3 Skills to Become More Relevant in Tech in 2022

Table of Contents

• 2021 Trend: Online Learning Became the Norm
• 2021 Trend: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence On The Job
• 2021 Trend: Upskilling for Working Professionals. In 2022, Part-Time Will be a Popular Format
• In 2022, Learn Data Skills! And Specifically, Python
• In 2022, Sharpen Your Communication Skills
• In 2022, Get Used to Remote Work (and Learning)

What are the tech skills employers will be looking for in 2022? From the continued rise of artificial intelligence to the importance of solid communication skills, BrainStation Founder & Co-CEO, Jason Field, shares the 2 trends that his team observed in 2021, and his predictions for the top 3 trends of 2022. Whether you’re a career changer or a working professional looking to upskill, Jason breaks down how you can improve your career in 2022. Plus, discover which BrainStation courses are the most popular for tech professionals.   

2021 Trend: Online Learning Became the Norm

The biggest tech trend in 2021 might have been the widespread adoption of online learning. The events of the past two years have prompted many companies to accelerate their digital transformation efforts, and on a global scale, the importance of digital skills has really been heightened. Because of this, we again saw an incredible surge in demand for online courses, but particularly in areas that can help organizations maximize their efforts on digital channels, including UX design, data, and digital marketing. Just look at the numbers: BrainStation’s most popular courses in 2021 were our Digital Marketing course, Data Analytics course, Product Management course, and UX Design course. 

Just as most of us have grown comfortable using the latest communication and collaboration tools to work remotely, many people have similarly discovered that remote learning offers the same rich and rewarding educational experiences available in-person, along with a huge amount of flexibility.

2021 Trend: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence On The Job

The continued rise of artificial intelligence was another notable tech development in 2021. Tech giants like Shopify, Spotify, and Uber have invested heavily in AI and automation in recent years, and the pandemic has inspired many more companies to do the same. Studies show that AI adoption has skyrocketed recently, with more than half of companies reporting they accelerated their AI strategies in response to COVID. 

2021 Trend: Upskilling for Working Professionals. In 2022, Part-Time Will be a Popular Format

The last two years have changed the status quo for how modern businesses operate, really accelerating the need for digital processes and channels. At the same time that more people are exploring online learning options, we have also noticed a massive increase in awareness around the importance of digital skills in today’s economy. More and more, it seems that professionals in all job roles and sectors — not just tech — are seeing the potential value in investing in digital skills training. That’s an encouraging development because the digital skills gap is still significant.

In 2021, BrainStation’s Digital Leadership & Innovation course was designed to introduce and demystify new and emerging technologies, and help professionals understand how these technologies can be applied in a practical sense. The course empowers professionals to harness the power of data, artificial intelligence (AI), and blockchain to really drive innovation in their organizations and become leaders.

In 2022, BrainStation will continue to offer the part-time format for our Web Development, Data Science, Digital Marketing, and UX Design bootcamps. These part-time bootcamps offer the same intensive, project-based learning experience as BrainStation’s full-time bootcamps, but the more flexible learning option gives working professionals the chance to do so while they continue to work full-time or part-time. It allows BrainStation to impact a much larger audience to develop new skills and to transition into new careers in tech, whether it be at a new employer or their existing employer in a more digital-first team. 

In 2022, Learn Data Skills! And Specifically, Python

Data skills continue to be in great demand and they will remain so for the foreseeable future. Even as more organizations focus on digital marketing and user experience, proper data collection and analysis are going to be increasingly important – the ability to make clear data-driven decisions can really take the guesswork out of things. 

Get experience with Python – that can help you stand out in the job market. Python is one of the world’s most popular and fastest-growing programming languages, with top companies like Meta, Netflix, IBM, and Google using it for everything from data analysis and machine learning to web development. 

BrainStation offers a free Python tutorial as well as a Python course that teaches students how to apply Python to clean, analyze, and manipulate data before they eventually complete a collaborative Python data project. To go deeper, our Data Science bootcamp helps students master Python while also developing machine learning techniques, data visualization skills, and big data fundamentals.

In 2022, Sharpen Your Communication Skills

Although this isn’t a new soft skill, employers are prioritizing communication skills to a degree that we have never seen before. Since the pandemic hit, seamless collaboration and communication across multi-disciplinary teams have never been more important.  With continued remote working, teams have to find new tools and methods to communicate effectively and efficiently. 

That’s partly why BrainStation’s Industry Project is so popular with students. The event brings together students from four different bootcamps — Data Science, Digital Marketing, UX Design, and Web Development — to apply their varied skill sets to one group project. It gives our students hands-on experience with exactly the kind of cross-disciplinary collaboration employers are looking for.

In 2022, Get Used to Remote Work (and Learning)

The past two years have shown that flexible work arrangements can have a positive effect on employee productivity and work/life balance. I expect that organizations will continue to offer their employees more flexibility going forward. 

This period has also shown the need, demand, and potential for remote learning. Apart from providing a more flexible option for urban professionals of all levels, schedules, and lifestyles, online learning also unlocks digital skills training for states and countries that do not have a BrainStation campus, including rural and remote communities. In fact, as of this year, we have empowered professionals across over 100 countries through our online bootcamps, courses, and events! This is how we can close the digital skills gap and we’re very excited about supporting our community of learners in 2022 and beyond.

Find out more and read BrainStation reviews on Course Report. This article was produced by the Course Report team in partnership with BrainStation.