7 Skills Everyone Needs for the Future Economy

tylorbell

NYC, Entrepreneurship, & Healthy Living   Howdy, I'm Taylor. I'm a 20 something former management consultant and ivy-league grad from California turned solopreneur in New York City, and I love making videos that follow all of the above. Stick around 😊

Transcript

00:00Hello, this is Taylor. So the world is changing at what feels like a faster pace than ever. AI is

00:07reshaping industries. A lot of the jobs that exist today might not in five years. And it feels like

00:12every week there's a new headline that's designed to make a spiral. And while I totally understand

00:17the panic, what if AI takes my job? What if you can no longer tell whether it's AI or a person?

00:23Are content creators even going to be a thing in five years? I don't think that fear or what-ifs

00:28are particularly useful strategies. Instead, as an eternal optimist and someone who likes to take

00:34action, I think that what is useful is being proactive, figuring out what skills are going

00:39to matter more, not less, in the next five to ten years, and starting to develop those skills now.

00:45So I did the research and in this video I'm going to take you through seven future-proof skills that

00:51will help you stay relevant, adaptable, and hard to replace no matter what the economy throws at us.

00:56Now let's dive in. The first skill is digital fluency beyond basic tech. I think that right

01:03now we're in a transitional gray area where it still might not feel totally necessary to use AI

01:09tools and it's just a bonus if you do because it saves you time. But in a few years I do believe

01:14that in many professions there will be a stark divide between workers who know how to use AI tools

01:19to amplify their capabilities and those who get replaced by someone who does. That might sound scary

01:24and kind of antithetical to what this whole video is about, which is like optimism and how we can

01:29actually use these tools to our advantage, but it doesn't have to be scary. But before we talk about

01:33how you can actually do this and why it's not all that scary, let me give you one example to illustrate

01:39the difference between someone who uses AI tools and someone who doesn't. Let's say there are two

01:43consultants, consultant A and consultant B, and they are researching whether Patagonia should launch a new

01:49down jacket. Both consultants need to interview six outdoor gear experts each. Consultant A uses AI tools,

01:56let's say she uses granola to transcribe the interviews, and then Claude or ChatGPT to consolidate

02:01all of the insights and highlight the most important key points and put it together in a nicely formatted

02:07document by the end of the week. Consultant B takes manual notes, spends 30 minutes or more after each

02:13interview just cleaning up the document and formatting, and then manually consolidates all of the notes and

02:18pulls together key insights at the end of the week. The result? Consultant A finishes the same

02:22task in half the time and has moved on to building the slide deck with key insights from those interviews

02:28while consultant B is still organizing notes. One isn't smarter than the other, they're just working

02:32differently, and that is the edge that AI can give. And in fast-paced industries, that efficiency gap

02:38matters. I know what you're thinking. Yes, consultant A still needs to make sure she actually retained the

02:43information. But I would also bet you that she made fewer errors, was able to be more actively engaged on

02:50the calls because she didn't have to type every single word verbatim at lightning speed, and she

02:54didn't have to waste time formatting the document and fixing typos after each call. She finished the

02:59task with more time and more brain space to move on to the next value additive thing. Now, the good news is,

03:04this is very learnable. The tools that I just talked about are not difficult to use. You don't need to

03:09become a programmer. It's about learning how to prompt AI well, learning what tools are out there

03:15to make your workflow more efficient, and choosing when and when not to use them. For example, I

03:20definitely don't want to use AI to write my scripts. It definitely doesn't sound as creative or human.

03:25But I would much rather know how to use these tools and pick and choose when to use them than be

03:30the person who fell behind because I never learned. Final point in this section, a 2024 Deloitte study

03:35found that 68% of executives in the U.S. say that their workforce lacks AI skills, which means if you

03:41fill that skill gap and teach yourself these skills now, you are helping to build yourself a competitive

03:46edge and future-proof your career. Okay, now the best opportunities that I have had did not come from

03:52a job that I applied to. They came from something that I posted online. And that's why skill number two

03:58is building a personal brand. Now, hear me out. This doesn't mean become an influencer. Here's what

04:03building a personal brand looks like on a spectrum. At the most visible end, you have what I do,

