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Youve spent your entire life immersed in the digital world. So youre pretty much already an expert, right? Not so fast. As it turns out, theres plenty more to learn in todays fast-moving digital space -- particularly if youre interested in becoming a change agent in your chosen field. Read on for a roundup of three reasons to pursue a masters degree with a focus on the digital, along with one program that gets it right when it comes to helping students acquire the skills they need -- not just to survive, but to truly thrive in the ever-changing digital landscape.

1. Digital skills open diverse doors.

Do a quick internet search of the words digital skills, and youll turn up countless articles on essential, must-have and top digital skills employers are looking for today. At the same time, US staffing and solutions company the Adecco Group reveals that 92 percent of employees arent prepared to navigate the contemporary business world. Claiming top four spots on the list of skills executives think workers lack? Technical and software skills.

But thats not all, insists The Guardian, It's not just the scale and pace of the digital revolution that makes it exciting; it's also the fact that it's being democratized. No longer reserved for IT departments and tech companies, digital is becoming a critical part of every industry and is opening up opportunities across sectors, whether it's top surgeons video linking into operating theatres from abroad or targeted mobile advertising based on clothes you're trying on in real time.

So whether you want to be a teacher, doctor, businessperson, lawyer, journalist, or one of a million other possible career paths, skills like SEO, coding, video editing, imaging editing, blogging and others are quickly moving from the category of nicety to necessity. The takeaway? Digital skills arent just highly sought-after in technology-related sectors; theyre also universally prized.

2. Digitalization is essential to corporate development.

According to a recent article in The Telegraph, Why Digital Skills Matter for Your Company, businesses that improve the digital skills of all their employees will become more productive, innovative, profitable and secure. For bottom-line-minded organizations, these are hard words to ignore. Just how much do businesses stand to gain by embracing all things digital? As reported by The Telegraph based on research by Oxford Economics for Virgin Media Business, the UK economy could see a boost of 92bn and more than one million jobs in the next two years alone.

Said Peter Winebloom, skills director a manufacturers organizations EEF, Britain is on the cusp of a global, technology-driven fourth industrial revolution, but the challenge comes from ensuring that we have access to the right skills in the right numbers. In other words, if the UK -- and other countries, too -- is to reach its potential, it will take workers with the right digital skills make it happen.

3. Students with digital skills are prepared to respond to future changes

Digital has fully infiltrated the contemporary consumer experience. The result? Consumers have higher expectations than ever before. Organizations looking to maintain their success with customers and profitability need to do more than satisfy what customers want now; they also need to be forward-thinking about what theyll want next. Asserts The Guardian, Businesses must invest now in digital training to empower their employees, boost productivity and fuel innovation or the UK might be left behind.

But the ability to predict, plan and ultimately maneuver the challenges of the digital evolution doesnt just benefit businesses. It also benefits workers who -- with the right combination of digital knowledge, skills and savvy -- acquire built-in defenses against obsoletion.

Introducing the Masters in Digital Business Innovation and Transformation

Now that you know why digital skills are so important, it begs the question: What masters degree can best position you for success in the business world? The part-time, English-language program offered by the IMC FH KREMS - University of Applied Sciences/Austria offers students a direct path to the skills they need to turn the obstacles of digital transformation into ongoing opportunities.

With a focus on the cultivation of practical skills within an international context, the program is also non-industry-specific -- meaning its graduates will enter the working world not just with a prestigious Master of Arts in Business and 120 ECTS credits, but also with a broad and transferable outlook which can be applied to any industry.

Digital fluency is so important in the 21st century that it is now being prioritized alongside math and literacy as essential skills in countries around the world. Do you have the digital skills you need to reach your career goals? If not, IMC Krems Masters in Digital Business Innovation and Transformation may be the perfect way to make sure youre ready -- not just for the challenges of todays digital world, but also for whatevers coming next.

Joanna worked in higher education administration for many years at a leading research institution before becoming a full-time freelance writer. She lives in the beautiful White Mountains region of New Hampshire with her family.

Read more:
Why You Need a Master's Degree that Develops Your Digital Skills - Masterstudies News (blog)