Grads of today need to have deep know-how of the digital world. A discussion
As you toss your graduation cap in the air, your heart fills up with mixed feelings of happiness and despair. The structured life you followed for the past years comes to an end. You are happy that you made it, but also, you are uncertain of what life holds in store for you.
Your next milestone is an incredible job in the corporate sector. But before we discuss the criteria of a “good job,” let’s first talk about the dynamic nature of the business world.
A company’s inability to meet basic performance expectations, poor service, unethical conduct, and lapses in technical quality can create negative publicity for the brand. Businesses must retain their standard if they want to make it through the cutthroat competition.
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Digital Adoption is the New trend
More companies are exploring the wonders of digital grounds to improve their functioning. On a particular note, digital adoption is the state of getting digital tools and using them at their optimal capacity. The boom of mobile computing has led to a large segment of users and consumers to shift their daily activities in the virtual zone.
According to Statista, there are 2.71 billion smartphone users in the world today. It means that in the world of wireless technologies, 35.13% of the world’s population owns a smartphone. More people are now on social media, spending two hours a day, on average.
Developments like these are creating a significant impact on businesses. Unlike the conventional means of reaching out, they must work on shoring up their online presence. Because users now desire to conduct easy and fast transactions via digital channels. They are using smart devices to access business portals and carry out communication.
At this point, companies need to take an active part in this transition. Putting off digital adoption can prove highly detrimental as competition intensifies.
Your Degree may not be enough
It is normal to have your heart filled with pride every time you look at that sweet-looking degree hanging at your lounge wall. But as you step into the professional world, you’d realize the degree is not enough. It doesn’t tell you how to keep pace with a rapidly changing environment. Many of the skills you learned during the program are no longer needed. The jobs they told you about, do not exist anymore.
This becomes even more evident as the tasks become automated. Machines are replacing mundane business activities. It gives business entities a chance to focus on meaningful objectives, but at the same time, it creates a skill deficit.
However, this should not waver your ambitions. You can bridge this skill gap through smart and sensible solutions. Try to expose yourself to the resources available online. You will find infinite courses on how to upgrade your virtual expertise. Consider core technical skills like data analytics and data sciences. Also, make sure that what you learn is critical and stays relevant for a long time. Then, build upon those skills.
Have a look into what the framework of 21st century learning looks like:
A piece of advice here: Try to stay in the digital learning loop for as long as your career allows. If you hold a degree in MBA Information Systems Management and you work to upgrade your knowledge regularly, there is nothing stopping you from reaching the heights of success.
What happens if you do not know the Digital World?
Among the new grads, those who are not flexible about exploring the digital world will face grave consequences. You cannot expect growth in your career and a high salary if you do fail to input your expertise in the virtual expansion of the company.
The operations in the current business world will demand you to combine excellent digital specialist skills with deep functional knowledge. You should be comfortable with short delivery cycles and be able to operate within cross-functional teams. You will have to ensure that you stay ahead on the digital curve and add value to the overall working of the business.
According to the recent statistics, 44% of the workplaces have some level of the digital program to work on. Hence, even when your gut tells you to let things go as they are, do not give in. You must stay on the front-end of learning new developments in the digital world if you wish to have a stable career.
Need for Personal Growth
Adapting to new technology and leveraging its features is imperative for the modern organization. The maturing of technologies like Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Big Data will compel enterprises to devise new ways of working. It will disrupt IT roles and transform jobs.
Your grad school probably taught you about it in theory. All those research papers you wrote, and presentations may have enlightened you about the new components of the digital world. Yet, the lack of practical experience impairs you from advancing further. Graduates must expose themselves to field experiences. You can request your Chief Information Officer (CIO) to give you a chance to learn the latest technologies.
A recent report, “The Impact of Digitally Empowered Workforce,” provides that 87% of the CIOs believe in digitally empowering their employees. They opine it will drive at least 5% of the additional revenue growth over three years. The gist of the matter is, the wonders of the digital world are unwinding every passing day. You must stay in touch with the business literature to know what’s going out there.
Plus, go for the organization where chances of growth are high. Some companies follow models like 70:20:10. This model works on the idea that 70% of the knowledge is through job-related experiences. 20% is from social learning, and 10% from formal educational events.
Final Verdict
Pew Research reports that more than half of adults in the US labor force believe it is essential to develop new skills throughout their work life. It helps to keep up with the new changes in workplaces.
Now that you are fresh out of college and ready to make an entrance into the vast business world, make sure you know the basic rule. The dynamic corporate sector will not wait for you to get on track. It is your task to heighten your Digital IQ. Follow the suggestions of successful tech prodigies, and you will be able to swim through the rough waters.