Beefing up job skills through affordable online courses and certifications can help land jobs paying $100,000 or more. Coding, Spanish, and soft skills like communication, collaboration, and creativity are in high demand. Resources like Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, and free online materials allow skills building at low cost. Once skills are gained, updating profiles on LinkedIn and Indeed to showcase new qualifications can increase chances of getting hired. Maintaining and improving skills through ongoing learning prepares one for future career opportunities and changes.

1. How to qualify for jobs that pay
$100,000 or more by improving
your skills — without breaking the
bank
Published Fri, Jun 19 202011:53 AM EDTUpdated Fri, Jun 19 20203:07 PM EDT
Anna-Louise Jackson@ALJAX7
The key togetting yournext jobmay be justa few clicks away,and forless money than you
probably realize.
Beefing upyourjob skills canhelp you to transition to a new industry oradvance yourcareer in
the same field you already work. While you’ll need to take the time to actually master these
skills, youcan become more qualified to land a jobthat pays $100,000 ormore.
Codingand Spanish-language skills are currently the most in-demand, accordingtoa recent
studyby SHL, a humanresourcescompany.The programming language SQL was the most
soughtafter skill in more than116,000 jobpostings,followedby PythonandJava, andthe
average salary forjobsrequiring these codingskills wasas muchas $125,000,thestudyfound.
With the U.S. economyin a recession and more than 20 million Americansout ofwork,it’s
important to set yourself apart fromother job seekers. Showcasingrelevant and newly
acquiredskills can help, according toPaul Wolfe, senior vice president ofglobal human
resourcesforcareer site Indeed: “This is a great way forjobseekers to show employers they
have the skills a job requires even if their workhistory or educational backgroundmay not.”
Learn or hone hard skills by taking a course
Ifyou’re looking to switchindustries, it’s important to have a goodunderstandingofthe
technical skills necessary foryournew, desired job.Youmay not have the time or money to
obtain a degree, like anMBA,but there are otherways to show yourdetermination to a
potential recruiter,says Anita Kanti, a career coachand founderof Anita KSolutions.
“I’m big into online certifications becausesometimes they coverthe road a little faster than
traditional degrees,” Kanti says, adding that youshould highlight skills you’re learning

2. to optimize your online profile and resume. “That will show that you’retaking the initiative to
get the in-road to where youwantto go professionally.”
Andgoodnews:“There are great options that are more affordable online, and allow you to
workfaster and at your ownpace,”Kanti says.
She recommends the followingresourcesto her clients:
 Udemy.Thiswebsite boasts more than 100,000 onlinevideo courses,coveringa broad
range oftopics like accounting,businesslaw,computerprogramming, and dog
training. Cost:Several of the most popularcoursescurrently start at $99.99.
 LinkedInLearning(formerly Lynda). There are more than 16,000 courses,ranging
from topicslike leadership, projectmanagement, and design onthis hub. Forexample,
there are nearly 1,000 courseson3-Danimation alone. Cost:The first month is free.
Afterthat, a monthly subscriptionwith unlimited accesscosts$29.99amonth, oryou
canbuy individual coursesstarting at $9.99 each.
 Universities.Youcantake coursesalongside other students online or through
professional development workshops.Cost:Varies.
 Your employer.Manycompanies offerfree career development opportunities, like
management training, to employees. Youremployer couldalso cover the costof
college classes or other courses.Start with a conversationwith yourmanager, after
whichexploring these types of opportunitiescanbe a goodway todevelop more skills
that may prepare youforanother role at the company.Cost:Free.
Inaddition, SHL roundedupa variety ofresources — many ofwhichare free — totarget the
skills necessary forhigh-paying jobs.These include: Free CodeCamp forlearning coding
languages, Moz Beginner’s Guide to SEO forpeople whoworking marketing, Skillshare, for
careers in design, and Duolingoforlearning a foreignlanguage.
Onceyou’ve gotten certified or completed coursework, updateyourresume and online profile.
Onboth Indeed andLinkedIn,you cantest yourskills, and thenshowcaseto potential
employers that you’vesuccessfullycompleted these assessments. Doingso canincrease your
chancesofgetting hired by30%,accordingto figuresfrom LinkedIn.
LinkedInalso has ContinuingEducationUnits (CEUs) relevantfor accountants,project
managers, humanresources professionals,information technologyemployees, and business
analysts. “Formany people whowouldtypically get creditat in-personevents, classes or
conferences,they cannow get credits online fora low cost,”says Hari Srinivasan, vicepresident
ofproductmanagement for LinkedInLearning.

3. There are great optionsthat are more
affordableonline, and allow you to work
faster and at your own pace.
Anita Kanti
CAREER COACH AND FOUNDER OF ANITA K SOLUTIONS
Brush up on soft skills
While technical skills may get you pastthe robotsthat review resumes, many employers are
looking forwell-rounded applicants. That’s whyyou may wantto spend time workingonso-
called softskills, too.
Focusingontransferable skills that are in demand acrossindustries is especially important for
people looking to make a career or industrypivot, Srinivasan says.
When workingwith clients, Kanti recommends mastering the following skills:
 Excellent communication.Whateverlevel of yourcareer, these are “imperative.”
 Collaboration.“Doyouknow what teamwork is about?”
 Creativity.Whatis“the creative passion”that sets youapart?
 Curious mindset.“Ifyou’re notcurious,youcan’t solve problems.”
 Connectionfocused.Beyondmeeting goals, employers wantpeople “whoare notshy
to build new connections.”
To improve these soft skills, Kanti suggestsworking witha friend, mentor or paying a career
coachtoget objectivefeedback. Try doing mock jobinterviews, or even have casual
conversationsabout yourpast experience and career goals, toidentify possible gaps, she adds.
While youcanhighlight some ofthese skills onyour resume, it’s more necessary to embody
them when interviewing or networking, Kanti says. “Whengiven the opportunityto talk with a
potential employer, verbalize and showcasethat youhave these skills.”

4. What’s more, forno costat all, you canfinda plethora ofresourcesonline, includingarticles
and tutorials, with advice forimproving softskills. While the currentemployment market may
make fora frustratingtime to jobsearch, many companies have even more resourcesavailable
now.
Indeed hascreated a free resourcepage with tools forjobseekers affectedby Covid-19,
includingtips for searchingfor jobs,video interview guides, resume building assistance, andlive
webinars. Similarly, LinkedIn Learninghas 400-pluscoursesavailable forfree on topicslike
staying efficient while working remotely, ways to stay motivated whenjobhunting,digital
networkingstrategies, and recoveringfrom a layoff.
Then: Get your online profile noticed
It’s important to make sureyou have a resume and online profile that gets noticed by
recruiters. That canrequire a certain finesse.
Keywordsare important becausemany recruiters use LinkedInrecruiting toscreen forpotential
candidates. Andyoucanhighlight otherstrengths, especially softskills, byseeking out
recommendations fromformer colleagues, managers, or even friends.
Signaling to potential employers that you’re actively jobhunting also is important. OnLinkedIn,
there’s a setting that allows you tolet recruiters know that you’re open tojob opportunities.
Meanwhile, on Indeed,you canadd the hashtag #readytoworkto yourprofile to increase your
visibility, Wolfe says.“Employers whoare looking to urgently fill roles cansearch forthe
candidates whohave added this tag to their resume.”
Finally, don’t assume that learning new skills is only relevant to people whoare actively job
seeking. “Ongoinglearning helps ensureyour skills stay sharp, andgets you prepared foryour
futurecareer,” says Srinivasan of LinkedIn.“Investingin skills will pay offas weall continueto
adjustto new working environments,and canalso help youat workin the long run.”