So you might wonder why a food blogger is posting about skills to learn. The simple answer is that we all have to worry about markets. Back in 2007 America (and many other countries) was hit in the Great Recession. That market crashed badly and many people lost their retirement, homes, jobs, etc.

I remember this time because I was greatly affected by it. I just graduated my apprenticeship to become a Sheetmetal Worker/Journeyman, I had steady work and was finally getting ahead in life. As fate would have it I shortly went on unemployment and was put on the books in the union for being available to hire but I stayed on the books over 2 years.

I was very lucky to have a marketable trade that I was able to put to work and eventually found employment quickly, but I also learned that I was still vulnerable. All I could think was “What if…?”.

So I got in school and learned a new trade, but I did my research first. I discovered that there was a specific industries that were still hiring and expanding while others were laying off. I saw that jobs in Information Technology were still in-demand. I got into school and learned anything I could about computers.

So here is my top 7 skills I think others should give a try to learn.

#7 Learn A Second Language

This is a very good thing to get into and practice on a daily basis. Our world is filled with many different cultures and languages. Many of these countries have wide array of industries that you could be a part of. Crossing that language barrier is more essential today with the growing popularity of remote work and freelancing. According to Degree Council some of the most marketable languages to learn are:

• Spanish
• Arabic, Farsi or Urdu
• Mandarin Chinese
• Japanese

#6 Marketing

Marketing is something that can be very useful for anybody. Right now we are going through a time where we make a lot sales online. Places like eBay, RedBubble, YouTube, and many more all have a platform for someone to advertise. Companies and hobbyists all need a way to stay competitive online with marketing. Even understanding the principles can be useful when posting an item you are selling on eBay.

If you are running a blog for yourself or others its a necessity to know how to bring in followers and to create content that is marketable.

#5 LEAN

LEAN Manufacturing or Management is a methodology that’s soul focus is to reduce waste. Things that would consume time or resources is part of running a business, but companies spend a lot of money to have their business function well. LEAN helps with identifying value streams and what could be potential waste, ways to understand what the problems are, and create a way to implement changes to the current state of operations.

Even knowing some of the fundamentals of this system helps more than you know.

#4CompTIA

I have a couple of these certifications and the knowledge you gain about computers from CompTIA will last for a very long time. These certifications are entry-level and can be put on a resume for future employment. Having a couple of certifications helps employers see you as having that extra little something that you can bring to the table for their company.

#3 HTML

I am now going into a world where not everybody wants to learn. Hyper Text Markup Language or HTML, is a very well know code. We use it everyday for checking scores of our favorite teams to searching for jobs. This programming language is always changing and is being pushed to many of its limits.

Just knowing how to read it will help you with security of your own computer and devices that connect to the internet. You would be able to find things in search engines better knowing what part of the website you are looking for.

#2 Excel

This is one skill I think everyone should have. When I changed from being a mechanic to an analyst I learned quickly the wonderful world of spreadsheets. I think this skill can be applicable to any job, from being a cook to a CEO you will someway, somehow use excel spreadsheets for data collection.

Just having a basic knowledge of the program will make you that much more valuable to any team. I can’t stress this enough that in your job you have been collecting data and entering it into a data sheet for someone to interrupt, so why not learn how they do it.

#1 Program Language

Finally, my favorite, learn a programming language.

I am not saying you are going to automatically change your career and make big money, I’m just saying that this is a very valuable skill to acquire. If you know how a programming language works you can translate it into almost anything. When I was working on creating prototypes as a sheetmetal mechanic I would use the methodologies of object-oriented programming (OOP) for building mock-ups and creating functionality, it helped me explain better how the prototypes work and my customers would be able to follow with better clarity.

I highly recommend learning python as your first programming language.

Final Words

If you are looking to always improve your position at work or just want to try something new then this post is for you. Please look through the links to the courses that I have provided, maybe you can find the one that suits you best. If you have the time to learn a new skill you should capitalize on that. We can always earn more money but we can never earn back time.