Top Tech Skills to Fight Unemployment during COVID-19

Personal note from Dan Gardner, CEO of RunPee.

The good people at CareerKarma.com asked me to share this article on our blog here. Their goal is to help people who have lost their job(s) due to Covid-19.

I’m a software developer by trade. In fact, I created the RunPee app as a portfolio project to help land freelance work. I can personally attest that my software development skills have been the cornerstone of my success. I’ve had the freedom to live comfortably and travel the world, and all because I’m a self taught software developer. (Honestly, I’m just an average developer. You don’t have to be a Rock Star to be successful at this.)

If you’re in a place where a career change is necessary then I hope you’ll consider software development. It’s much easier than you think, but sometimes much harder. 🙂 If you have any questions please comment below and I’ll be sure to respond.

Crisis can be opportunity

The pandemic outbreak has put thousands of companies in a difficult situation. Businesses were caught unarmed when facing these tough times and were forced to go through it all in isolation. Employees were then affected because companies had to reduce their workforce in order to eliminate non-essential costs.

Being in isolation proved to be profitable for those who were well-prepared. In fact, candidates with the right skill sets were the ones who were able to push businesses forward in order to save the world’s economy.

As the pandemic subsides, more and more companies are in need of tech talents to help them accelerate operations and essentially survive. Companies are now pushed to adapt and new requirements are set. For that reason, many employees are required to learn new abilities that could bring them new job opportunities.

While most people started to work from home, those whose skills were not needed anymore began to face the risk of unemployment. With this in mind, we decided to highlight some of the best tech skills for you to learn in order to stay relevant and in-demand amidst these trying times. Not only are these skills helpful in fighting these tough situations but they are also essential if you want to thrive at work. Because these skills are highly sought after, more job opportunities will be at your disposal.

Python

Python is a programming language that everyone should learn these days. It is a flexible tool that allows developers to build multi-purpose solutions. Data scientists, for instance, use Python to create useful insights that enable companies to make smart decisions. Python is widely used because of its capabilities to visualize, interpret, and analyze data so well. In the industry, software engineers use Python to create sophisticated solutions that allow companies to gather data from their customers, as well as provide excellent user experiences to the target audience. It is safe to say that Python is a programming language that is helping most companies that struggle during this period. Unemployment will be a thing of the past if you learn this versatile programming language.

Making $48,000 per year sounds like a dream for some people, but in reality, that’s what Kenzie Academy graduates earn on average. The school offers many courses where people can enroll to learn Python. Because its programs are available online, you can easily learn this skill during the quarantine. In addition to that, Kenzie Academy’s program covers other in-demand programming languages like HTML and JavaScript.

Web Development

If anything, the pandemic highlighted how important it is for companies to have their own websites. This is because websites tremendously increase brand recognition and they allow companies to offer their products and services which customers can purchase from home. For this reason, web development is an essential skill that has helped companies to stay afloat throughout this COVID-19 situation. 

Websites are now more sophisticated than ever. Some even use Augmented Reality (AR) technology to allow customers to have a quick preview of products and services. For businesses, websites act as a platform to collect data from. They can then use the information to train systems via the application of machine learning. Subsequently, they will be able to deliver better responses to customers. Given these points, it’s no wonder employers are in search of candidates with web development skills. 

If you want to start a new tech career by learning web development skills, App Academy is the place for you. Its courses are available online as well as in person. The school boasts a high success rate with alumni securing jobs at large-sized companies including Apple, Netflix, and Twitter. If you are struggling with finances, the school offers many financing options like ISA and loans. Another key point is that App Academy also offers a money-back guarantee where students pay nothing if they don’t succeed after completing the program.  

SQL

We are living in a world where large amounts of data are generated every second. For that reason, the generation rate of data increased during the pandemic as more customers used online services to fill their needs. For example, being in quarantine means that you can’t go out, not even for buying groceries or medicines. Consequently, customers started to do their shopping through websites. As a result, companies had more data to gather and they require skilled candidates with data management skills—not only because data is the most valuable resource at present, but also because unorganized data is not particularly useful.

Employers are now looking for candidates with SQL skills for this very reason. SQL is a programming language that is exceptional for data mining, data manipulation, and server management. SQL is also useful to manage large pools of data as well as combine data from multiple sources. Therefore, if you want to get a job during these tough times, you have to learn SQL skills. 

Thinkful is the right place to start learning SQL. The school offers one to seven-month-long programs comprising of flexible courses that are available part-time. It is committed to its students’ success. At Thinkful, students are able to engage with experts in the field in order to learn from the best. In other words, embarking on a journey at Thinkful will provide you with job-ready skills that will give you the extra edge over other jobseekers. If money is a barrier, don’t worry because the school offers multiple financing options that might be helpful during these hard times. 

Google Flutter

Flutter is a cross platform framework created to make apps for iOS and Android phones by using just one codebase. Traditionally companies would need two teams of developers to create and maintain their apps because native iOS and Android apps use completely different programming languages. Flutter lets developers write in one programming language but distribute to both platforms — and also supports web applications that run in the browser plus desktop apps that run on Windows, MacOS, and Linux. The RunPee app is currently being rebuilt from scratch using Google Flutter. There is a lot of great video documentation on the Flutter.dev website.

Note from RunPee CEO: I would highly recommend the 10 hour video series on Google Flutter created by AppBrewery.

Conclusion

Being unemployed is a difficult situation that many have had to go through during COVID-19. It becomes even more stressful when you have people depending on you. However, there are ways for us to turn things around. We have to keep our eyes wide open to look for opportunities that meet our skill sets. With that said, learning these in-demand tech skills will allow you to explore more job opportunities as they are a must-have for today’s employers.