Women of Color in Tech

CHAPTER 6Building Your Skills

In the previous chapter, I discussed potential career paths. In this chapter, I'll talk about assessing your current skill set, the different methods and means you can take to get the skills you need, and the different ways you can subsidize your educational and professional pursuits.

Skills Gap Analysis: Where Do You Need to Be?

Now that you have a better understanding of the types of skills needed for each field, it would be a good idea to do a thorough skills gap analysis so that you can create a plan.

Just as it sounds, a skills gap exists when there is a difference between what skills a company or organization advertises as needed for a position and your skill level. For example, if your knowledge of the programming language Python is basic or limited and the job requires a proficiency in Python, then a skills gap exists.

You can do your own skills gap analysis by comparing your skills to the current job market. Look for two or three descriptions for jobs that you are considering. As you're reviewing, make note of the soft and hard skill examples.

Soft skills are the skills that are tied to the communication, interpersonal, and professional skills you possess. Soft skills aren't quantifiable, meaning they can't be measured in numbers, and someone's proficiency in a soft skill is subjective, meaning it's influenced by someone's feelings, opinions, and biases. Because of this, they are not easy to prove. Examples of soft skills include the ...