The upskilling that matters

When many think of upskilling, they think: learn to code, study UI/UX, dive into data engineering. These are good new skills to acquire. But in a time of unprecedented automation moving at unbelievable speed, the most critical skill, at least for the immediate future, might be the ability to make sense of old things and envision new ones.

First, we all have a natural advantage in this regard. The ability to reflect, think and imagine is innate for us. It’s one of the things that set us apart from animals. It’s how we rule the world.

Here’s what’s changing: At varying ratios in the past, a few humans did more of the thinking while the others did more of the doing. As automation gradually sweeps away the doing, we are left with no choice. We all have to become visionaries.

But how do visionaries come to be? By a lot of self-education (books, conversations…), careful observation of a wide range of experiences, space to reflect on them, and a lot of experimentation, with all the unlearning and relearning that comes with it.

So yes, take that UX course. But more importantly, read a good book this weekend. Then take a quiet walk. Reflect. Connect the dots. That too is upskilling—maybe the most important kind in these times.