The COVID-19 pandemic pushed many people into the technology world without any notice. Some people never needed to be so involved in technology, while others did not want to. The same goes for young people; the entire world had to quickly transition to doing everything online, from attending classes to submitting important documents to teachers. Because of this, students and teachers have become much more tech-savvy.

There are specific information technology skills that will be invaluable for youth post-high school. Parents, students, and teachers need to ensure that their youth are ready and able to interact with certain technology to survive in the workforce or post-secondary education.

Google Drive and Microsoft 365

These two programs are vital to schools and workplaces, and students should be familiar with how both work. It varies from workplace to workplace and university to university as to which program they select. Google Drive and Microsoft 365 allow users to access their files from anywhere as long as there is an internet connection.

Webmails for businesses and education sites are also connected to these two programs. Being familiar with both will give the user a smoother transition into the everyday passing of information used in each location. Both include word processing like Microsoft Word and Google Docs. Microsoft 365 uses Excel and Google Drive uses Sheets for creating spreadsheets.

These two programs also offer certifications in various areas and are well worth the time and effort if a recent high school grad wants to boost their resume.

Operating Systems

Operating systems are an area that people often don’t think about. Operating systems (OS) are the systems that your computer uses to do anything. PCs typically use Microsoft Windows, and Macs use Apple MacOS. Typically, people are more attuned to one rather than the other. However, students should try to familiarize themselves with both as much as possible if they get hired or start school where they use the unfamiliar OS.

It may seem not very clear at first, but the more someone plays around with one rather than the other they are comfortable with, the easier it will get. This will avoid surprise on the first day of work such as not knowing how to turn on the computer or log into the desktop.

Social Media Platforms

The majority of teens have used social media by the time they graduate from high school. Almost all businesses and post-secondary education rely on social media for advertisement and the spread of information. Not knowing which social media platforms new places of employment or your new university use can put individuals at a disadvantage.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok are the most popular platforms used by businesses and universities. Be sure to check all of them out before a job interview or college open house if any are unfamiliar. Within these apps, there are some skills that users should know; understanding digital photography or digital media is a specific skill that some employers are looking for.

LinkedIn is another social media platform that some people might not even think of as social media. However, those who are on it can find great information. Additionally, employers most likely will check to see if you are on LinkedIn to see your professional experience and skills.

Knowledge of these sites can also help a post-high school student network and possibly find their dream job.

Internet Applications

Students should be accustomed to internet applications – everyday applications that will be used over and over again. A post-high school grad needs to email and add attachments and create readable emails without slang and with proper punctuation. They should also be able to copy files from one computer to another. These may seem basic but are skills that employers will assume a new hire knows how to do. Gathering electronic signatures and using Adobe Acrobat or creative sites like Canva are also beneficial skills post-high school.

The more experience and tech knowledge that students have when graduating high school, the better prepared they will be for the next stage of their lives, whether entering the workforce or going on to post-secondary education such as college. Students should be encouraged to try new platforms in and out of school and not be afraid to do school projects requiring new knowledge.

The more teachers, parents, and caretakers push their students to try new tech programs, the better prepared these young adults will be after high school. They simply need to know that these programs exist and be given the opportunity to try them out.