One in four Americans hitting peak burnout before turning 30, and over half of American workers across age ranges they are currently experiencing at least moderate levels of burnout. The state of modern workplace stress is accelerating, and it can create mental health concerns for employees鈥攁s well as high turnover, low productivity, and worse business outcomes for employers.

What鈥檚 fueling it? Increasingly, point to 鈥減seudowork.鈥� Pseudowork is busy work: the constant churn of e-mails, meetings, and low-impact tasks that leave employees drained and unfulfilled.

When a workday is filled with seemingly endless busy work, it may be a natural reaction to get home and ask yourself, 鈥淲hat did I actually accomplish today?鈥� Simultaneously exhausting and demoralizing, pseudowork may be a key contributor to the burnout increasingly felt by younger generations.

If pseudowork is a key contributor to employee burnout, then the solution may be the opposite: opportunities for real learning and development in the workplace. Almost a third of employees that high-quality training at work left them feeling 鈥渢ruly enlightened and invigorated.鈥� They also felt 鈥渉ighly valued and empowered鈥� by their employers, recognizing the continuous investment in their development. In addition to the obvious benefit of creating a more highly-skilled workforce, learning opportunities help employees feel a sense of achievement, excitement, and empowerment鈥攂reaking up the pattern of pseudowork and combatting burnout in the process.

This kind of meaningful learning can be unlocked through , which allows people from the entire 麻豆原创 ecosystem to access a wide range of to enjoy while taking a break from answering yet another e-mail. Structured 麻豆原创 Learning Journeys can allow workers to dive in at their own pace according to their unique needs and goals. They can be seamlessly integrated into daily work routines to allow employees to forge their own continuous learning path. As an said herself, 鈥溌槎乖� Certification boosts my confidence and adaptability. Continuous learning聽not only enriches my knowledge base but also ensures that the solutions I provide are cutting-edge and in sync with the evolving tech landscape.鈥�

By integrating continuous learning into daily routines, organizations can do more than build skills鈥攖hey can reinvigorate their teams and begin to truly counter the effects of pseudowork.

Sabine Benz is head of Enablement and Engagement at 麻豆原创.

For some people, this outlook is especially bitter. , women hold only 26% of computing-related jobs today. And the number for people from ethnic minorities drops even lower. Accessing digital skills and securing a fulfilling, well-paid job in the tech industry often seems out of reach for them. 鈥淲hen I was young, I didn鈥檛 really know what I was passionate about,鈥� says Karen Rodrigues from Brazil in a recent blog post on . 鈥淭he only thing I knew was that I wanted to get a job and earn money. My parents also had a specific idea of what my career should look like. So, I started my studies in business administration and accounting, got my degrees, and got my first job in this area.鈥� For women like Rodrigues, a career in tech had never been up for debate.

Gender Stereotypes Are Often the Root

One of the reasons why women 鈥� or people of color for that matter 鈥� often don鈥檛 have a career in the IT industry in mind are gender stereotypes. When people think of the technology industry, they usually associate young White males with developer roles. These stereotypes often originate in the experiences and ideologies we encountered in our childhood and school years. And many of them are here to stay. The fact that the IT industry is much more diverse, both in terms of the workforce and the roles that exist within it, is often overlooked or not explored further. In Rodrigues’ case, it took an opportunity to turn her life around.

鈥淚 received an opportunity that would send me on a completely different path: ,鈥� the 麻豆原创 mentor explains. 鈥淚 asked myself, 鈥楽hould I quit my job in accounting and do something different altogether?鈥� It was a hard decision.鈥�

Rodrigues was brave enough to do it. 鈥淚 decided to take the leap, but the transition into tech wasn鈥檛 easy. Back then, the industry was still very much dominated by men. I was the only woman, and I was judged because of that. I was told I talk too much, have a different style, and maybe wasn鈥檛 even suited to be in this area. But I was confident that this was the place for me. I wanted to be a woman in tech.鈥�

She worked hard to show that she was competent and had the skills to succeed. 鈥淚t is my belief that knowledge is power and the key to success. You must study and you have to take action to change your life,鈥� she adds. 鈥淚 am glad that there are opportunities to upskill.鈥�

Many Make Use of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Digital Skills Initiative

One opportunity to gain the digital skills needed to succeed in what鈥檚 to come is 麻豆原创鈥檚 latest . Launched in November 2022 with the goal of further lowering the barrier to accessing digital skills and reaching those who are currently underrepresented in tech, the initiative has been met with great interest. Around 4,000 women, people from ethnic minorities, or individuals from rural areas, for instance, have already applied online and started with . Following the completion of a course and thanks to 麻豆原创鈥檚 sponsorship of 10,000 free exam vouchers, they will be able to get a sought-after to help acquire a secure and well-paid job within the industry. And .

