As every industry is driven by technology these days, having strong tech-savvy skills can give you a competitive edge over the rest of the population. Knowing how to use technology effectively can go a long way in strengthening your career path. Even if you don’t have a single tech skill yet, you can become tech-savvy in little time with the right resources and guidance.
What is a ‘Tech-Savvy’?
A tech-savvy person is someone who has the intuitive knowledge and skills to use technology effectively. Understanding technical concepts and knowing how to apply them in various contexts is the most important skill of a tech-savvy person.
Contrary to popular belief, anyone can be tech-savvy regardless of their educational background and occupation. You don’t have to know the technological mambo jumbo to use a computer, smartphone, or essential software tools.
Effective Ways To Develop Tech Skills
- Read Technical Books
Reading technical books is one of the most effective ways to develop and hone tech skills. Thousands of books on different tech areas are available online and in physical bookstores. First, you need to identify what you want to learn and then find informational resources for the area of your interest.
Whether you want to order a paperback or read an eBook, Amazon offers a large selection of technical books. If you are not sure what book to buy, you can read comments and reviews for each book on Amazon.
- Join Online Communities
Online communities include hundreds and thousands of people with the same interest. By joining tech communities online, you can access a massive pool of knowledge and learn from the experiences of others.
Joining online communities also help you stay updated with relevant information about topics you want to master. You’ll always find people who have more experience than you and are willing to help you out.
Quora, StackExchange, and Reddit are some of the platforms where you can seek help from experts on specific topics. It’s also a good idea to follow these people on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to see what they are posting.
- Practice, Practice, and Practice
Tech is as much an art as it’s science. There are some tech-related things that theoretical resources cannot teach you and you can only learn them through practice. Plus, theoretical knowledge is useless if not applied practically.
By dedicating a few minutes to practice every day, you can learn a lot about tech in a short time. Whether you want to develop casino games or create digital illustrations, you can only master these skills with practice.
- Volunteer To Learn From The Best
One of the best ways to apply your knowledge to practical use is by volunteering, especially if you have zero professional experience. As an amateur, you don’t have a lot of options to demonstrate your skills. Therefore, it may be a great idea to volunteer for a tech project or startup.
As startups often have a small budget and fewer employees, they could always use some extra help. This will give you an opportunity to work under and with so many tech-savvy people who will teach you a lot of new things.
- How-To Videos & Tutorials
There’s a wealth of video tutorials on YouTube that you can watch for free. If you want to learn a specific skill, simply type the relevant keywords on YouTube’s search bar and you’ll get a large number of options to choose from. From coding to photoshop to cloud computing, you can find tutorials on virtually all tech skills online.
If you want to learn in a systematic way or a classroom manner, you can find a plethora of tech courses on online teaching platforms like Udemy and Coursera.
