Think technology skills are only important for people working in IT? Think again. Technology skills are rapidly becoming one of the most in-demand hard skills for jobs of any type, blurring the line between many traditional business positions and more technology-focused IT work. Job candidates with skills and experience across a range of technical disciplines are in high demand, and brushing up on these skills will increase your value to employers while increasing the range of positions available to you. Thanks to a huge number of free or cheap online resources, it has never been easier to pick up these new skills.

Read on to discover three areas where technology skills can help you to succeed no matter what job you are looking for.

Databases Are Everywhere

Almost every business makes use of databases in one form or another, and knowing how to work with them can lead to better-paying positions and the opportunity for greater career advancement. According to CNBC, Structured Query Language (SQL) is one of the top five most in-demand hard skills for jobs of any type. SQL is a special language used to interact with databases, and it can be used to make more powerful queries than are possible with simple, graphical front-ends. Learning SQL can also be a gateway to exceptionally high-paying IT jobs, as database administrators are both well paid and in demand.

Data Science Is the Future

One of the trendiest fields in technology today is data science. Although this term refers to a broad range of job responsibilities, in general, data scientists are responsible for analyzing business data and using it to create actionable plans and strategies. Data scientists spend most of their time working with databases, making this another area where knowledge of SQL is valuable. Additionally, data-oriented programming languages are used throughout the field both for data analysis and the generation of reports and visualizations.

While you may not be interested in switching careers, learning the basics of data science is incredibly useful for any administrative position. Nearly every modern business collects a huge amount of data on customer and client activity, and knowledge of data science tools can help you to understand and work with this data.

SEO Is a Key Marketing Skill

Even if you are not directly dealing with your business's own data, understanding how data is used by the companies that you interact with is important as well. One of the most important ways this happens is through search engine indexing. If you are in a marketing position or a position that must interact with marketing professionals, then understanding search engine optimization (SEO) is a key skill. SEO describes a variety of techniques that are used to help your business reach customers by appearing higher in relevant search results through careful choices about how your business's internet presence is indexed.

While all of these skills are useful if you are looking to break into a technological field, they are also a great way to stand out from the crowd even for non-IT roles. If any of these things sound interesting to you, start looking into tech or IT jobs in your area today.