5 Skills in High Demand That Will Earn You Money in Ghana in 2022

When I applied for my first job in 2016, I indicated “proficient in MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint” as my IT skills. At the time, we called it IT—as in, Information Technology. And, even though my MS skills were just beginner level, I was confident enough to put them on my CV because that was all I’d ever need—or so I thought.?

Fast forward to 2022, 6 years later, and Tech skills have evolved into Coding, UX designing and even AI, and I wouldn’t even dream to list my ‘proficiency’ in the MS suite as a tech skill.

In 2020, our lives changed forever and it wasn’t just in terms of washing our hands more frequently. We went from having in-person meetings to Zoom calls, and from laughing at people who spent all their time on social media, to finding people who could help us establish an online presence for our businesses.?

We also witnessed the release of many free online courses to help train people to fill high-demand tech roles. These past years essentially revealed so many new and not-so-new, ways of earning more outside of the traditional methods we’re all used to.

So if you are looking to make extra income or start a new job, here are 5 skills that are in high demand and can help you make some money:

1. Social Media Management

Now, not having a social media presence is a no-no. The first thing that customers ask when you introduce your business to them, is if you have a profile on any social media site. They want to see the quality of your work and want to be sure that your business is legit.

Businesses are beginning to understand the value of having a compelling social media presence, and there has been a surge in the demand for social media management experts.

Many sites, such as LinkedIn Learning (paid), Coursera, Google Digital Centre and Facebook Blueprint, teach these skills to anyone who is willing to learn, often for free or at a fee. The best part is you get a certificate for completing the course which you can use to apply for jobs. It beats MS proficiency, doesn’t it?

2. Virtual Assistant (VA)

With the new culture of working from home came the rise in demand for virtual assistants. As a virtual assistant, you perform tasks for clients remotely. These tasks range from relatively simple administrative tasks like email management, schedule management, etc. to more specialized roles like running an e-commerce store. The possibilities are endless.

To be a successful VA, it is advisable to identify a niche and work hard at becoming an expert in that area. This will enable you to increase your rates because your clients already trust you to produce quality work.

3. Facebook Ads Management

Facebook Ads are a way to directly place your product before the people who need them. Facebook is the biggest social media platform and it has valuable data on the people on the platform. Imagine placing your mouse pad Ad directly in front of the person whose mouse pad just got destroyed. That’s the power of Facebook Ads.?

Facebook Ads, if employed properly, can lead to an increase in revenue for businesses. It’s therefore no surprise that more and more businesses are looking for Facebook Ad experts to help them with their Facebook Ads.?

If you are interested in learning how to use the Facebook Ad Manager, Meta offers free courses on their Meta Blueprint sites, and there is even a similar course on Coursera for free.

4. Affiliate Marketing?

Have you ever read a blog post or watched a video and wondered why the author is freely advertising another business's product or service? They normally provide a link to access the offer easily and even go as far as offering a discount. What do they have to gain?

Let me let you in on the secret. Every time someone clicks on that link and makes a purchase, the content creator gets a commission and this is called Affiliate Marketing.

Affiliate Marketing has a low barrier to entry, but in order to thrive, you need to have an active audience viewing your content (blog post, Instagram post, YouTube video, etc.), who trust you enough to click on the link because you asked them to.

A helpful trick is to build a community around what you talk about and then introduce the link to them.

Again, there are many courses online to learn about Affiliate Marketing and how to structure your website to be Affiliate Marketing friendly.

5. Video Production

If you find it easy or are interested in learning how to make TikToks, Youtube videos or Instagram Reels, then there is space for you on the job market.

Video production is a skill in high demand because more and more businesses are looking for people to help them edit quality content that can grab their audience's attention in the midst of all the distractions they are competing with.

Developing your video production and editing skills can help you earn money by making videos for business owners who either have no time or have no idea how to go about it.?

Today, videos are one of the most valuable content options available to content creators and businesses, and having the skills to create high-quality video content will make you invaluable to businesses that are looking at growing online.

These are just 5 out of many new skills that you can learn to earn income in 2022. While they are in high demand, the barriers to entry are quite low. And, by taking some time to learn these new skills, you can earn income that will more than compensate you for your time and the late nights spent acquiring them.

Author

This article was written by Renette Anim for Bethniel Finance. Renette is a Digital Marketing Manager and a Writer.

What next?

Today, at 7:30 pm, we host?Derek Degbedzui?as he speaks to our University of Ghana Community on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence focusing on Careers in the field as well as leveraging on some methodologies in the field to improve personal finance. Tell a friend to tell a friend and make it a point to join us.

Free Registration:?https://bit.ly/BF-UG-22h