Skills That Matter More Than Degrees

The World Economic Forum just revealed the top skills for 2030 in their Future of Jobs Report. Spoiler: the ones rising fastest are the ones we’ve been ignoring 👀 Here’s what the data from 1,000 top employers (representing 14M workers across 22 industries) tells us: 📍 Analytical thinking is the #1 skill employers value most. 📍 Career growth is shifting from credentials to capabilities. Employers care less about degrees and more about how you think, adapt, and solve real problems. 📍 Soft skills are rising faster than technical ones, including programming and design. If you want to stay relevant by 2030, these are the skills to master: 1) Analytical Thinking → Choose one business decision this week and list 3 things you're assuming to be true. Then challenge each with data before moving forward. 2) Creative Thinking → Take a current work challenge and ask, “How would a completely different team solve this?” 3) AI & Big Data Literacy → Pick one business workflow and explore how AI could reduce time, cost, or complexity. Then test it in a low-risk area. 4) Resilience & Flexibility → Write down the last thing that frustrated you. How could you respond differently next time? 5) Motivation & Self-Awareness → Track your energy for 3 days. Note when you're most focused vs. drained. Move one key task to match your peak zone. 6) Curiosity & Lifelong Learning → Set a 30-minute calendar block to explore a trend that will affect your industry but isn’t on your roadmap yet. 7) Technological Literacy → Pick one tool your team uses and explore a feature you’ve never touched. 8) Empathy & Listening → In your next 1:1, ask: “What’s something you’ve been holding back from saying?” Then listen without interrupting. 9) Leadership & Influence → In your next team meeting or Slack update, highlight a quiet win from someone who usually flies under the radar. 10) Systems Thinking → Pick one process that causes repeated friction. Map it end-to-end, and eliminate the one step that slows everything down. WEF’s data is clear: The skills rising fastest aren’t technical, they’re human. AI is already mastering the hard skills. But it still can’t lead a team, rethink a broken process, or earn trust in a room. 🤝 By 2030, those who master soft skills with strategy won’t just survive the shift, they’ll lead it 

This may be controversial but I do not know if it should be. When we as a society and more specifically in the power industry think about education what do we really mean? It seems that the longer I work. The more we have conflated education with capability. Many power industry job postings will require a degree usually an engineering degree, but the actual tasks on the job are really not engineering specific. For example to evaluate planned transmission outages the skills that serve someone well are pattern recognition, logical reasoning, the ability to test and validate multiple hypotheses and great communication / negotiation skills. However, at many companies an engineering degree is required or preferred for these roles. Does that mean an engineer can not be successful no but the skills you learn in school are not the same as for this particular job. Who does this stance regarding degrees as a gatekeeper impact? Many people in the industry who could do this type of work. If we are serious about inclusion then let's start talking about correlating job description requirements to a job's tasks. I have hired my share of non-traditional folks for "engineer" roles and have rarely been disappointed in fact they are often the leaders once on the team. #education #stem #powergrid #nerc #powergeneration #transmission #energymarkets #onthejobtraining

I have 2 Master's Degrees. Let me fix your car's engine. Who the heck would say yes to this? Would you hand over your keys? If you would, you probably shouldn't. Why? Being a car mechanic is a vocation and a trade, and you want a mechanic with hands-on experience and skills working on your car. You want to know if your mechanic went to a trade school. A mechanic with just a Master's degree is an absurdity. What does reading about how engines work translate to actually working on and fixing a car? Not much. The same is true for corporate instructional design. Companies will not hire you to solve performance problems for their organization just because you know how to research and write papers. That's why IDOL Academy is a trade school. Instructional Design is a vocation and a practice. As an instructional designer, you are a practitioner. This means that if you want to take the company's keys to fix its business challenges, you're going to need evidence that you've done this before. You need a portfolio that demonstrates your experience, and you need hands-on experience in the field that was supervised by experts. A Master's Degree won't help you land a job in corporate instructional design, just like it won't help you become a car mechanic. My prediction is that this sentiment is true not just for instructional design but also for many of the other vocations that used to be supported only through higher education. Skills > degrees Act accordingly. Curious to hear your thoughts! 💭 Can you share a time when hands-on experience outweighed formal education in your field? Have you come across an opposite scenario? ⚙️🎓 Like, comment, or share to keep this important conversation going.

In the ongoing debate about whether degrees or certifications are necessary to break into tech, especially in cybersecurity, I firmly believe that hands-on experience trumps formal qualifications. The tech industry, particularly cybersecurity, is facing a significant challenge: a shortage of skilled professionals capable of handling the increasing scale and complexity of cyber attacks. In this context, what companies need are not just degrees or certifications on a resume, but people who can actually do the job – and do it well! While I'm not undermining the value of academic degrees or professional certifications, it's crucial to highlight that these are not the only gateways into the field of technology. The industry is progressively acknowledging this reality and is beginning to open its arms to those who may not have a formal background but possess the practical skills and experience that are desperately needed. Given the urgent demand for cybersecurity expertise, your hands-on skills are not just wanted; they are needed. More and more, we see tech companies, especially those in cybersecurity, choosing real-world experience and problem-solving skills over traditional educational credentials. So, if you're considering a career in tech but are concerned about not having a degree or certification, remember this: the landscape is not the same and is constantly changing. Your practical experience and ability to tackle real-world challenges are invaluable assets. In the world of cybersecurity, being able to actively contribute and defend against threats is what truly counts!