It doesn’t really cost that much to have a successful career.
Thanks to distance learning, the online course creation and e-learning industry, AI (artificial intelligence), and remote technology, you can learn almost anything at the tap of a button.
Career development, training, and upskilling are taking on less and less of the old, expensive forms (university, seminars, in-person workshops), and are leaning more heavily towards time-saving, cost-effective, and planet-responsible training formats. From webinars, to online courses and membership subscriptions, to YouTube videos, to online projects and masterclasses, a successful career can be built with minimal cost, and sometimes…even for free.
If you’re wondering what skills to prioritize learning this year, your best bet is to focus on any (or all) of these eight high-income skills. These skills are relatively quick and easy to learn (compared to undertaking a lengthy degree), and bring significant returns on investment since they are in high demand by employers and multiple industries alike.
They are a must to learn if you wish to have something on the side (side hustles or freelancing) to boost your career and income, and these skills will help you personally to become the best version of yourself at work, contributing in unique ways to your company’s success and positioning you for a pay raise or promotion.
1. Content Writing
Content writing is the process of creating blog posts, articles, social media posts, etc., to reach a business’s audience. Through this form of content marketing, potential customers are persuaded to purchase a product or service. This skill is in demand within the content marketing and digital marketing industry, which is soaring to job growth of 6%.
Additionally, not only is it in high demand by employers, but if you learn and apply content writing skills to your own side hustle or business venture, you will be more effective at reaching your target market and winning clients, thus increasing your income.
Where to learn it: Great Learning, LinkedIn Learning, Class Central
2. Digital Marketing
The digital marketing industry is extremely popular, and for good reason, as hordes of people turn online for entertainment, shopping, education, work, and everything in between. Professionals with digital marketing skills, from consultants, to social media managers, to digital marketing executives, are able to command extremely lucrative salaries.
Where to learn it: HubSpot Academy, Meta, Coursera
3. Coding
For those who are completely new to the tech field, learning how to code is an obvious first step. It’s not only a handy high-income skill to learn if you are interested in technology as a career, but it is also helpful if you are an entrepreneur and need to launch a website or tech-based product, even if it’s just at the MVP (minimum viable product) stage.
Where to learn it: Codeacademy, edX, Free Code Camp
4. Negotiation
Negotiation is an essential part of sales and partnership-building—extremely lucrative career paths in themselves. Negotiation is also a critical ingredient in communication skills, which was hailed LinkedIn’s top skill in its Most In-Demand Skills of 2024 report. Other than being an integral step in managing and communicating/collaborating with stakeholders for business deals, mastering your negotiation skills can make all the difference between accepting the low end of the stick in a job offer and actually getting paid what you’re worth.
Definitely worth learning, wouldn’t you say?
Where to learn it: LinkedIn Learning, University of Michigan via Coursera, Salesforce blog
5. Copywriting
Copywriting is another skill that falls under the umbrella of digital marketing. It is used for writing product descriptions and website copy, and careers in copywriting can pay as much as $138,000 on average annually.
Where to learn it: Class Central, edX, Skillshare (start for free)
6. Social Media Management
It’s not hard to imagine why social media management is a high-income skill. Social media managers who excel within their roles can make as much as $101,610 to $128,900 per annum. This can also make for an in-demand side hustle if you’re interested in offering this as a freelance service.
But beyond this, social media management is useful to learn if you wish to become an industry thought leader and grow your personal brand, especially if you don’t currently have the funds to outsource your social media strategy, content scheduling, production, and community engagement. These elements position you as a credible authority online and lead to more clients, speaking engagements, and other career opportunities.
Where to learn it: Google Career Certificates via Coursera, HubSpot Academy
7. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO is another important skill to learn this year, especially if you are an entrepreneur or freelancer. SEO skills can help you strategically boost your visibility across Google—the most used search engine—and other search engines as well, enabling your products, services, and brand to attract more paying customers. Additionally, you can use your SEO skills to become an SEO consultant for other brands, creating an extra source of income while working remotely, even if you’re working a full-time job
Where to learn it: Semrush Academy, HubSpot Academy
8. Project Management
Last but not least, project management (and other related PM roles such as product and program management) is an essential skill to develop if you want to progress your career in 2024. It can help you manage several aspects of your personal and professional life, be more organized, and lead and communicate your expectations effectively in the workplace. It is also a hot career right now: project management professionals are witnessing demand for their skills, with projections reaching 25 million vacancies over the next few years.
Where to learn it: Google Career Certificates via Coursera, PMI’s free e-learning micro courses
As you can see, all eight of these skills provide numerous tangible and intangible benefits to your career, regardless of what industry you work in, Whether you’re a freelancer, running a side hustle, or are full-time employed in a job, these skills can help you be in-demand within your sector and make you more money this year.