Whether you work a solid blue-collar job or you’re living off the dividends from your multi-million-dollar investments, what makes the most difference in your life is the skills you use each day.
Sure, money and your choice of profession can make a significant difference in your life, but the skills that you live by can make it possible to experience much more of what the world has to offer. These five skills are first five you should master in order to do just that.
Coding
Just about everybody is learning how to code. Regardless of your career path, a firm knowledge of coding skills can set you apart from the competition and give you a leg to stand on when asking for that next promotion.
If you thought that coding skills are only important for working professionals, think again. Even coding for kids is growing in popularity. Through the creation of fun gaming systems with software like roblox coding, Pygame, or any of the countless other programs designed for kids on the Internet, anybody can learn how to code in a fun and entertaining way.
Since coding skills are one of the most in-demand skill sets across industries, you can boost your career and creative prospects across the board. That includes just about every industry from agriculture to zoology.
Communication
Communication skills can make the difference between being invisible in the workplace and “bringing the party with you,” as they say. Of course, there are a variety of factors that play a role in good communication skills. The two most important of those factors are public speaking and writing skills.
Most people are absolutely terrified of public speaking. Unfortunately, public speaking is one of the most important parts of most social functions, including securing promotions, securing fundraising, and even making friends.
People who understand the importance of rhetoric, nonverbal communication, and confidence (even if it’s fake confidence) tend to experience a significantly improved quality of life, both professionally and personally.
The second factor, writing, is closely related to public speaking in terms of the overall effects. When you write well, your emails, texts, etcetera come across as more intelligible, meaningful, and powerful. Together, these three qualities make for a mean triple threat when it comes to achieving your goals.
Negotiation
This is one of the most often overlooked soft-skills in many industries. However, it is also one of the most important. Negotiation skills work hand-in-hand with communication skills but tend to be focused on the achievement of a specific goal rather than the general application of using communication skills.
Negotiation skills help the most when it comes to your career. Not only can you use these skills to negotiate higher pay, but you can more easily negotiate promotions and even negotiate the exact duties of your particular role in the company.
Negotiation skills can also make you a more likable person by providing you with the skills you need in order to de-escalate tense situations. Whereas many people might argue and escalate the situation, a skilled negotiator can bring the “boil” down to a “low simmer” or even solve the problem entirely.
Adaptability
The rate of technological innovation has been steadily increasing over the past few years. While Moore’s Law helps to explain that, you don’t necessarily need to know why. Just know that, in order to keep up with the constant changes coming to the professional and personal worlds, you need to be adaptable.
Knowing what to let go of and what to hold onto is a key part of life. In fact, economists have widely studied the phenomenon and have even coined a phrase that refers specifically thereto: “sunk costs.” Sunk costs are costs that have already been lost, or “sunk,” and are entirely unrecoverable.
By adapting to the situation and understanding that sunk costs are, in fact, sunk, you can prevent the unfortunate circumstances that come with attempting to recoverable the unrecoverable.
Web Design
97% of all consumers go online when looking for local businesses. By understanding how to edit a website, even in the most basic terms, you can ensure that your business doesn’t go unseen. That includes when you’re marketing yourself!
Even if you work in construction, mining, or some other “less technical” industry, a knowledge of web design can be incredibly helpful. Not only does it make it easier for higher-paying recruiters to find you and examine your work, it also helps you stick out as a technically skilled employee, which can lead to pay raises in and of itself.
Conclusion
In today’s ever-changing world, it is more important than ever before to ensure that you have the skills that make life easier. With a firm knowledge of coding, communication, negotiation, adaptability, and web design, it becomes much easier to do just that.
That being said, there are plenty of skills that can improve your value to employers as well as yourself. In order to get the most out of life, it is important to do the research and find what is best for you.
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