Staying Current, Relevant and Competitive – What Do Educational Consultants Say?
Technologies and business models are changing at a rapid pace. What we plan to study and start learning becomes obsolete by the time we graduate. The uncertainty of job requirements and changing demands for certain skills create a dilemma for students going into college years.
Particularly in the pandemic period, many companies have either shut down their physical locations or shifted to a completely different business model. In-demand jobs suddenly became irrelevant while the online workplace saw a big boost requiring most employees to learn the tools to work online.
Success lies in staying relevant even when the variables change. Here are some ways to stay current, relevant and competitive in a turbulent job environment:
Long Term Vision
Most students and their parents are myopic when it comes to choosing careers and studies. They only look as far as five years ahead to see if a certain skill or degree has value in employment. But the problem is that it takes four years to complete an undergraduate course, and by the time the student is ready to take up a job, the value of the skill declines and all the employment opportunities dry up.
A good idea is to look up technologies that will come into play in the future and start your studies in that field. By the time you graduate, the new technology jobs will be hot, and you can quickly enter the industry.
Choose A Study Brand
Students from around the world have chosen to study in the UK in the past. The reason is that, after the USA, UK has become a brand name in higher education. According to Higher Education Statistics Agency, over 600,000 students took admissions in an undergraduate program, and almost 400,000 opted for postgraduate degrees in the UK.
Suppose you choose a study brand – which means a reputed university from a place known for education, like the UK. In that case, you are very likely to be exposed to the most modern teaching methodologies and will probably develop the basic skills to work well in any environment.
Even if you end up having the same degree as millions of others, the label of having a degree from the UK is likely to land you a job anywhere in the world.
Avoid The Generic Courses
The trick to build competence on your resume is to choose programs and courses that make you stand out from the crowd. A good way is to search for programs through websites like findamasters.com or bachelorsportal.com and look for specific courses like Nanotechnology, Biomechanics or even Sustainability.
If you are looking for higher education in the UK, you are likely to find a relevant and interesting course for you because the UK is famous for having diverse programs for all fields of work that you can imagine.
Upgrade Your Skills
Suppose you have already completed your undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and have some work experience. In that case, you should consider upgrading your knowledge to keep up with the latest developments in your domain of interest.
For example, suppose you studied programming languages like C+ in your undergraduate program of Computer Science. In that case, you are not likely to know the latest programming languages unless you use them at work. You can consider taking up a 3-month basic or 6-month advanced course in Python language in any UK University. It will increase your knowledge and add a UK certified badge to your CV to improve your job prospects worldwide.
Target Your Dream Company
A great tip is to make a list of skill sets that you need to get a job in your dream company first to identify that company. Next, you search for the jobs available in their vacancy section. Then you read about the job responsibilities and job specifications mentioned. It will tell you what tools and skills you need to master to be considered for your aspired employment positions.
The world is getting faster and smaller, which means there will be competition for a job from everyone worldwide. In this tough competing era, you must stay updated and relevant with qualifications that put the spotlight on you.
This Blog post was informative, interesting, and concise. The five key points were highlighted clearly, with examples that I could relate to. While I am not in the business of academic education, I believe that we are all in a life-long process of learning, and hence the ideas presented here are applicable everywhere, to all people and at all times. Thank you.
Life-long learning is one of the themes that is advocated in HE and one that aligns with your comment. You are absolutely right when you say that learning is a life-long process and is applicable in all walks of life. In fact, our key phrase is ‘stay current, relevant and competitive’. Thanks for visiting and for your message!