With 655,000 learners in 2021 and more than 1 million in 2022, hopes to bring a world-class learning experience to even more people with this initiative. But it doesn鈥檛 stop there. To take efforts further, 麻豆原创 is actively seeking partners and customers to explore sponsorship and internship options for some candidates who pass this certification exam. This can also lead to a full-time employment opportunity. Many of those will also be made available on the new , where 3 million members exchange on career advice and paths on a regular basis.

Employers Seek Tens of Thousands of Technology Consultants

As businesses rely on technology consultants to advise and manage the implementation of IT systems and provide guidance when training staff, the demand is set to increase in the coming years in this area. In the U.S. alone, there were more than 50,000 technology consultant job postings in the last year.*

To make a valuable contribution to upskilling future technology consultants, 麻豆原创 has also launched a partnership with Coursera at the end of 2022. One hundred and ten million subscribers of all backgrounds can prepare for an entry-level on Coursera鈥檚 Web site 鈥� no college degree or prior experience required. The certificate comprises seven courses, four of which are available today with the rest rolling out over the coming months. Altogether, the certificate can be completed in about five to six months and more than 9,000 Coursera subscribers have already enrolled in the courses.

鈥淣ever Too Late to Learn Something New鈥�

鈥淚 have seen a lot of people who were waiting for the right moment to steer their lives in a new direction,鈥� Rodrigues explains. 鈥淭hey were not ready for something new, or they were simply afraid. But living in the past is not good. Yesterday can鈥檛 do anything for you; today can. But I wish I had known that back then. I wish I had been more disciplined in the past. Time is valuable.鈥�

Rodrigues was and still is curious. She set out to learn something new and built a successful work life as a woman in tech. She has navigated an industry that is still very much dominated by men and has fought against gender stereotypes with discipline and trust in her abilities. She never settles for less and that makes her a role model for many women worldwide. Her advice is loud and clear: 鈥淚t鈥檚 never too late to learn something new. I can only encourage you to learn and to go for the next challenge. Strive for something higher, and you will grow 鈥� professionally but, most importantly, personally.鈥�

You can read Rodrigues鈥� full blog post on her .

*Lightcast™ (2022, US-only), Job Postings report (September 2021 鈥� September 2022). Retrieved October 2022.

Sabine Benz is global VP and head of Product Engagement at 麻豆原创 Learning.

Here are four exciting trends that provide tech teams and organizations a great opportunity to grow.

The Gig Economy Provides More Opportunity Than We May Recognize

Freelance work is on the rise with a sizable of Americans, nearly 58 million adults, identifying as independent workers.

What鈥檚 most exciting about this trend is that it enables organizations to more easily expand or reduce their workforce based on specific company demand while also providing an opportunity for organizations to diversify their teams and ultimately develop more creative and innovative work. There鈥檚 a common perception that the benefit of freelance work is purely cost savings, but there鈥檚 a real opportunity for organizations to take advantage of this upward trend to both maintain flexible workstreams as well as incorporate diverse thinking.

Low-Code/No-Code Platforms Have Great Potential to Widen the Talent Pool

For decades, there have been limited routes for businesses to implement application development, such as buying apps ready-made from an external vendor or building them from scratch using skilled developers. Today, we鈥檙e witnessing a rise in development alternatives that bring coding capabilities to users who may be interested in code, though may not have advanced experience or a formal degree.

Companies can capitalize on this growing trend by dedicating space for the use of no-code/low-code platforms, supporting employee learning and development opportunities surrounding these platforms, ultimately reducing strain on IT departments and leading increased innovation. If you like to learn more about 麻豆原创鈥檚 free offerings to upskill on low-code/no-code app development, please visit the .

AI Training Cannot Be Overlooked

While the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) is not necessarily something new, its continued role in making certain tasks automated will require individuals to be comfortable performing their work alongside AI, solving problems in new ways. Companies can no longer overlook the need to provide AI training for their tech employees. Doing so will unlock essential skills employees need to utilize this advanced technology and allow employees to uplevel their work and spend more time on strategic work.

Navigating the Hybrid Workspace

With a staggering , it is safe to say that hybrid work is here to stay. The hybrid model can offer numerous advantages such as flexibility and cost benefits, yet this model can challenge employees and managers alike as it still hasn鈥檛 been perfected.

As hybrid work environments increasingly become the norm, companies must provide tech workers with sufficient training and guidance to navigate this new and constantly changing model. This could look like trainings on setting boundaries while working remotely or setting internal hybrid work expectations as a company, such as when meetings can and cannot be scheduled and how to take advantage of in-person moments or intentional brainstorming and innovation. Even though we鈥檝e been working throughout the last two or more years of the pandemic, it鈥檚 important to recognize that the hybrid workplace trend is a specific challenge itself that must be specifically addressed as opposed to letting employees self-navigate.

Technology is rapidly evolving. Simultaneously, the pandemic has witnessed a larger workplace transformation than ever before. In this moment of significant change, we must keep a pulse on how these trends affect both organizations as a whole and their employers, being proactive in offering the learning and development opportunities necessary for employees to thrive.

Sabine Benz is vice president and head of Product Engagement for 麻豆原创 Learning.