Digital Skills: From Education to Employment

Touchpoints can vary in scale and include activities designed to build confidence, provide industry insights, and help learners identify where they fit within the tech sector. By engaging in these experiences, students can gain a competitive edge. Here are some impactful touchpoints:

• Attend Conferences and Industry Events: Immerse yourself in the latest trends, network with professionals, and gain a broader perspective on the industry.

• Participate in Hackathons and Coding Challenges: Collaborate with others to solve real-world problems, honing both your technical and problem-solving skills.

• Engage in Mock Interviews and Drop-In Sessions: Practice your interview techniques, receive constructive feedback, and understand what employers are looking for in a relaxed setting.

• Build a Technical Portfolio: Showcase your real-world projects and problem-solving approaches, highlighting the skills relevant to your desired roles.

• Develop Public Speaking and Presentation Skills: Learn to communicate technical concepts clearly and confidently—an essential skill in many tech roles.

• Join Mentorship Programs: Connect with industry mentors who can offer insights, guidance, and feedback on your career development.

• Experience Job Shadowing: Observe professionals in their work environment to understand different roles and workplace dynamics firsthand.

• Work on Side Projects: Undertake small projects or contribute to open-source initiatives to build experience and enrich your portfolio.

• Collaborate on Team Projects: Work with peers or professionals on real-world challenges to foster teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving abilities.

• Earn Industry-Specific Certifications: Obtain certifications in areas like cybersecurity, data science, or cloud computing to validate your expertise.

• Visit Companies and Startups: Gain insights into workplace environments and expectations by touring tech companies.

• Attend Guest Lectures and Panel Discussions: Stay informed about emerging trends and potential career paths by learning from industry experts.
  

These experiences provide practical knowledge that extends beyond the classroom. Engaging in real-world activities enhances not just technical abilities but also adaptability, communication, and critical thinking skills—attributes that employers highly value (Kolb, 1984; Pe-Than & Herbsleb, 2019). It's about preparing students to navigate professional environments, understand industry dynamics, and apply their learning to real-world challenges.

In recent years, I've observed a significant shift towards experiential learning in tech education. Hands-on engagement with real-world problems allows students to apply their technical skills while developing crucial problem-solving abilities. These experiences mirror workplace challenges, significantly boosting career readiness.

Completing a digital skills course is only part of the journey. The other part involves stepping into the field—interacting with professionals, applying your skills to real challenges, and demonstrating the value you can bring to employers. There's a common misconception that a qualification or degree will immediately secure you a job. However, after collaborating with over 100 companies, I've found that employers seek candidates who can navigate workplace dynamics, gain stakeholder buy-in, and think on their feet. Interestingly, research shows that employers value soft skills like communication, adaptability, and problem-solving as much as technical skills (Robles, 2012).

By increasing these touchpoints, you enhance your employment opportunities. These experiences take you from the classroom to the industry's doorstep, teaching you how to navigate the complexities of a work environment. Blending education with hands-on experiences significantly boosts employability by developing both technical and professional capabilities (Billett, 2009

Let's keep it real —your network plays a crucial role in your career success. Many jobs are secured through professional connections. Studies on social capital indicate that individuals with strong networks often enjoy greater career success because they gain access to hidden job markets and valuable industry insights (Seibert, Kraimer, & Liden, 2001). While it's true that people often hire those they feel most comfortable with, this approach can limit diversity and innovation. The industry needs to address biases in hiring processes to foster truly inclusive workplaces.

For aspiring professionals, engaging with the industry through networking, attending events, and showcasing your work is critical. However, industry leaders must also create environments where diverse voices are genuinely welcomed, and the criteria for entry are transparent and fair.

Ultimately, qualifications alone aren't the golden ticket they're often perceived to be. Employers want candidates who can navigate dynamic environments, think critically, and communicate effectively. This might seem daunting for someone fresh out of a program, but that's where these touchpoints come into play. Research on career adaptability supports this idea, showing that proactive engagement with the industry and building diverse skills increase the likelihood of job success (Savickas, 1997).

To stay active and optimistic, aspiring professionals should seek out these touchpoints and engagements. It's not just about the skills acquired in your course; it's about how you apply them in real-world settings and interact with the industry you aim to join. Whether through hackathons, mock interviews, or public speaking engagements, these experiences build confidence and provide a competitive edge in the job market.

In essence, while digital skills courses and bootcamps provide a vital foundation, the real progress begins when students actively engage with the industry. Each touchpoint represents a step closer to employment. So, if you're aiming to enter the tech industry, remember that the opportunities are out there—it's up to you to connect with them. And never underestimate the power of your professional network.

References:

• Billett, S. (2009). Realising the educational worth of integrating work experiences in higher education. Studies in Higher Education.

• Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development.

• Pe-Than, E. P. P., & Herbsleb, J. D. (2019). Understanding hackathons for science: Collaboration, affordances, and outcomes. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies.

• Robles, M. M. (2012). Executive Perceptions of the Top 10 Soft Skills Needed in Today's Workplace. Business Communication Quarterly.

• Savickas, M. L. (1997). Career adaptability: An integrative construct for life-span, life-space theory. The Career Development Quarterly.

• Seibert, S. E., Kraimer, M. L., & Liden, R. C. (2001). A Social Capital Theory of Career Success. Academy of Management Journal.