What is a hybrid career? It is one in which your current skills and specialties are combined with technical knowledge. Business leaders are now seeing the benefit that strength in computer science, technology and/or coding can bring to just about any position within the company.
Dr. Douglas Rushkoff is an author, teacher, and documentarian who wrote an article entitled WHY I AM LEARNING TO CODE AND YOU SHOULD, TOO.
So few Americans know how to program that firms like Google and Facebook are actually buying whole companies just for their code-literate employees, in what are known as “talent acquisitions.”
According to Calacanis, each employee who understands how to code is valued at about $500,000 to $1 million toward the total acquisition price. One million dollars just to get someone who learns code.
STEPHANIE VOZZA, contributor to Fast Company examines this change in the hiring climate in her article Why 2016 is the Year of the Hybrid Job:
More companies are requiring a mix of technology and people skills, and 2016 is being called the year of the hybrid job.
In an analysis commissioned by Bentley University, researchers examined 24 million job listings, looking for key skills across nine industries. They found that employers want multifaceted employees who possess hard skills such as database technology, coupled with traditional soft skills like communication and collaboration.
Regardless of your field, if you have an understanding of or a willingness to learn basic coding and data technology you will increase your value as an employee. There are a variety of online learning tools available, most notably is Code Academy which is free and easy to use.
Being open to a hybrid career doesn’t mean you are interested in coding as a job or in being a programmer, merely that you have enough of an understanding of technology that you can add to the discussion. It is just like having a basic understanding of the value and purpose of marketing and community building through social media. You can work in the accounting department, but if you understanding how LinkedIn and Twitter can work for your company you might offer different solutions to company problems.
The bottom line is the value of having a diverse skill set. The need for technology-based skills is on the rise. Whether you are a new graduate, a mom with students interested in future careers or someone in the middle of your career journey; learning a little bit of coding can be a benefit.
Developing the skill sets for a hybrid career makes you all the more valuable.
Dr. Rushkoff concludes his article on coding by saying:
Learning to code means being able to imagine a new way of using the camera in your iPhone, or a new way for people to connect to each other, and then being able to bring that vision to reality.
If you know how to code, you can likely get a high-paying job right now, or – better – make valuable stuff right now. You will understand more about how the world works, and become a participating member in the digital society unfolding before us.
Coding comes in handy when setting up your blog or Facebook page as well as helping you view different challenges from a fresh perspective. What might you learn to help prepare you for a hybrid career?
JJ DiGeronimo, keynote speaker for women, based in Cleveland, presents keynote addresses on women in leadership, diversity in business and advancement for women.
