4 SOCIAL SKILLS OF THE FUTURE

In the past, having a degree was both a must and good enough for job applications. However, the current reality emphasizes that socio-emotional skills are just as important as academic ones.

This has become even more evident in the past few years, possibly due to the pandemic. Although we could name several, we would like to highlight four skills:

• Flexibility to adapt to changes,

• Ability to team-work,

• Assertive communication, and

• Time management.

Of course, listing them is easier than putting them into practice in a systematic, productive way.

With the pandemic serving as a catalyst, now it's time to prioritize these skills and find ways to address some key aspects related to them when part of the professional practice.

Key questions are how to acquire and enhance them over time. How can we collaboratively work with other professionals and mutually nurture and learn from each other?
And even more difficult, how to promote those skills within the formal education system, so we can improve the skill set of future Industry newcomers.

By sharing this knowledge with colleagues and promoting it in formal education, we can all become better equipped to navigate the ever-changing job landscape. If anything, AI irruption will probably accelerate how those skills are needed for all IT professionals in the near future.