We live in a digital world, where daily everything is being digitized, and anyone without basic digital skills will be left behind. So as youths we all need to have knowledge of some basic digital skills, as these are the minimum requirements for jobs these days, and not only that, these basic digital skills are needed to be able to survive in our fast growing digital world. In this article we will look at what digital skills are and why every youth needs to have some.
What are digital skills?
Digital skills can be referred to as skills that allow individuals to not only use and understand technology, but to also create and share digital content, build knowledge, and solve problems using digital technology, such as computers and smartphones.
Examples of basic digital skills include sending emails, participating in social media, purchasing goods and services online, keeping your passwords secure, filling forms, ensuring connections are secure, and making use of secured payment pathways.
Why every youth needs to have basic digital skills
Asides being able to get by in the digital world that we live in, now more than ever youths need digital skills to be able to get employed. Because the digital economy is rapidly transforming the employment landscape of all industries, such as health, finance, entertainment, transportation, as well as information and communication technology. Any industry you can think of technology has found a way to digitize most of its processes.
So, it is safe to say that in the coming years, millions of jobs that require advanced digital skills will be created. And if youths who are the future, don’t have digital skills, then there will be an avalanche of jobs with no qualified candidates to fill up the available positions. And this could diminish our human experience.
Conclusion
As youths, we are usually considered to be technology savvy. However, majority of us do not possess useful digital skills. Therefore, we need to acquire skills adequate to back the “tech-savvy” narrative.
There are tons of free digital camps or workshops that are being organized online and offline, that you can take advantage of, to hone your digital abilities.
I know a Free Code Camp which teaches basic coding skills, also Udemy offers several courses both free and paid on different digital skills. Thus, if you are ready, your digital guide will “show up”
What other platforms teach digital skills? Please name them in the comment section below.
