By Zainab Shafiq 
The tech industry is simply on fire, and it will soon be back with very good demand for skilled workers. Be it a career change, moving up the corporate ladder at your present workplace, or just staying relevant in a constantly changing world of technology, if not now, then when is it that you should invest in learning new skills?
The good news is that you don’t need a formal degree to make it in tech. With online learning bursting at its seams, everybody can gain useful tech skills and successfully launch their career.
In this very post, we will discuss five in-demand tech skills you can learn online and provide resources and tips to kick-start your learning.
Data Analysis using Tools like Python and SQL
Data analysis is, in one way, the most in-demand skill in the job market. Today’s businesses need data to drive decisions; hence, any professional who can analyze and interpret this data is highly sought after. Begins with the understanding of how one can collect, clean, and interpret this data to get meaningful insights.
Python is a general-purpose programming language that has been used extensively in Data Analysis. This is because it is a simple language, and most of its libraries, like Pandas, NumPy, and Matplotlib, are powerful in helping with data manipulation, statistical analysis, and data visualization.
SQL stands for Structured Query Language, which is a way to handle and query relational databases. It gives you the ability to effectively retrieve, edit, and manipulate data within the database.
The myriad online resources for courses taught on Python and SQL for data analysis are endless, which means that almost any learner today can: Coursera, edX, DataCamp, and others. You will be equipped, with these tools, to be useful as a data analyst, data scientist, or business analyst across many business environments.
Cloud Computing with AWS or Azure Platforms
Computing on the cloud has been a game-changer for businesses with respect to flexibility and reduced storage costs, computing power, and application hosting. Knowledge about cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure thus opens wide career vistas in technology.
AWS—Amazon Web Services: Fully fledged cloud platform offering more than 200 completely featured services from data centres across the globe. You could learn AWS in terms of how one deploys, manages, and operates applications that scale.
Azure: This is Microsoft’s offering and, in turn, one of the popular cloud service providers. It provides virtual machines, app services, and databases amongst a lot of other offerings. Knowing Azure can help you in developing and manage applications through the global network of Microsoft data centres.
There are courses and huge certifications on cloud computing from the likes of AWS Training and Certification, Microsoft Learn, and Udacity and Pluralsight that could prove a professional to be a cloud engineer, solutions architect, or cloud consultant.
Digital Marketing with Platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads
Digital marketing is a must for any business that aims to inform, educate, or entertain customers online. Knowing how to use digital marketing platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads means driving traffic, generating leads, and increasing sales for any business.
Google Ads: Google Ads permits businesses to run their adverts on the online search engine and across its vast network of websites. You can learn how to create and manage campaigns, target the right audience, and optimize ad spending for your business, and that will make you a resourceful asset to any marketing team.
Facebook Ads Options: These are the varieties within the Facebook Ads platform that provide businesses with more effective opportunities to reach their target demographic on Facebook and Instagram. Mastering Facebook Ads is essentially about setting up an ad, creating compelling ad creatives, and tracking performance metrics.
You can undertake online courses on Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, or HubSpot Academy to familiarize yourself with tools of digital marketing. On top of this, you could become a digital marketer, social media manager, or a PPC specialist with an added bonus of developing mastery over digital marketing.
Use Asana or Trello for Project Management
Project management is one of the requisite skills in nearly every industry. This involves planning, executing, and closing a project to ensure it is delivered on time, within scope, and budget. Familiarity with project management tools like Asana and Trello will exponentially raise your chances of managing projects effectively.
Asana: A project management tool, it helps teams in organizing work, managing tasks, and working in an extremely efficient way. Learning Asana will help to smoothen the workflow of projects and increase the productivity of teams.
Trello: Created to visualize and manage projects using boards, lists, and cards, Trello is an easy platform to use for progress tracking, giving of tasks, and for ensuring the hitting of project milestones.
You can take online courses on methodologies and tools of Project Management on Coursera, Udemy and other platforms with LinkedIn Learning. Not to mention the correlated certifications which will give you more credibility in your project management skills, hence opening the way to roles like Project Manager, Program Manager, or Operations Manager.
Cybersecurity Basics
It is, therefore, an area of concern to businesses across the world. As a result of the ever-rising cyber attacks, many yearn to have professionals who can protect sensitive information and ensure IT integrity.
Fundamentals: The basics of Cyber Security consist mostly of those threats and countermeasures on the dark side, such as malware, phishing, and ransomware; on the light side, it comprises firewalls, encryption, and intrusion detection systems.
Numerous online courses and certifications, such as CompTIA Security+, exist with learning platforms like Coursera and edX. It provides a good background in cybersecurity principles. Mastering the basics of cybersecurity will keep you in position for roles like cybersecurity analyst, information security manager, or network security engineer.
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