A Short Guide to Learning a Tech Skill after High School

Taking a decision on what path to take after graduating high school can be likened to, well your first day in school, the countless possibilities make it quite overwhelming and often overlooked. I recall the buzz of excitement after finishing high school, the future was within my grasp and I was filled with the energy of a volcano on the verge of eruption and yet I had very little direction in channeling it into something meaningful and productive. Almost a decade and countless blunders later, I have gathered a little lunchbox of adventures on my journey so far, which I’d like to share.

Quick disclaimer, this isn’t meant to be any sort of career advice but rather bringing to light a few promising fields or skills you could consider exploring as a graduate.

Needless to say, my recommendations are biased towards technology and engineering as I am a technologist.

Consider a Growth Mindset

The outside world is fast paced as an F1 race car gunning for the finish line, one moment you’re an expert and the next you’re a clueless novice, to think a decade ago professions like Social Media Marketing, Uber Driving and Drone Photography didn’t exist. Your Journey, from here on out will be an endless cycle of learning and maturation for which I recommend you approach the future with a growth mindset which is basically belief in your ability to learn, change and develop.

Develop a New Skill

What skill are you going to learn after school? That should probably be a more important question than what course are you going to pursue in university. The world at large has shifted into a skills oriented workforce without a lot of the older generation realizing it. I had a conversation with a young friend who was skeptical about doing computer science in university because his parents advised it would be difficult securing a job with a CS degree. Shocking!

While certain jobs require certifications, the truth is, skills and experience are more valuable. You’re more likely to land a job with an impressive portfolio and some certification than with no portfolio and abundant certification. My point is, the most relevant people are those that are skillful in practice. Also entrepreneurship and innovation are forces driving some of the leading economies in the world, so learning a skill doesn’t only have to be toward landing a job but also toward innovation entrepreneurship, or as trivial as having fun.

Skills Skills and More Skills

Learn Data Science

Data Science is a multidisciplinary field of study that basically extracts meaningful insights from data. Assuming you had a necklace or beads business, meaningful insight would mean predicting what particular beads or necklaces your customers are most likely to purchase depending on the time of year or even gender. The possibilities are endless, other examples include identifying and predicting diseases, detecting fraud and solving sudoku puzzles (I suck at them). There are tonnes of resources and projects you could try and have fun with.

Get Creative with UI/UX Design

UI/UX design involves designing user interfaces for software, web applications, mobile devices and applications with the focus of satisfying usability for users. If you’ve ever seen or used a mobile app or website and just loved the ease of use or enjoyed the visual appeal then you’ve got the UI/UX designers to thank partly. This is an awesome technology to try out especially if you have an interest in graphic design or front-end development. The internet (Google and YouTube) is full of resources and tutorials to get you started.

Learn e-self Defense with Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is one of the exciting fields currently, with all the buzz around young teens performing unbelievable hacking(among other good stuff) exploits. Essentially, it is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and programs from digital attacks. There are numerous programs and certifications that can jumpstart your cybersecurity career even without a university degree, others also choose to get certified while in school, the opportunities are uncountable.

Start Coding, Join the Web/Mobile Development Gang

Arguably one of the most critical areas of computer science currently, web/mobile development is usually the means lots of technologists get introduced into the tech landscape. It involves building applications for mobile platforms such as Android and IOS, and developing web applications or websites. Read more on web application development here.

Connect Everything with Internet of Things

IOT(Internet of Things) is essentially made up of devices such as sensors, wearables (smart watches and stuff) smartphones, smart fridges etc. connected together and to the internet. Some fun projects to take on could include; a weather reporting system, a facial recognition door using Raspberry PI(not a pastry haha) among lots of others. Once again you’ll find enough resources to learn the basics even to intermediate level online.

Unleash the Creative Beast with 3D Modelling, Product Design and Digital Art

If you’re in touch with your creative side then any of these areas could be meant for you. Though not directly related, transitioning from one to the other may be fairly straightforward. 3D Modelling involves creating a digital representation of any object or surface. Anytime you watch a 3D animated film or any movie with awesome special effects, know that 3D modelers where involved.

Product design also involves creating designs for objects usually meant for mass production. it requires imagination and creativity. Product designers are involved in designing fancy cars, sneakers and even cosmetic products.

Digital art as the name implies is any form of art expressed via digital means. This could range from digital portrait paintings to animation.

Freedom to Explore and Innovate

A few more areas to explore are; Graphic Design, Motion Graphics, Robotics and Game Dev.

Remember, don’t be glued to one idea, develop the confidence to explore and try new things.

Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new — Theodore Levitt

Thanks for reading, Cheers!