Welcome back to our series on high-impact workplace skills. We really enjoyed the conversations that took place in the comments section of last week’s Top Skills 2023 edition, so be sure to check them out for perspectives and insights from fellow members of our Career Chat community.
One comment that stood out to us came from Kendra Vivian Lewis, who asked some thoughtful questions about the relative importance of workplace and technical skills, and whether there is any way to predict which skills will be important in the coming years. This week’s topic—analytical thinking, the number one skill on the list—is a great example as we explore both questions. Be sure to read to the end to discover a Special offer to work on Coursera Plus subscriptions until September 21st.
What does it mean to think analytically
Analytical thinking it involves using data to understand problems, identify potential solutions, and propose solutions that are most likely to have the desired effect. This is similar to critical thinking skills, which are skills you use to interpret information and make decisions.
To succeed as a strong analytical thinker, you must also have strong technical skills in your field. Remember: technical skills describe the things you do, while workplace skills describe how you do them. So your workplace skills, effectively used, improve your technical skills. That’s why we consider them highly impactful—they’ll make your work more impactful than it would be if you just used your technical skills.
To illustrate, suppose you have just started working as a data analyst for a think tank focused on climate change and have been tasked with increasing community engagement in future climate action.
You can start with your technical data analysis skills while collecting data from several sources. You will then use your analytical thinking skills to determine the validity of each data source. You may discount one source when you learn that the research was funded by a company with a financial stake in fossil fuel consumption. Your technical skills lead again as you clean the data, and then you’ll return to your analytical thinking skills to analyze and interpret your findings, ultimately leading to your recommendation to launch a transparency campaign to display community water and energy use.
Tell us in the comments: How do you use your analytical skills in addition to your technical skills in your daily work?
Why analytical skills top the list
To create the skills list, the World Economic Forum surveyed more than 800 global employers about their views on skills and jobs over the next five years, so the list is forward-looking. According to the Future of Jobs Report, employers believe analytical thinking skills will become increasingly important 72 percent in this time frame.
The reason employers want to hire employees with strong analytical thinking skills is informed by trends in automation and technological advancements. While technical data analysis is getting easier with automation, the automation of reasoning and decision-making is progressing much more slowly — meaning employers predict that in the next five years, we’ll have an abundance of data at our fingertips, and too few people to interpret what that data means.
Where to start
For a crash course in critical thinking, try University of California Davis’ Critical Thinking Skills for Professionals course. You can complete this beginner’s course in about 7 hours.
For a more extensive exploration of analytical thinking, try Duke University’s Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking specialization. Through four courses, you will learn how to effectively argue and reason using logic.
For a technical process that will guide your analytical thinking, try Google’s Data Analytics Professional Certification. Ground your analytical thinking skills with technical knowledge in this series of eight courses.
Are you interested in more programs? Don’t miss this special offer!
Through September 21st, we’re offering $100 off annual Coursera Plus subscriptions for new subscribers. With this offer, you’ll pay less than $25 per month for a year of access to 6,100 courses, specializations and professional certifications with the flexibility to start new courses and move from one program to another at your own pace.
This offer is a great choice if you are often tempted to enroll in several courses at once or you plan to complete your specialization or professional certificate within the next year. If that sounds like you, take a closer look at the offer and catalog of Coursera Plus courses.
That’s all for this week! Join us next week to discuss motivation skills and self-awareness.