If you want the excitement of working in a growing industry, like renewable energy or artificial intelligence, you could try to strike out on your own as an entrepreneur. But maybe you don’t quite have the skills for those hot industries that promise higher pay and more growth.
The good news is that there are a host of new courses you can take and areas to study, which you’ve maybe never heard of — but that will put your resume at the top of a hiring manager’s resume pile. Keeping your skills fresh is increasingly important as industries turn over or face existential crises: “The current shelf life of technological skills is less than five years, [making] it crucial for individuals and employers alike to boost their skill sets,” said Sarah Tilton, senior regional director of coding bootcamp academy General Assembly’s New York office, in an email.
Mic pored over new course offerings at top online instruction sites like Udacity and Coursera — and examined reports on in-demand jobs requiring a specific new skill, — to come up with a list of five classes you can take to set sail on a fresh career. We used salary tracking site Paysa and job listing site Indeed to estimate expected salaries. Some, but not all, of the courses are free.
1. Blockchain and cryptocurrencies
If you’ve been following the news, you know the price of the cryptocurrency bitcoin has soared recently. But if you’ve really been following the news, you know that bitcoin is just the tip of the iceberg for a technology with much more potential: the blockchain.
The Blockchain Daily Reporter and News Digest 