New Decade, New You! Upskill to be the best in 2020s!

Back at work feeling like you want to be on holiday and that everything is the same old same old? Why not make some changes for the new decade.
Learn a new skill to get that promotion at work or get a new job. LinkedIn have identified the skills they think companies will need most in 2020, and how you can learn them on Lynda.com - free with your library card and password/PIN.

Soft Skills

These are the essential interpersonal skills that nearly every job needs. Here are the top 5 you need for 2020.

1. Creativity
   The ability to be creative when it comes to completing tasks and problem solving is something that is useful in many roles. Try these courses:
   Banish Your Inner Critic to Unleash Creativity, opens a new window with Denise Jacobs
   Creative Exercises to Spark Original Thinking with Amy Wynne
2. Persuasion
   The ability to effectively communicate ideas and persuade your colleagues to follow your lead.
   Communicating to Drive People to Take Action with Alexia Vernon
   Persuading Others with Dorie Clark
3. Collaboration
   Team work is essential to achieving goals in any organisation.
   Being an Effective Team Member with Daisy Lovelace
   Shane Snow on Dream Teams
4. Adaptability
   The only constant is life is change, learn how to be adaptable and embrace change with a positive attitude.
   Developing Adaptability as a Manager with Dorie Clark
   Managing Stress for Positive Change with Heidi Hanna
5. Emotional Intelligence
   Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, evaluate, and respond to your own emotions and the emotions of others.
   Learn Emotional Intelligence, the Key Determiner of Success with Big Think
   Developing Your Emotional Intelligence with Gemma Leigh Roberts

Hard Skills

Hard skills are the skills you need to do your job, or what you are working on. Here are the top 10 skills that are predicted to be the most sought after this year.

1. Blockchain
   Blockchain was born in 2009 to support the use of cryptocurrency. But blockchain’s novel way to store, validate, authorize, and move data across the internet has evolved to securely store and send any digital asset.
   Blockchain Basics with Jonathan Reichental
2. Cloud Computing
   Everything seems to be run or stored in the cloud. Learn how to do cloud computing.
   Learn Cloud Computing: Core Concepts with David Linthicum
3. Analytical Reasoning
   Making sense of data and uncover insights to make good business decisions.
   Learning Data Analytics with Robin Hunt 
4. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
   The capacity for computers to exhibit or simulate intelligent behaviour or machine learning.
   Artificial Intelligence Foundations: Thinking Machines with Doug Rose
5. UX Design
   Improving user experience is vital as consumers have little patience for products that aren't intuitive.
   Getting Started in User Experience with Chris Nodder
6. Business Analysis
   Identify business and find solutions, nearly all professional roles require some level of business analysis to make decisions.
   Business Analysis Foundations with Greta Blash
7. Affiliate Marketing
   With the rise of social media, affiliate marketing is using the "influencer" to market an item to a particular audience.
   Influencer Marketing Foundations with Chelsea Krost
8. Sales
   Most organisations need good sales people.
   Sales Foundations with Jeff Bloomfield
9. Scientific Computing
   Problem solving with computers, companies need more professionals that can develop machine learning models and apply statistical and analytical approaches to large data sets using programs like Python, MATLAB, and others.
   Introduction to Quantum Computing with Jonathan Reichental
10. Video Production
    In 2017, 75% of internet traffic was for video content and estimates say by 2022 it will be around 80%.
    Learning Video Production and Editing with Rob Garrott.