5 Most Profitable Skills You Can Master To Earn More Online

While some fear their jobs becoming obsolete because of the rapid advancements in digital technology, a growing number of professionals have discovered the exciting opportunities within their reach, thanks to the Internet. These include upskilling through online courses and getting a high-earning job.

Will Cotter is the owner of HappyCleans, a professional home cleaning company, which he runs with a fully remote team. In this article, he shares the top five sought-after skills worth learning if you want a cool side hustle to boost your income or a strategy to shift into a lucrative digital career.

1. Data Analysis

Nowadays, most businesses, regardless of niche or industry, rely heavily on online data to come up with different solutions and strategies. For instance, brands now base their product marketing campaigns on consumers' buying behaviors and preferences, a piece of valuable information they get from collected data. That's why data analysts' and scientists' jobs, which involve gathering, interpreting, and sharing data, have become increasingly in demand. 

2. Digital Marketing

The world of digital marketing involves producing online content that reflects brand values consumers can relate to and give the highest potential for conversion. It's a vast niche continuously evolving, depending on the latest online trends and software updates. If you want to be a full-stack digital marketing expert, there are several hard skills that you can master, including:

• Email marketing
• Blogging
• Copywriting
• Social media marketing
• PPC advertising
• Graphic design
• Video creation and editing 

3. SEO and Google Analytics

If you want to make it in digital marketing, learning everything you can about search engine optimization, more commonly known as SEO and Google Analytics, makes sense. The goal of SEO is to boost website traffic, which will hopefully convert to sales eventually, primarily through organic search results — meaning unpaid — on search engines like Google. In addition, SEO specialists perform tons of keyword research for expansion opportunities, link-building projects, on-page optimization to adapt to the new algorithm updates, and other efforts to improve a website's online page rankings.  

4. Web Development 

Web development combines software development and user experience. Tasks range from writing codes to creating content, building intuitive functionalities, and staying on top of technical aspects, like optimizing website speed, performance, and capacity. Developers are the rockstars of the tech industry, predicted to be still highly in demand in the foreseeable future. Learning web development can make you privy to various tech jobs, such as:

• Front-end developer
• Back-end developer 
• Full-stack developer
• Software engineer
• Webmaster 

You'll never run out of opportunities as a developer as long as you continuously learn to upskill and learn new programming languages. 

5. Project Management 

Companies are constantly hiring project managers to manage tech teams and coordinate with clients. Tasks involve spearheading sprint planning, organizing budgets, and ensuring all deadlines and deliverables are within set targets. It's a client-facing role that requires effective communication, leadership, and organizational skills.