Education 5 min read
I am 19 and studied at an IB secondary school in Hong Kong before going to university in the US. I recently came across an online article discussing ‘Future Skills’, and it got me thinking… These skills all sound familiar. What I didn’t realise is that I’ve been developing future skills in school and, more recently, in my internships! For example, I have been acquiring skills in Leadership and Data Analysis. What I’m learning is that it’s even more important to develop a growth mindset, because businesses want employees who are always motivated and willing to learn. Besides, I know that I always have room to grow and improve!
Here are a few essential future skills that I’ve identified that have been very useful for me IRL.
Critical thinking is ever present in our daily lives and is a highly-valued skill in any workplace. Last summer, I was an intern at eCup tasked to perform coffee market research analysis in Southeast Asia. Simply typing “Coffee market in Singapore” in Google yielded many irrelevant results. How can I narrow down the search results? Thinking more critically, I identified that it is the middle classes that are the primary consumers of coffee, so I chose more specific phrases like “Projected growth of global middle class in SEA”. Doing so gave me a better idea of the consumer base compared to other regions. Many work assignments require critical thinking because there won’t be clear guidelines to abide by. My managers will have an overall idea or plan, but it is mostly up to me to identify how I’ll carry out my tasks. What I learnt from my internships so far is that we are expected to develop solutions and prove that we are reliable and trustworthy employees.
Many work assignments require critical thinking because there won’t be clear guidelines to abide by. My managers will have an overall idea or plan, but it is mostly up to me to identify how I’ll carry out my tasks.
Many of us dread giving presentations in school in front of our classmates. You could be nervous, worried about your presentation being dull, or fear judgment from others. The only way to improve public speaking is simple: Give more presentations and speeches. I often had to give presentations in my secondary school and University, which has been significant help. I have improved my self-confidence, which also helps me to communicate with others more clearly and easily and excel at interviews. It is best to start practising public speaking early, so that you can build up self-confidence. Remember, the best approach for public speaking is: Fake it till you make it.
We have all heard the phrase “Teamwork makes the dream work.” before. I can tell you that is very much true. There are many group works and projects at University, and you will work with very different people. Trust me, if you can’t cooperate with your group members, you will have a hard time finishing the project. There are many aspects to collaboration, such as being able to communicate clearly and also the ability to empower others. The only way to improve these skills is to participate in more group-oriented projects, such as ‘hackathons’ and case competitions.
You might think that empathy is not entirely relevant in the business world, but it is actually a common trait among many entrepreneurs. In University, I learnt about design thinking - an approach to problem-solving by understanding your user and their problems. Empathy is the first of five steps in design thinking. Understanding your product and the problem from the user’s perspective is integral to creating a successful product. Take Apple’s touch bar, launched in 2016 Macbook Pro models. It failed to receive any updates and has been removed entirely recently. Why was it a failure? The touch bar was a solution to a non-existent problem, so there was no added incentive for customers to upgrade their computers. Apple failed to realize that users had no practical use for a touch bar, and that’s why the touch bar never hit the mark. Empathy is also applied outside of entrepreneurship and is one of the main qualities to succeed in the business world.
You might think that empathy is not entirely relevant in the business world, but it is actually a common trait among many entrepreneurs.
I cannot stress how important digital literacy is in the 21st century. Microsoft services like Word and Powerpoint might get you far in school, but it will not be enough. I learned to use applications like Notion, Miro, and Canva at my internship, which has been a big help. Notion allows me to take notes and collaborate with others, basically a more convenient Google doc with more functions. Canva is a design platform with many free templates and ideas that I can incorporate. Using these apps has enabled me to work more efficiently and be resourceful. In a continuously evolving digital world, a growth mindset ensures that I won’t fall behind!
Right now, I am looking forward to the next few weeks of the internship because I know I will inevitably pick up more future skills. Remember, a growth mindset enables us to learn and overcome challenges proactively, and I encourage everyone to adopt a growth mindset.
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