The world of today is rapidly evolving with every passing second. And it requires people to be just as flexible. Now, merely getting a degree doesn’t guarantee success in your career. Instead, you must continue to learn new skills to progress further.
As per Deloitte, continuous learning is imperative for the success of a business. And 94 percent of employees are likely to stay longer at a job if the company invests in their skill development.
Even on a personal front, learning a new skill is quite rewarding. Whether it be painting, arts and crafts, or photography, each skill improves different functions of the brain or body. So, in other words, there is no such thing as a useless skill!
If you are looking to learn a new skill, here are apps that can best help you.
- Masterclass
What if it was possible to learn from the legends of each field? Imagine if Serena Williams taught you how to play tennis or Samuel L. Jackson gave you tips on acting. It sounds unreal, right? It turns out there is an app out there that allows you to do so.
Masterclass features video lessons from some of the experts and professionals of different fields. This includes legends like Simone Biles, Shonda Rhimes, Anna Wintour, and Malcolm Gladwell, etc. There are over 70 classes included in the app, with up to 24 video lessons from experts.
Apart from the apparent intrigue of learning from different legends, the best thing about this app is that it gives users access to downloadable workbooks, supplemental learning material, assignments, and lesson overviews.
The visible downside is the cost of attaining these classes. While the app is free to download from both Google Play and Masterclass, to sign up for the courses, you will have to pay a fee that gives you access to all the courses for a year.
Considering that the app is quite thorough in its proposition, some might say that the price is worth it. The answer to this depends on your preference.
- Big Barn World
Many people associate learning a new skill with hard or technical skills. However, soft skills are just as important. And they need to be learned as well.
A study conducted by Pew Research illustrated how communication and teamwork are among the skills required to thrive in life. Other in-demand soft skills include creativity, organization, critical thinking, and adaptability.
While various activities help in improving such skills, online games can help as well. One such game is Big Barn World. This airG spam free game can be viewed as a social farming simulation.
Players can choose to work in a team or in isolation to create and grow their farms. Often, you are required to communicate with other farmers. The presence of farm walls, chat rooms, and forums helps build a strong community within the game.
Hence, it teaches people the proper way of communicating with others. Since the crops you grow need to be taken care of, it also teaches players the art of patience.
You might underestimate the need for such skills, but they are just as important as technical ones.
- Lumosity
The chances are that you have already heard of, if not downloaded, Lumosity. The platform is a quite popular brain-training solution. In fact, ever since it was launched back in 2005, it has grown by over 150 percent every year. Now, it has been downloaded by over 35 million people.
The app features a wide variety of brain-training games, each of which is tailored to improve a different function of the brain. While some help in boosting your working memory, other games help in sharpening your focus.
For instance, the game Highway Hazard revolves around dodging the incoming obstacles as you maneuver a racecar. It helps in improving your information processing speed. On the other hand, Speed Pack helps improve mental visualization by asking you to pack a suitcase with various items successfully.
The best thing about this app is that it alters according to the user’s performance. Therefore, if you are good at it, the difficulty level will increase to further challenge you. In case you are not great at a given game, the game will be altered to be considerably easier for you.
There are two versions available of the app. The free version gives access to limited games, while the premium version gives complete access for a monthly subscription fee.
- Minecraft
You read that correctly. Minecraft is quite educational for children! And it can help in learning various soft skills.
The game can be viewed as a virtual building game where players are allowed to create their own towns and experiences. What makes this game unique and educational is the fact that it relies on your ability to create your own resources from raw material.
The multiplayer version of the game helps in learning collaboration. This is because you must work with others to find resources while resolving conflicts regarding land ownership and territory.
It also boosts problem-solving skills. One of the recurring challenges of the game is that monsters come out at night. So, to protect your town, you must decide what defenses to use and what shelters to build, given the available resources.
- Mimo
Computer Science is quite a lucrative field. Yet, most schools don’t offer it. For instance, according to the Hour of Code, only 45 percent of high schools in the US teach computer science.
The good news is that there are various online courses and apps to fill the gap. For instance, to learn to code, you can make use of Mimo. Here, users are given lessons about basic coding vocabulary and syntax along with the advanced material.
By dividing the information into bite-sized exercises, Mimo helps make the difficult task seem much more achievable.
Coding languages included are HTML, Swift, CSS, Python, C#, and C++. While some lessons are available for free, more technical ones are available for a subscription fee.
Ending Remarks
Use the five apps to learn a mix of different soft and technical skills required in today’s time for a flourishing career and personality.
Do let us know how your experience was! And if any other apps help in developing skills, let everyone know.
Author Bio
Audrey Throne has an ongoing affair with the words that capture readers’ attention. Her passion for writing dates back to her pre-blogging days. She loves to share her thoughts related to business, technology, health and fashion.
Find her on Twitter: @audrey_throne
Audrey Throne