all of these skills and more.
What Is Data Science, Anyway?
Data science is a field that involves many different technical abilities and relevant skills. Some of these skills are considered “soft,” while others involve understanding programming architecture and being able to organize, understand, and present mission-critical information in a format that is actionable by decision-makers within organizations.
“Data illiteracy” is one of the leading factors in deciding which jobs are automated and which team of employees is cut loose. Outside of the tech industry, this seems to be an unknown phrase. Automation is focused on streamlining and using data to inform decisions.
If you are not prepared for this, you will face a huge challenge in the industries of the future. Most people do not understand what data is and how important it is to today’s evolving enterprises. Are you prepared?
Throughout this two-part blog series on preparing yourself for the jobs of the future, we will give you tips and relevant career-guiding advice to help bulletproof your job.
Companies need to rapidly adapt and cope with a competitive landscape that is transitioning away from small pieces of information to whole industries investing in trying to make sense of thousands of seemingly unrelated swaths of the user, product, and marketing data to make split-second decisions. The opportunity to protect yourself, depending on how committed you are, stems from the fact that companies don’t have enough employees to do all of these data-related tasks.
With the anticipation of all of these jobs being eliminated, the real question that comes to the forefront is: How can someone like you protect yourself from automation?”
In today’s rapidly changing workforce, there are only a few key measures to potentially keep yourself from being cut. Here is a quick summary of these simple steps:
5 Simple Ways You Can Stay Ahead of the “Automation Curve”
- Becoming data-literate
- Developing your soft skills
- Highlighting data projects on your resume – Read Part 2 to learn more
- Developing a personal brand – Read Part 2 to learn more
- Taking courses and boot camps like Colaberry’s Data Analytics and Data Science Bootcamps
Are You Data-Literate?
The first step to protect yourself from being eliminated is to be sure you are data-literate. According to Silicon Republic, “Data scientists are in demand, and candidates with the right mix of skills will be rewarded with a future-proofed and lucrative career.” Data literacy focuses on the segmentation, organization, and reporting of specific data sets and massive swaths of information. If you don’t have the skills to understand the usefulness of all this data you will be out of a job — fast.
Examples of Data Literacy
- You can make sense of huge collections of random data
- You can organize and point out patterns in large data sets
- You are a master at eliminating irrelevant data points and including “just the facts” in reports
- You can present data in a way that is succinct, meaningful to decision-makers, and is actionable
Colaberry offers individualized boot camps and courses on your schedule to help you grasp the concepts every data analyst needs to be successful.
Let’s take a few minutes to discuss which of these skills are most important.
Develop Your Soft Skills
“Hard skills are what you do, and soft skills are how you do it,” says Susan Vitale, Chief Marketing Officer for IMS. “Unfortunately, one in three recruiting professionals believe job candidates’ soft skills have gotten worse in the past five years.”
Today’s candidates for the best data analyst and data scientist jobs need to be focused on building not just technical skills but soft skills that help them to effectively work with their team and across the organization. Colaberry offers soft skills training that will lead you to a career in data science.
Common Soft Skills You’ll Find Extremely Useful
- Solving problems
- Adapting to changing situations
- Managing your time well
- Being identified as someone your co-workers and teammates can depend on
- Communicating effectively
Master Problem Solving Skills
According to Fast Company, “The most important soft skill was the ability to solve problems, with 62% of recruiters seeking people who can find solutions, according to iCIMS. This soft skill was also the most important for the employee who wants to work in management.”
Problem-solving can be described as thinking outside of the box or “thinking ahead” and analyzing problems from many different angles. This also could include how you handle stress and pressure. Do you maintain your composure? Do you take the time to ask for help or lean on subject-matter experts to get further clarification on ideas you might be unclear about?
Data scientists are seasoned professionals who can see problems from a bird’s eye view and remember details within the complex web of information they are categorizing. These are just some of the skills you will master at Colaberry
Adaptability To Evolving Situations
During Colaberry courses, you will learn how to handle multiple projects and real-world scenarios and become comfortable with the data science world. The next most important skill is adaptability. Do you adapt easily to new situations, deadlines, and challenges that come your way? According to Fast Company, this skill came in second “with 49% of recruiters looking for this trait. This skill was ranked as very important for entry-level positions.”
Being Able To Manage Your Time Well
Time management is an extremely important skill for those who want to succeed in modern enterprise. Being able to juggle multiple deadlines and make progress on specific projects while not getting overwhelmed or bogged down is a mark of a future leader and an exceptional employee.
Ways To Manage Your Time
- Invest in a Calendar like Google Calendar
- Create To-Do Lists to help you remember important tasks for a specific day
- Arrive at meetings 10 minutes early
- Always wear a classy watch and check it as needed
We hope you’ve enjoyed some of these quick tips to help you bulletproof your career from being automated. Check out our next installment Part 2: How to Bulletproof Your Career From Automation
Colaberry Data Science Training Is The Answer!
Colaberry School of Data Analytics has been providing groundbreaking, career-oriented training programs in Data Analytics since 2012. We run online classes that you can take from the comfort of your own home. Colaberry also offers instructor-led classes in the Dallas, Texas area. More than 4,500 people have changed their lives by participating in these boot camp-style classes!
Industry-Oriented Knowledge
With Colaberry, you will gain a unique set of skills that will put you ahead of the pack due to our focus on providing up-to-date knowledge and a curriculum written to fit right into even the most fast-paced job roles and hit the ground running.
Flexible Curriculum
Colaberry provides short courses to help you upskill and specialize in the exact skills companies are looking for in those they employ. We offer online and on-campus programs in multiple locations such as Texas, California, and more.
We Work With Your Finances
We want to ensure that your financial health isn’t a barrier to your attending classes. We offer flexible programs, payment plans, and counseling to make things easier for our students.
Real World Project & Portfolio Experience
Each of our classes integrates a project based on a real-world scenario, helping you to grasp some of the most critical job skills that employers are hungry for. We work with you to build a digital portfolio that you can present to employers to demonstrate your competencies in a variety of highly in-demand areas of expertise.
High Job Offer Rate
Our job offer rate is over 80% for our qualified students. That means we focus on developing you in both hard and soft skills, how to interview successfully, and perfecting your interpersonal skills.
Don’t Miss Out!
Classes are filling up fast. We still have limited space remaining in our January 2019 boot camp. Don’t miss your chance to begin an exciting new career paths
Salaries for Data Analytics
Salary Data Resource: https://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2016/10/22/15-data-scientist-jobs-that-pay-100k-or-more/#340b8ca0626c