Are tech skills the next big thing in Africa?
It’s time to get your tech skills on!. Let's show you how
Tech skills are the next big thing in Africa, with industry experts predicting it to be one of the fastest growing sectors on the continent. But why exactly? What value does it hold and how can you get involved? If you’re thinking about getting your tech-skills certificate, this guide will teach you everything you need to know from salary expectations to the most promising positions in the market.
Why Tech Skills Are the Next Big Thing
With advances in technology, becoming skilled at programming computers or administering networks is a sure-fire way to land yourself a great job. You can use these tech skills to advance your career or even start your own business.
The next big thing? In Africa—and elsewhere—it’s all about tech skills. While you might think that people working with tech would be technophobes, it turns out that being comfortable with working online can get you ahead at work and help land you a better position. I recently talked to several recruiters who told me they wanted more people who understood how to connect their devices and administer networks.
How To Get Them
There are many ways to gain tech skills. You can take a class at your local college or university, learn from your friends who know what they’re doing or even attend events such as TechXAfrica.
The best way is to just keep an eye out for what’s going on around you and start learning along with everyone else! However you do it, don’t let yourself become intimidated by those more knowledgeable than you. As long as you have passion and determination, it’s never too late to get started on something new!
Alternatively, you could make headway by registering for one of Top Skill's programming courses. At Top Skill, you are taught in simple and practical terms a number of tech skills including; Backend Development, Frontend Development, Python Programming, UI/UX Design, among others.
How To Use Them
Tech skills will become more important to those who want to run their own businesses. In order to stand out and compete with big brands, it’s crucial for start-ups and individuals to be tech-savvy.
There are many tech skills that you can use to improve your life, job, and career prospects; some of these include marketing, sales, programming, and others. Programmers are highly valued for their skill-set of developing technology applications. Tech skills are what will set you apart from your competition and allow you to be successful in your career or business endeavors.
Everyone is looking for ways to increase their productivity and technology can help you do just that. With everything now being done online, having a good understanding of social media is also becoming more important than ever before. People will have no choice but to become familiar with programs like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn if they wish to survive. And since mobile internet usage is going up by leaps and bounds on a daily basis across Africa; learning how to work social media properly will ensure users stay connected wherever they are at any given time.
Why This Is Important
Overcoming skill shortages is the next big thing on the African agenda. That’s according to leading IT body TechServe, which has highlighted one of the main challenges for IT skills development as a massive shortage of skilled workers and called for action from governments and industry leaders.
A number of African governments including Rwanda, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, among others remain committed to investing in their people, through providing vocational training opportunities, especially with an increase in demand for certain high-skilled workers such as ICT professionals.
The success of these initiatives will, however, hinge upon developing curricula that are in line with current global trends and offer short-term training options tailored to meet employers’ needs.
Conclusion
Tech skills, like programming and Web design, are becoming popular career paths among young people in Africa. Educators and industry leaders should increase their focus on these subjects to prepare students for careers that will open doors to new opportunities across multiple industries. If they don’t, it may be difficult for African youth to keep up with tech-savvy peers from other parts of the world.
As an individual, it is a wake-up call for you to sustain the discipline to commit to learning a high-demand tech skill that will make you more useful in the years.