The world has gone digital. It is the digital age. Do not let your child be left out of the trend to be digitally smart. Take full advantage of this coronavirus-induced school closure to make your child learn a digital skill for his future.
The good thing is that unlike other skills that your child might not be interested in learning, digital skills would most likely interest him. This is because your child is naturally fascinated with digital devices. Even without any instructions, your child can do stuff with these digital devices that you cannot even dream of.
Smart parents should leverage their children's innate affinity for digital devices to help them build great careers in the future. Feed their curiosity and fascination with these devices by enrolling them in a digital skill acquisition class.
Here are the six most marketable digital skills your child should learn for the future.
1. Coding
In the simplest of terms, coding is the art of speaking the language of the computer to the computer to instruct it to act. It is the art of writing a set of instruction codes for the computer to get it to do a specific task.
Computers do not understand human languages and so they cannot be instructed in human languages. One has to learn the languages of computers to be able to instruct them to do what one wants. There are many such languages. They are generally referred to as computer programming languages. The most important ones are Python, Javascript, Ruby, HTML, CSS, and more.
All digital devices only understand computer languages.
Coding is the mother of all digital skills. That does not mean your child cannot learn and master the other skills without coding skills, though. It just means that with coding skills, your child has an added advantage. Coding is what makes it possible for us to create computer software, apps, and websites.
2. Graphic Design
According to the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), graphic design is defined as "the art and practice of planning and projecting ideas and experiences with visual and textual content."
In essence, the graphic designer presents concepts, ideas, or messages visually in a manner that makes them easy to understand.
Graphic designers develop brand identities for businesses and individuals. But more importantly, companies, businesses, and individuals use graphic design concepts to promote and sell their products and services. Graphic designers create logos, flyers, banners, website layouts, and so on.
Because of the surge of interest in corporate and personal branding, graphic design has become a profitable digital skill to learn and the market for the skill will continue to expand.
3. Website design
A website design skill will always remain relevant because businesses, corporations, bloggers, vbloggers, and private individuals are getting on the web for the visibility and attending opportunities for business and interactions it offers.
4. Mobile Apps Development
Mobile apps development is the art of building application software (apps for short) for mobile devices to proffer solutions to identified human problems. Although mobile devices come preloaded with software (system software), they cannot do much without application software.
Mobile app development skill is one of the most coveted digital skills for your child to learn today. And that will remain so for the foreseeable future. Statistics show that 3.5 billion people around the world use mobile devices. Every mobile device uses mobile apps to function optimally. Some very popular mobile apps include WhatsApp, Facebook, etc.
Another advantage a skill in mobile apps development offers the learner is that apps can have universal application if the problem specs for which they were designed to solve were correctly defined.
Besides, every business corporation worth its salt has joined the rush for mobile apps to meet the needs of its customers. So, the market for mobile app development skills will ever keep expanding in the future as long as people use mobile devices.
A mobile app development skill is a double win for a child who learns it because apart from building apps for others, he can also build apps for himself or set up his mobile app-based businesses.
Some multimillion-dollar companies today like Uber and Taxify are entirely mobile app-based businesses. The owners of these businesses conceived them as mobile app-based solutions to identified problems. Then, they built their business concepts and models into mobile apps. The rest is history, as they say.
5. Animation
Animation is the process of creating films in which drawings or still pictures appear to move. Cartoon movies on television, which incidentally your child loves so much, are a perfect example of the use of animation skills. Your child would love to be able to make his animation video. Animation creates an illusion of continuous motion from a collection of independent still pictures. This skill finds application in the ever-expanding entertainment industry.
6. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics
Artificial intelligence is the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks only intelligent beings would normally do. The ultimate aim of AI is to develop software and systems with human-like intelligence—including the intellectual capability to reason, use discretion, and make decisions.
A traditional robot does only what it is programmed to do repetitively with great efficiency. It is not capable of decision-making. An artificially-intelligent robot makes decisions much the same as a human would do. Modern robotics incorporates AI technology. The combination of both technologies, though still largely in the developing and research stages, promises a whole fascinating new living experience.
Robotics and AI find applications in all fields of human endeavor.
Virtual robots (or bots) also exist in software and online to help automate common tasks like customer service, virtual assistance, etc.
The fact that this skill is yet in the developing stages offers a big advantage for those who would learn the skill now because they will have an edge over those who will come in when the field becomes established. They will be authorities in the field commanding very high fees.
Thankfully, resources for your child to learn these skills are available on Youtube for free.
Content created and supplied by: Ifyafrica (via Opera News )
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