04:09putting long-form videos of myself talking about my thoughts and my interests and research that I've

04:14done on the internet for all to see. Now, this is open doors that I never expected. Working with brands

04:20that I love or speaking on panels about the things that I'm most passionate about, meeting the most

04:25brilliant minds in the creator industry face-to-face. Not saying that's a brag, it's just an illustration of

04:30what can come from building a personal brand. And I'm very, very grateful for it. Now, in the middle

04:35of that spectrum could be something like LinkedIn thought leadership, sharing insights about trends

04:39in your industry, the challenges you face, or even just thoughtful takes about what's going on in your

04:45field. This helps you build credibility within your professional community. On the more subtle end,

04:49it could be something like writing a weekly newsletter that you share with 50 of your friends and

04:54colleagues and family. That can give you something interesting to discuss in interviews and also just in real

05:00life, like it's a cool thing that you're doing. And it positions you as someone who thinks critically.

05:04There are so many flavors of this, but the common thread is that all of these approaches helps you

05:09become discoverable in your field and create what I call an unfair advantage in hiring, partnerships,

05:15and opportunities. And while this is certainly not necessary in every job, like I have plenty of friends

05:20who want zero digital footprint. In a world where remote work is becoming more permanent and everything is

05:25moving digital. Having a reputation that precedes you could just give you that competitive, compelling

05:31advantage in a lot of professions. Okay, the third skill is near and dear to my heart and it is having

05:37an entrepreneurial mindset, even if you're an employee. Here's why this matters more than ever.

05:43Many economists are saying that we are currently going through the biggest shift in how we work

05:48since the rise of the internet. Some are even saying since the industrial revolution. And this is mind-blowing.

05:53An Intuit report estimates that 50% of the U.S. workforce will be freelancers by 2027.

06:01Meanwhile, 44% of Americans already have a side hustle, earning more than $1,100 per month, according to

06:07a 2024 Zapier report. And here's what's really interesting. Even traditional companies are catching

06:13on to this. 73% of executives now say that they need employees who think like business owners, not just task

06:20completers. So what this tells me is that the old model of show up, do your job, collect your paycheck

06:26is dying. So whether you work for yourself or for someone else, it will become beneficial to start

06:31thinking like a business owner when it comes to your career, your skills, and your financial future.

06:36So what does this actually look like? It means treating yourself like a business, even as an employee.

06:41What's your unique value proposition? What problems can you solve that others can't? Maybe it means looking for

06:46other opportunities and revenue streams if that's your thing. It's my thing. And it could also mean

06:52taking calculated risks because even small ones compound over time. This is a skill that's always

06:57been valuable in my opinion, but with the economy changing as it is, I think the skill is becoming

07:02more valuable than ever to help future-proof your career. And to bring in my personal connection to

07:06this skill for a sec, I've talked about this before, but YouTube was and is a hobby. But I also treated

07:14it like a business since day one, which honestly has given me an added layer of purpose and fulfillment

07:19beyond just doing it for the love of it. Doing it for the love of it is essential to its core,

07:24like you absolutely do have to love it. However, learning how to grow, monetize, and make a business

07:30of it added this whole new, you know, ball game of skill set that I didn't have before. And it just

07:36made it even more enjoyable for me. And of course, I've been the number one hype beast for side hustles

07:41since I was a little kid. Not the strongest business model there, Taylor, but you live and

07:46you learn. You and your side hustles. I know, what can I say? I'm a broken record. But if I don't want

07:51to put myself out there online and I'm more of a behind the computer creative person, what's in your

07:57magical grab bag of side hustles for me? You, my friend, would be perfectly suited for print on demand.

08:02Oh, expound? It's really cool. You create your own designs or upload your own photos and put them onto

08:08physical products and post them for sale. So think wall art, clothing, tote bags. Okay. And then?

08:14And then when someone places an order for that thing, your print on demand provider

08:18finds the nearest fulfillment center and prints, ships, and customer services it for you automatically.

