The skills for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
A student asked: “What are the technology skills that college graduates need to succeed in the Fourth Industrial Revolution? Please advise.”
Answer: We are living in a technology-driven world where technology impacts everything. Having technology skills is NOT enough, you need to develop soft skills such as communication, collaboration, teamwork, to work across multiple functions in a company. You also need to know at least one foreign language to communicate with users, customers all over the world. If you do not have soft skills and foreign language skills, your chance of getting a job with a good company is very limited.
Technology is changing fast; you need to keep your technology skills current with these changes. Of course, you cannot keeping up with everything, but you need to focus on a few areas to be an expert in this highly competitive market. There are four areas that I considered very important: Data Analytics; Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, and the Internet of Things (IoT). You do not have to be a Data Scientist but being able to understand big data analytics tools and how they work. The same thing also applies to other areas too. You must understand how the cloud works, how to secure it, and the process of how computer system breaches happen and be able to recognize computing system vulnerabilities.
To advance in your career, you need to understand how all the software, hardware, systems and mobile devices in the company function and work together. This knowledge is the key aspect of the Fourth Industrial Evolution where computers and smart machines such as robots work and communicate without human operators. The “smart factory,” in which computer systems monitor the physical processes of the factory and make decisions. The physical systems are connected and become Internet of Things, communicating and cooperating both with each other and with humans in real time via the wireless web.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
