A guide to upskilling in Delaware

This month, we at Technical.ly are talking about resilient tech careers — those jobs that are at least relatively recession-proof, layoff-proof and evolving technology-proof.

If you’re not in tech but plan to join the tech workforce, you’ll find that relevant jobs are everywhere — not least of all in Delaware, a banking center with an innovative life sciences, medtech and green tech ecosystem.

Beyond that, tech is at a stage where many stable jobs are not in “tech” at all: Restaurants, hotels, entertainment venues and other industries once considered far from tech are now increasingly hiring teams of software developers, data scientists and digital marketers.

On top of local colleges and universities, there are several well-known courses and programs for people looking to fill these jobs, including Zip Code Wilmington, Code Differently, IT Works and Tech Elevator. These are intensive courses that often lead to life-changing career changes.

But what if you’re already in tech? How do you make your position as secure as possible?

Always be upskilling

Some jobs require regular upskilling — basically, learning new skills you’ll need to do your job — as part of your day-to-day work. For companies that use very specific programs and/or tech stacks, custom upskilling will keep you on track. But even if a company doesn’t require upskilling, it’s important to do it simply because tech moves so fast.

That’s rarely been as evident as in 2023. In late 2022, ChatGPT was released for public use. Since then, AI, including chatbots, art creators and text-to-video, has evolved at light speed in front of our eyes. Artists, journalists, coders and office workers started asking themselves if the AI bots were about to take over their jobs.

Don’t fear AI taking your job — fear that your job will be taken by a person using AI

“The question for you is: Are you going to keep up, or are you going to fight it?” said Stanislas Berteloot, a strategic consultant with Nytri Marketing in Philadelphia, in a recent talk posted to LinkedIn. The “it” in this case is AI, but similar logic could apply to any new technology that might impact your job security if you don’t learn how to use it well.

Upskilling resources for working technologists in Delaware

Your first resource when upskilling is your employer. Even if they don’t build upskilling into your work, they may have their own courses or preferred ones. And definitely ask about free or reimbursed continuing education, which is a very common company perk.

Upskilling courses for working technologists need to be flexible and are often online. You might choose a reputable online education platform like Coursera, which offers virtual classes from major colleges and universities for a monthly fee, or an online AWS certification. But there are local options as well, including:

• University of Delaware has a professional and continuing studies department that includes state-funded courses
• Delaware Technical and Community College offers professional development courses, with most being either free or low-cost
• Delaware State University has an extensive selection of continuing education programs, workshops and courses
• Wilmington University many certification courses for tech skills, including AI
• DWS Drone teaches drone courses —- a skill that may be useful depending on your area (digital marketing, for example); DWS also offers a virtual reality course
• Delaware IT Institute specializes in filling gaps and upskilling as well as IT training
• Delaware JobLink is a state-run online resource that allows you to search for approved state training programs, including upskilling programs, near you

How do you upskill? Let us know if we missed anything at delaware@technical.ly.