08:24Wait, what? Can you show me? Totally. Look, I did this last week. So using gelato,

08:28I just dragged and dropped this photo my dad took of one of my favorite places ever. This is Bryce Canyon

08:33in Utah into a wall art template. I sized it. Then I did another quick one of the loves of my life. And then

08:38I placed the order to my apartment since I'm buying it for myself. But if I was selling this,

08:43I could post it for sale on my, say, Etsy account directly from gelato because they integrate with so

08:48many different marketplaces. Wait a sec. Is that what this box is? Oh my gosh. Yes. That's it. Open it.

08:53Also, before I place the order, I use the new magic mockup tool, which is just so cool. It uses AI to visualize

09:00the product and how it would look in real life before you actually order it. Then I hit order

09:03and gelato filled it for me using my nearest print provider. And they're the world's largest print

09:07on demand provider with 140 printers across 32 different countries. Impressive footprint. Here,

09:12look. Wow. It looks so good. Yeah, it does. Love that it's sustainable too. Printing locally

09:18reduces carbon emissions and shipping costs. Exactly. Well, if you want to try it for yourself,

09:23you can get 50% off of your first gelato order by clicking the link in my description and placing an

09:28order within 48 hours of signing up, which is perfect for ordering a sample first. So thanks

09:32to Gelato for sponsoring this video and for supporting skill number two, entrepreneurial mindset.

09:37Wait, do you keep that spatula in your nightstand? Maybe. Okay. Skill number four I love and I think

09:44will give you a lot of hope. It is creative problem solving and systems thinking. Now, it might surprise

09:49you that this is on the list because I feel like headlines make it seem like this is what's getting

09:53automated the most, but hear me out. According to the World Economic Forum's 2023 Future of Jobs report,

10:00creative thinking is the second fastest growing skill that employees need right after analytical

10:05thinking. Meanwhile, McKinsey found that jobs requiring creativity and complex problem solving

10:10will grow in demand by 19% in the US by 2030 and are least susceptible to automation. So while AI can

10:17generate great solutions, humans need to ask it the right questions. A lot of the reports I've read

10:23have shown that AI still can't replicate human creativity and strategic thinking and that future

10:28jobs will be about connecting the dots between industries. Now, what does that even mean? So for

10:33example, the way that Airbnb solved trust plus accommodation, creating a platform where you could

10:39trust that the personal home you're staying in is safe because all the hosts have to be mega verified.

10:44Another example, how fintech solve accessible banking by bringing you the convenience of mobile

10:50money management. Now, do these two services likely use AI to enhance their capabilities?

10:55Absolutely. But it was humans that came up with these creative solutions and connecting dots across

11:00industries in the first place. And this is where systems thinking can become your superpower. It's the

11:05ability to see patterns and design solutions that work across multiple areas. So while AI excels at

11:12optimizing within existing frameworks, humans excel at reimagining the frameworks themselves. In my own

11:18experience, I really try to hone in on this skill in my business videos in particular. So when I analyze

11:23a business model, for example, I try to not just look at that business in isolation, but rather

11:29connect patterns across industries and consumer behavior and trends and cultural shifts and just

11:35everything from what I read to the things that I learned in school to the companies that I know a little

11:41bit about. You know, I try to combine all of this knowledge, connect dots across multiple industries and

11:45areas. And I hope that's what makes the analysis more interesting and valuable. It's definitely

11:50something that I'm trying to get better at. Bottom line, I think that the companies and the individuals

11:54who will thrive are the ones with the ability to take a step back, look at the problem and think,

12:00what if we approach this completely differently? That kind of creative problem solving and systems

12:04thinking is still pretty uniquely human and it's just becoming more valuable, not less. All right,

12:10the fifth skill is what makes all of the others possible, adaptability and continuous learning.

12:15Think about this, how many of the skills or the tools that you use in your job today even existed

12:2110 years ago? Whether it's navigating remote working tools or understanding social media algorithms or

12:27working with AI, the pace of change is absolutely accelerating. So it kind of goes without saying that

12:32the ability to learn new skills quickly will set you apart in this evolving economy. And this might sound

12:38kind of obvious or elementary, but it's actually not quite as easy as it sounds. I know people who

12:43are a lot more comfortable with repeatedly being a beginner than others. It can be an uncomfortable

12:49and kind of frustrating feeling where as soon as you feel like you're getting comfortable with something,

12:54a new AI tool comes out or new research comes out and you have to pivot and learn the new thing. So

12:59getting comfortable with this, I think will become increasingly more important. And I think there are two

13:04keys to doing this well. Number one is staying curious. So not being afraid to turn to YouTube

13:10university when you need to upskill yourself, not being afraid to ask questions. Number two,

13:14it admittedly helps to be doing something you love because then this doesn't even feel like a chore.

