Programming skills
A person wrote to me: “As a labor worker in a factory with only a high school education I am worrying about my future if robots and automation happen here. Are there any skills that I can learn to get a job without having a degree? I cannot afford to pay for the school. Please help.”
Answer: If you have access to the Internet, you can find many training courses and jobs that do not require a college degree. You may look at websites like Khan Academy, YouTube, Lynda.com , etc. and learn many basic skills without having to pay. To start, you need to learn Computer programming. There are several programming courses on YouTube that you can follow and learn. If you can put in the effort, you can write code in a few weeks. If you work hard, you can master a programming language in a few months.
If you can program, you can build software for small companies. Many companies want to have a website to advertise their business and they are willing to pay someone to do that for them. You can make a living by building websites as an independent web developer. Of course, there are more things to do than just create a website. As you learn more about web development, especially the back end, you can create business solutions for many small retail companies and help them to sell things online.
Today, many people have a mobile phone and you may want to learn how to develop mobile apps. As a Programmer and Web developer, it is easy to learn Mobile app development. There are two major mobile platforms: iOS for Apple phones and Android for other phones. Each platform has a certain requirement but you can learn from their websites. If you can develop mobile apps, you can develop mobile phone games too. Game developing is one of the hot areas today where many programmers are making money. The opportunities are wide open and if you put in the effort to learn, you can make a living with your programming skills.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
