In a letter to his employer, Charles Bukowski once talked about the effects of 9-to-5 jobs: “The color leaves the eye. The voice becomes ugly. And the body. The hair. The fingernails. The shoes.” The people in the soul-sucking 9-to-5 jobs don’t just spend 8 hours at work. They program their lives around work. Before work they spend time in commute to work. After work, they spend time in talking about the day or fretting over minute headaches at their work place. For office workers especially, sitting at a desk all day can become unhealthy. Weight gain and musculoskeletal issues are common. But there’s also the hidden aspect of workplace mental health. There is no time left for learning, leisure, going out, meeting interesting people and romanticism. If you want to leave the 9-to-5 rut, here are the skills which you should learn.
Data Analysis
Data Analysis is the cornerstone of any modern business. Companies are ready to spend a fortune on getting skilled data analytics expert. According to a report by LinkedIn, data analysis segment grew by 49% on year-over-year basis in 2016. Companies want to make sense of the data they have. They want to target only those areas, customers and segments which aren’t profitable. This could only be found out by data experts. There is nothing that could compel a data analysis expert to sit in front of the screen and work 9 to 5. You can do your work from anywhere in the world.
Microsoft Excel
If there is one skill that could land you a perfect job, it is Microsoft Excel. Mastering Excel isn’t about learning to make a few tables or applying some formulas. I am talking about hardcore excel skills. You can watch this video and get an idea of what am I talking about. Excel is literally a magic tool and you could be of immense use to companies if you just master this tool. You can become a financial analyst, which is among LinkedIn’s top 20 jobs. You can help finance organizations and data crunching firms and make loads of money from your couch.
Making Websites
The websites revolution that started with the Dot Com bubble has no end in sight. Companies and individuals want to make new websites. Thousands of blogs, company websites, web stores, ecommerce platforms and interactive websites are coming online daily. You can learn web development languages like C#, Python, PHP, WordPress pretty easily these days and start making money. You can sell your web templates and offer your web development services on freelance platforms like CrossOver and Upwork.
Hacking and Cybersecurity
As the companies and organizations around the world put their data on the Cloud and internet-connected systems, their anxiety about data loss and compromise is peaking. You can learn White Hat ethical hacking, cyber security and Information Security and trust me, you’d never have to beg for a job ever. Companies are ready to pay loads of money for cyber security experts. You can work as an independent consultant in the information security field and make money. You can learn hacking and cybersecurity basics from some great EDX courses.
Design, Animation, Video Making
Design is the single most important thing in any business, product, building, logo, and almost everything. Companies have finally started to get that no matter how powerful their core product is, if their design isn’t appealing to a layman, they are bound to fail. You can learn basic design, animation, 3D graphics, editing and Photoshop. You can also learn editing and making videos as video is the future of content.