13:18I didn't really know the first thing about editing a video or YouTube strategy or filming something

13:23five years ago, but I taught myself just through YouTube videos and I'm still learning along the way.

13:28And because it's something that I love doing so much, I just genuinely want to do this. I want to keep

13:32learning. So the key insight here is it's much less about being the smartest person in the room. It's

13:38a lot more about being the most curious and adaptable. Once you get comfortable with being

13:43uncomfortable and once you embrace the beginner's mindset as a more permanent state versus something

13:49to rush through, learning actually becomes a lot easier and more fun. So ask yourself, when was the

13:54last time that you learned something completely new? When did you last feel like a total beginner at

13:59something? Because again, in a world where things are changing so incredibly quickly, becoming a

14:04perpetual student might just become your most competitive advantage. All right, moving on to

14:08skill number six, a very human one, communication and influence. The ability to persuade, inspire, and

14:15connect will always be important. Oh my gosh, exhibit A. This book was written, what, 90 years ago? 1936.

14:24Almost 90. And some might think that it's becoming less important as things move more digital. I would

14:29actually argue the opposite. Most communication these days happens asynchronously and digitally. So

14:35the ability to actually drive clarity and connect becomes a lot harder. When you're not in the room to

14:41actually read someone's body language or clarify your tone or build rapport, you have to rely largely on

14:47crafting messages that are clear, compelling, and convincing through a screen. So things like being able to

14:53write an email that actually gets a response or, you know, give a presentation that actually drives

14:58action, create social content that actually engages people. And with remote work becoming more permanent,

15:03McKinsey actually found that 35% of jobs that can be done remotely will stay remote. Your ability to

15:09influence and inspire through digital channels will become more and more important. This is a story

15:14I've told before, but it really stuck with me. When I was interning at Blackstone during college,

15:18I learned that the COO and president John Gray, who has appeared on CNBC countless times, who's

15:24given God knows how many keynote speeches, and who has driven multi multi-billion dollar deals, still

15:30practices weekly with a public speaking coach. And if someone at that level prioritizes communication

15:36skills that much, I think it kind of tells me everything that I need to know about how important

15:40this is. And whether it's today, 10 years ago, or 10 years from now, I think that this skill really helps

15:46people stand out. So the big question, this all sounds fine and dandy, but how do we actually do

15:50this? Well, besides the million YouTube videos on this topic, there are three key things I wrote down

15:55that have helped me in my pursuit to become a more effective communicator. The first thing is,

16:00I try to identify the people around me who I find to be good communicators. The type of person who,

16:06when they speak, you listen, or when they offer their opinions, they're pretty compelling. You know,

16:12the type of person I'm talking about. And then I really try to pay attention to what it is about

16:17the way they're communicating that I find particularly compelling. Is it that they take

16:21pauses instead of using filler words, or they speak with an even tone, or they finish their sentences

16:27with a period instead of doing one long run-on sentence? Whatever it is, I try to really pay close

16:32attention and then incorporate those things myself. The second thing is a grab bag of techniques that I

16:37wrote down but thought I would share. Some I already just mentioned. Forcing myself to take pauses

16:41instead of using filler words, I was just about to do it. Ideally, finishing my sentences with a

16:47period, but I talk a lot and this one doesn't always happen in real life. And finally, practice

16:52and the humility to recognize your mistakes. For example, the first panel I spoke on, you know,

16:57I thought it went well. In the moment it felt pretty good. I could definitely tell I was a little nervous,

17:02but I thought it went okay. I watched it back and I was like,

17:06Ooh, that's rough. And that's coming from someone who is very used to seeing themselves on video.

17:13So it wasn't, it wasn't that. I spoke way too fast. I didn't really take a moment to gather my thoughts.

