11 Aug How To Boost Your CV During The Pandemic
Ongoing threats from the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly affected the global workforce. Some people are told to work from home, while others have had their hours reduced. There are also those unfortunate enough to be made redundant because of the outbreak’s economic impact on businesses.
If you find yourself with more free time during the pandemic, keep your chin up because you can take advantage of the situation and turn it around to your advantage. There is no better time for you to give your CV a boost. How? By sharpening your existing skills or picking up new ones!
Boosting your CV gives you endless possibilities. If you have been thinking about making a career shift or equipping yourself with the latest tools of the trade, this is the time to act. On average, you can learn a new skill in just three to six months, depending on the subject matter. You can either choose self-education or enroll in one of the best coding bootcamps available. Here are some of the most sought-after skills of today that can help you find a high-paying job and ensure job security in the years to come when listed in your CV.
WordPress Development
WordPress is a powerful tool. Not only does it host websites; the WordPress platform provides accessibility for people who wish to create their own virtual space without prior experience in web development or programming. It is incredibly accessible – supporting over 100 languages – and easy to use. Because of this, approximately 35% of the internet is powered by WordPress. Therefore, it is evident that WordPress development will remain an in-demand area in the nearest future.
To be a WordPress developer, you need to be an expert on all the resources available on the platform. They include documentation for the codebase, standards, block editor, common APIs, themes, plugins, REST APIs, and WPE command line.
These elements can connect the back and front ends of a website, create or customize plugins, meet the client’s expectations, and perform A/B tests, among others. Even though just about anyone can use WordPress, a developer knows how to utilize the full potential of the platform.
You can learn about WordPress development with a three-month course. Skillcrush, for instance, offers an online WordPress development course where students learn the PHP programming language, how the WordPress Content Management System works, Git and Github, how to customize plugins, and much more. The course is self-paced with an average duration of three to four months. It even includes a lesson on how to start freelancing projects.
Databases
When people use electronic devices, navigate the web, and browse through their social media apps, they are constantly generating data. Data can come in two forms: structured and unstructured. The former is typically made up of organized information like address and basic details, while the latter comprises of abstract information like the amount of time spent on an app. When these data are collected and structurally stored in a computer or server, they make up a database.
Databases typically have their own management systems that allow people to easily access, update, insert, or delete data. When tech continued to advance, people started carrying little computers on hand in the form of smartphones. This was also when companies transitioned to keeping electronic records. Today, companies continue to record and manage almost any information obtained from their customers. This is likely to remain, which translates to job opportunities.
To be an expert in databases, you should enroll in a data science course. Lambda School offers an eight-month data science course where you’ll learn Python, SQL, linear algebra, databases, data visualization, machine learning, statistics, and modelling. Students can make upfront payments or sign an income sharing agreement to pay 17% of their salary for two years or until it reaches $30,000.
Computer Systems
Computer systems are what make any computer function. They include hardware that is the physical components, software that are the operating systems, programs and applications, and liveware that is the human interaction. Professionals in this branch can specialize in system analyses, computer systems engineering, and IT management. In general, people in this career path have to know how to analyze, test, and improve any computer system.
Computer system specialists identify issues with a company’s network or system and propose solutions. They advise on how to improve the systems and introduce new technologies. As mentioned before, all companies already use electronic means to keep their records and manage operations. So, it should not be too difficult for computer systems specialists to score job opportunities.
You can learn computer systems by getting a degree in computer science. However, you can also take a “short cut” by enrolling in software development boot camps. Eleven Fifty Academy offers a full-time software development course where students learn deploying websites with HTML and CSS, developing full-stack applications with Microsoft .NET, and using modern frameworks and libraries. Eleven Fifty Academy offers the option to make upfront payments, loan financing, and scholarship opportunities for those interested.
Data Analytics
Data analytics, as the name suggests, is the science that studies existing data to gain powerful industry insights. While a data scientist uses data to predict what could happen, an analyst uses existing information to illustrate current events. This helps in many cases across various tech industries. For example, Facebook uses data analytics to know how many likes a user gives in a day and how much time they spend on its platforms.
This also applies to all tech giants like Amazon and Google. In fact, Google offers its own Google Analytics service for other companies. Plus, with the increasing popularity of big data and the growing interest in taking advantage of it, the need for data analytics will continue to grow. Having this skill on your CV will guarantee an edge over other job applicants.
With online boot camps, you could become a data analyst in six months. Springboard offers a data analytics course in partnership with Microsoft. Students will learn to frame structured thinking, analyze business problems, connect data using SQL, visualize data with Python, and more. Its graduates have an average increase in salary of $25,700. The school offers a money-back guarantee, among other flexible payment methods like deferred tuition and loan financing.
Wrapping up
Your CV will look better with the addition of any of these skills – especially considering they are highly sought-after and will only grow in popularity. You can start learning WordPress development, databases, computer systems, or data analytics at any time. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of the free time you have now and invest it in a better future. Take the leap, start learning, and improve your own prospects as a talented professional in tech.
About the author
Artur Meyster is the CTO of Career Karma (YC W19), an online marketplace that matches career switchers with coding bootcamps. He is also the host of the Breaking Into Startups podcast, which features people with non-traditional backgrounds who broke into tech.
https://twitter.com/arturmeyster
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