15 Unexpected Skills That Can Dramatically Increase Your Income
Who doesn’t want to make more money? Life is more expensive than ever, so some extra cash would go a long way to relieving financial stress. Thankfully, there are plenty of skills that can elevate your income. I’m always looking to learn something new to earn some more.
The best way to start when thinking about earning more money is to examine your skills. Are those skills relevant to today’s marketplace? If not, what kind of training can I do to acquire these skills? To assist in your quest, I’ve assembled a list of skills proven to increase the income of those who have them.
I chose the skills on this list carefully. They include a mix of soft and hard skills. Combining these skills opens many doors.
I’m confident that you can dramatically increase your income if you have or train to acquire any of these 15 unexpected skills.
Light Coding
You don’t have to be a coding expert, but learning even the smallest amount of programming can help you make more money. So many jobs use code.
Coding is also all about patterns. Practicing coding is like learning a new language. Some coding jobs include web development, product management, data science, and cybersecurity. It helps you understand and see patterns just about anywhere.
WordPress
This unexpected skill is a bias. If you want a web development, content writing, or marketing career, I recommend learning WordPress.
WordPress isn’t just one skill, but multiple. You can learn how to write within WordPress and develop websites. Critical WordPress-related skills are HTML, JQuerry, SQL, and JavaScript.
Adapt
The power to adapt is a strong one. Regardless of your job, the skill to adapt to any situation is helpful. When you can adapt to whatever situation, you become flexible.
It’s also much easier to move up in a job if you show supervisors you know how to work under pressure and with changes.
Communication
People put down communication majors, but communication is in everything. How can you expect to excel in a people-oriented job without knowing how to communicate effectively?
Words are powerful, and you can make good money honing this skill. For instance, communication degree holders in 2021 made a median income of $57,000. There were also over 2.8 million jobs.
Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is a complex skill. A hard skill is one that you learn through school or hands-on experience. I got into digital marketing three years ago, and I’m still learning daily.
So, how much can you make as a digital marketer? According to Indeed, the median digital marketer in the U.S. makes $65,581 a year. Freelancers can make even more!
Resume Writing
I’ve always struggled with resume writing, and probably because of this, I made so many mistakes. I honestly wonder how many opportunities I missed because my resume didn’t showcase my skills effectively.
Just a tip: if you’re applying for a job in the medical industry, you don’t need to include all your work experiences. Instead, only choose the ones that are highlighted within the medical field. Recruiters are on a time crunch and don’t want to read pages and pages of resumes.
Artificial Intelligence
For better or for worse, artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay. Instead of trying to fight it, I recommend learning it. Even knowing the concept of AI can improve your chances of earning more or transitioning into the steady field of technology.
The demand for AI specialists has skyrocketed since 2020. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, by 2030, AI will create about 20 million to 50 million new jobs across sectors.
Leadership
Another soft skill that makes our list is leadership. Companies across industries are always looking for leadership material. Moving a person up within the company is much more beneficial.
We even see this in the food industry. If you know how to delegate tasks and communicate (skills related to leadership), you’re more likely to become a shift lead. I saw this a lot in restaurant work.
Public Speaking
I used to hate public speaking, but it’s a necessary skill to thrive in most careers. Another way to make more money is to learn the skill of public speaking. The best way to do this is through practice.
Create a speech you’ve always wanted to make. It could be a wedding, graduation, or even end-of-the-world speech and practice with a friend. I also practiced with a fake crowd YouTube video in front of my TV.
Project Management
Technically, project management encompasses many hard and soft skills. You need to learn the technical parts of the project, how to delegate tasks, how to manage time, and more.
Project managers are jacks of all trades. They know a little of everything to run a functioning team and make good money doing so! In the U.S., the average salary for a project manager is $89,010.
Multitasking
I recommend everyone learn to multitask. Your day can go by so much faster when you can work on multiple tasks without forgetting one. Quality always trumps quantity.
But what kind of jobs require multitasking? According to Indeed, some multitasking jobs are servers, school teachers, event planners, and construction project managers. See how all these skills can connect?
Virtual Reality
The tech industry is expected to grow as we continue to advance. Now, virtual reality is a huge part of this field. Virtual reality simulations are used in the military for training. There are also realistic VR games that are expected to get better.
If you want to get into a stable field, learn virtual reality.
Data Science
Are you not a big fan of virtual reality but still want to work in the technology industry? How about teaching yourself data science skills? Data science is also here to stay. It’s everywhere, although you probably don’t notice.
Data scientists are the reason our searches and algorithms generate targeted ads. In the U.S., data scientists earn a median income of $123,255.
Time Management
In my opinion, time management is one of the most important skills you can have. Not only is it a valuable skill at work, but in school. No one wants to hire someone who constantly shows up late or misses deadlines.
Time management isn’t something you learn overnight. To hold yourself accountable, I recommend writing down everything in an easy-to-access planner. I also set alarms for everything I have coming up.
Learn
Last but not least, one of the most important skills is the ability to learn and study. I, for one, have never been a natural-born learner. I have to sit down and really focus to learn something new.
This skill is underrated. No matter your years of experience, your industry always has something new to learn.
If you’re paying off a Conventional Mortgage, you can pay off your mortgage insurance at closing instead of paying it off monthly. For example, if you borrowed $150,000 for your home, you must pay a once-off of $2,550 instead of $55 each month.
15 Highest Paying Jobs That Nobody Wants
Truthfully, almost all of the best high-paying jobs that no one wants to work, are blue-collar jobs. Working in the trades can sound intimidating, but it comes with great benefits, high pay, and job security.
Despite the pros, not a lot of people turn to the trades. If you’re feeling stuck, you may want to consider one of these high-paying jobs.
To curate this list, we chose jobs where you could earn at least $25 an hour. These jobs are also high in demand. To find out how in demand, we used Indeed and ZipRecruiter.
Here are 15 high-paying jobs that nobody wants.
- Read More: 15 Highest Paying Jobs That Nobody Wants
14 Insanely Overpriced Fast Food Chains You Shouldn’t Bother With
Fast food is now a luxury. My family and I have completely limited our fast-food outings. Just ordering a basic meal can cost close to $15, and it’s easy to spend even more. Some fast food spots, though, are more expensive than others.
Being shocked by a food bill will surely leave a bad taste in anyone’s mouth. So when you plan an outing, consider the cost of where you will eat rather than just your favorite meals. At these prices, a sit-down restaurant with a more comfortable ambiance where you can better enjoy visiting with friends and family might be a more affordable choice.
So, to help you have the best experience, I chose 14 ridiculously expensive fast-food chains you should be aware of. Many of the restaurants on this list come from my own experience and occasionally wrecked budget. Here are 14 insanely overpriced fast-food chains you shouldn’t bother with.