17:20I wasn't really breathing. I spoke at a way higher pitch than my normal speaking tone.

17:24It just, it wasn't great. After I got over the cringe, I tried to actually identify how I could have

17:29improved so I could put those learnings into practice the next time that I did it. The next time,

17:34sure enough, I took breaths. My heart rate came down a bit. Was it perfect? No, but it was much

17:40better than the first time. And I think that the next time will be a lot better than the last.

17:44Practice. You got to do the scary thing to make it not scary. The third thing is having a YouTube

17:49channel. Sorry. I say sorry because I always talk about having a YouTube channel as being the thing

17:55that taught me the most. It takes much less time to edit a video where I'm speaking clearly and not

18:01using filler words. So you can imagine after thousands of hours of editing footage of myself

18:07talking, trust me, I've learned to speak a bit more clearly just to make my job easier. Do you have

18:11to have a YouTube channel to do this? No, but I bet it would be helpful to take a video of yourself

18:16and then watch it afterwards and look for the strengths and weaknesses. The bottom line is this,

18:20whether you're speaking to someone through a screen or you're speaking to a crowd of people,

18:24the fundamentals remain the same. You need to be clear, compelling, incredible. And even though

18:30the medium might change, your ability to connect with people and make your ideas resonate will

18:35always set you apart. Period. And last but not least, another skill that is near and dear to my heart,

18:42I guess a lot of these are financial literacy. Now let's be real. This skill is always important,

18:47but with the workforce landscape changing as it is, I think it's as important as ever to have savings,

18:54investments, and an emergency fund. And that's not just to prepare for the worst case scenario.

18:58It's also because of what we talked about earlier, how many people are becoming freelancers or starting

19:04a side income. Well, when you're earning an independent contractor income and not just a

19:08traditional salary, a lot of the financial management that used to be automatic now becomes

19:13your responsibility. No more automatic tax withholding, predictable paychecks, or 401k matching.

19:19You're now in charge of managing a regular income, setting aside cash for taxes,

19:23and building your own financial security. A famous stat is that the average millionaire has

19:28seven income streams. Now what this tells me is not that we need to start seven income streams,

19:33but that those who have built wealth have diversified their revenue. They are not overly

19:38exposed to one source of income. So what to do with this information? Start small, but start

19:43intentionally. If you're earning money from a job or a side hustle or freelance projects here and there,

19:49the key is to get your money working for you. So depending on what you do or what your business

19:53model is, that might mean opening a high yield savings account. It might mean learning the basics

19:58of investing through index funds, if you haven't already, or reinvesting profits from your business

20:03into tools that will help you grow. You don't need to become a financial expert overnight or have

20:06seven revenue streams, but it is good to become the kind of person who knows where your money is going

20:12and why and to give your money a job. This is something I fortunately took an interest in at a

20:17pretty young age, sometimes just investing a hundred dollars a month. But 10 years later,

20:22those small decisions have multiplied into a nice chunk of change from me not doing anything

20:28complicated. The key is to start early and be consistent. So make an intentional plan that works

20:33for you and for your goals, your future self will thank you. Now, like I said, this skill is always

20:39important, but I wanted to slide it into a video about the future economy as well. So the real

20:43takeaway here, yes, the world is changing fast. It would be silly to deny that or to not have some

20:49slight anxiety around it. I totally get it. But a lot of the content I've seen around this topic has

20:54just been kind of negative and kind of would fill the viewer with a sense of dread. And I just think

20:59that there's a place to be hopeful and proactive instead of just panicking. So I hope this video did

21:05this for you. And once again, these seven skills, digital fluency, personal branding,

21:10entrepreneurial thinking, creative problem solving, adaptability, communication, and financial

21:15literacy. No need to master all seven of those overnight, but maybe pick one or two that resonate

21:19the most with you because the best investment that you can make is in yourself, period. So if this gave

21:26you something to think about, hit the thumbs up, subscribe, leave a comment. I read every single one.

21:31Thank you guys for being here. And until next time, turtle out.

21:36I hope you can't hear my bubbling lacroix over here.

21:42I try to identify around me in my circle of friends and just people I interact with on the daily.

21:48Well, it doesn't have to be on the daily.

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