For the past few years, we have been hearing that what will secure our future are hard skills, specific technical abilities like programming, foreign languages, or specialized tools and software. Courses like basic programming and robotics for kids have sprung up like mushrooms after the rain. Everything changed in the last few months due to artificial intelligence. People have started to realize that hard skills can easily be replaced by AI, and what will make a difference in the market is based on soft skills.

The Importance of Curiosity and Life-long Learning

Alongside creativity, flexibility, and empathy, one competency worth examining is curiosity and life-long learning. In the Future of Jobs 2023 report, this competency ranked very high at 5th place, and predictions for the coming years are even more promising.

In the IT industry, continuous learning is almost mandatory due to rapidly changing trends, technologies, and tools. Additionally, looking at the evolving IT market, anyone who thinks differently may soon find themselves significantly behind, outpaced by competitors who keep up with the latest developments. Moreover, combining technology with the mentioned soft skills, such as flexibility, creativity, openness, and curiosity, becomes crucial. Clients need consultants who can propose creative solutions, collaborate effectively, and communicate well within a team. You can find more on this in Kamila’s blogpost where she describes soft skills that are most in demand in IT in 2024 and in Piotr and Grzegorz predictions for 2024.

Knowledge Sharing at Clurgo

Following this path, at Clurgo, we have built several spaces for knowledge sharing. We believe that a culture of continuous improvement and open communication is vital for growth. The quality and knowledge of our Consultants are definitely our strong suits, so we want to spread them and create opportunities for sharing within the organization.

Regular Sessions of Sharing Knowledge

“Knowledge-Sharing Sessions” and “Tidbits of Technology” are regularly organized meetings led by Consultants on a topic of their choice. The topics range from highly technical, through soft skills, to personal interests. Primarily, it is a moment for discussion, asking questions, and being inspired by the topic. Often, the fear of presenting a topic is the judgment from colleagues. Nothing could be further from the truth – no one expects that only having a doctorate on a given subject entitles you to present it at a “Knowledge-Sharing Sessions” and “Tidbits of Technology.” It’s about inspiring others, sharing your project successes and failures, which can be helpful in the future.

Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking

Another concern might be the fear of public speaking. This is completely natural, which is why we encourage sharing knowledge in the form of an article or blog post in such cases. Writing allows individuals to express their insights and ideas without the immediate pressure of an audience, making it an excellent alternative for those who are less comfortable with public speaking.

Promoting a Culture of Knowledge Sharing

Any attempts to share knowledge with other colleagues are welcomed and promoted at Clurgo. In the context of the mentioned future competency, simply participating in such meetings is a time for self-development, which will make a difference in the developer job market in the near future.