The year that has felt as if it was going to last forever will soon end in a few weeks. The New Year will bring in renewed hope and optimism. There are a number of pharmaceutical and biotech companies that have vaccines ready to roll out. The unrelenting fighting over politics will be seen through the rearview mirror. The stock market has hit new highs, anticipating that the economy will rise like a phoenix.

A decade’s worth of dramatic changes have been compressed into 2020. The new post-Covid-19 work world will be much different. You’ll need to ascertain certain skills to adapt and thrive in our new economy, office environment and job market.

Here’s what will be required:

Coding and communication skills 

Amazon, Google, Zoom, Netflix, Apple and other giant online companies flourished in 2020. We’ve become accustomed to buying everything we need on the internet. After developing this convenient habit, it’s unlikely people will all of sudden rush back to large shopping malls and supermarkets.

With tech companies dominating and physical brick-and-mortar businesses flailing, it would be helpful to learn coding. Admittedly, it’s easy to say and hard to learn. Well-paying jobs in fast growing sectors tend to require people with coding and related technological skills.

As we may continue working remotely for the foreseeable future, you also have to possess strong communication skills. This entails the ability to write well, be articulate and speak effectively. Otherwise, if you can’t communicate well, you’ll end up isolated at home. Your boss will be frustrated, not knowing what you’re doing. They’ll assume the worst—that you’re probably shirking your responsibilities.

It’s important that you learn to work independently. This entails being your own tech troubleshooter for your computer, managing the lighting for your Zoom calls and doing your tasks without a supervisor or colleague around to help you.

As things have changed, to stay current and competitive, ensure that you stay up to date with all of the new developments within your field. Keep an eye open for new emerging trends that could either help or hinder your career.

Grit, resilience and adapting to change

Our eyes were opened to how quickly change can happen. Out of nowhere, the Covid-19 pandemic, a black swan event, completely changed the way we work, shop and conduct business. It’s reasonable to believe that other exogenous events could happen again. Most people are uncomfortable with change, as they prefer the status quo. Unfortunately, for them, the only constant is change. You’ll need to become battle-hardened, develop a thick skin, be resilient and remain open to pivoting in your job and career, at a moment’s notice.

Fortunately, our culture is steeped deep in the tradition of rugged individualism. We are a nation of mavericks who do what we want. It’s the Old West cowboys who blazed a trail across the country from the East to the West to start a new life. Immigrants have come to America with nothing and have managed to build happy and successful lives for themselves and their families. Entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg created amazing businesses.

We can start one career and move to another. We can fail at something, not be stigmatized and start all over again. The lesson learned from the outbreak is that we have to be prepared to lose our jobs and businesses, but have the steely determination to rebuild.

It’s a free-agent economy now. We’ve seen corporations lay off tens of thousands of workers and keep big million-dollar bonuses for themselves. The days of working at one company for 30 years and then retiring with a pension are long gone. You’ll have to rely upon yourself to navigate your own path. Many professionals will have a number of different careers and a handful of jobs within each one throughout their working lives.

Multiple income streams

Since you no longer can depend on corporations to look out for you, you can’t solely rely upon your primary job. To diversify the risk, seek out ways to achieve multiple income streams. If you have extra time, consider taking on a part-time job. Look into gig-economy-type opportunities. Your hobby or passion could possibly be turned into a small business. Invest in real estate or the stock market if you have the financial resources. The idea is to not be completely dependent on a job that could be lost within one email from the boss.

We are now painfully aware that bad times happen. Save money for a rainy day. Having a big emergency fund will tide you through tough times. As your money grows, it will offer comfort, as you won’t be forced to take a job that you hate because you didn’t have any alternatives. With money safely saved, it affords you the luxury to wait for the right type of job and you won’t have to settle. It will also help you sleep better at night.

Source: Forbes