JOIN USImagine this scenario: You have completed your IT degree, got picked up by a cool company, in all probability an industry biggie or an energetic startup that is all pumped up to change the world with its unique ideas. The workplace is swanky and the sheer thrill of working in a corporate organisation is an incentive in itself. Sooner than later, the initial shine wears off and you are left staring at the harsh reality.
In the first year of your employment, you hopped continents and became a keen participant in off-site projects of your company. You are now back after 18 months and are ‘benched’ till a new project comes along. Worse, you make a shocking discovery: technologies — languages, frameworks, tools — have zoomed past you in the 18 months you’ve been away. Any hope of bagging that next project depends on having an edge over that fresher who is well-versed in new technologies.
It is definitely not a pretty situation to be in. But, you are not alone. For millions of technology professionals worldwide, it is a constant challenge to keep abreast of changing technologies that emerge every single week. You might have joined as a Java professional, but now you have to learn Python and DevOps ideologies to move forward.
This is specifically true if you happen to have a career that involves coding, data analytics, business intelligence, data warehousing or even mobile software development. Think of another scenario. Women who take maternity breaks come back to realise that they are having to brush up their skills as well as master new tools and solutions that have emerged in the market.
A continuous process
Even if the scenarios do not make sense for you, it is mandatory that you keep reskilling yourself every year or so. The simple reason for this is the fact that most new frameworks and tools begin as an open source idea before the global developer community embraces it, makes it popular and finally proliferates it as the next big thing. Recent examples of this phenomenon include big data computing framework Apache Spark, programming language Python and certifications like Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Typically, new technologies take anything between eight months to 1.4 years before going mainstream. And, then of course, there are the non-open source, propriety offerings that differ slightly on timelines. The bottom-line is that the pace is quick and the quantity of new stuff that gets released is mind-boggling. Hence, it’s important that you gain skills in the relevant technologies.
A few of us might also realise — after a few months, a year, half a lifetime — that we are stuck in a completely wrong job. Is it too late to change? Not at all. Today, you can upskill yourself at will, transform your career and take it in an entirely new direction. The number of programming professionals who have migrated to the strategic, corporate side of affairs is remarkably high, as are business folks who wake up one morning with the drive to write code and create software.
With technology being able to recreate a real classroom-like setup through personal computer or mobile device, every learner can get personalised and in-depth learning experience, complete with live project work and certification. More importantly, the faculty are actual experts who are part of the tech industry. This exposure provides tactical insights on real-life challenges and hints to crack interviews with ease. Depending on the nature of the skill, one can learn successfully in anything in two to 12 weeks.
But why should one reskill oneself? Here are some reasons:
Reskill at regular intervals: Never be associated with outdated technology. The moment a new technology comes your way and makes sense to your domain of work, take out some time to learn about it. It will help you sooner than later.
Evolve in your role: You might have found your dream job, but remember that things change rapidly. Nobody wants to pay a master of an obsolete technology.
Shift without fear: More technology options mean you can choose an entirely different career path at will. So, learn a new skill and kick-start your new journey.
Beyond classrooms: Today, you can keep your nine-hour jobs and still master a new skill, thanks to intuitive technologies that let you learn on weekends, before or after office hours, using interactive live learning platforms. Leverage them and learn on-the-go.
Every new technology enhances proficiency and simplifies the work you do. A new language dramatically reduces the number of lines of code you need to create a software. A new mobile platform lets you design a mobile app faster. So, if you wish to be more efficient in your work, push yourself further and learn all the latest stuff to be at the top of your game!
(The author is co-founder & CEO, Edureka, Bengaluru)