Recently, tech giants such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have been laying off thousands of employees, despite the industry's overall growth. Google recently announced that it would be laying off 12,000 people, Amazon began a fresh wave of job cuts affecting more than 18,000 people, and Twitter, under the leadership of Elon Musk, has also made redundancies, slashing over half of the company’s headcount since taking over as CEO, Microsoft announced plans to lay off 10,000 workers, Spotify cuts 6% of its workforce, impacting 600 people, and the list continues.

While the layoffs have been attributed to a shift in company focus, it's becoming clear that having tech skills alone is not enough to secure a job in the tech industry.

One reason for this is that the tech industry is constantly evolving, and companies are always looking for new and innovative ways to stay ahead of the competition. As a result, they are looking for employees with a diverse set of skills and experiences that can help them adapt to these changes; they want employees who can bring more to the table than just technical skills. They want employees who can think strategically and have a good understanding of business operations and customer needs.

Another reason is that automation is becoming more prevalent in the tech industry, with companies turning to machines and algorithms to perform tasks that were previously done by humans. This has led to a decrease in demand for certain types of tech jobs, such as data entry and customer service.

In light of these trends, it's important for tech professionals to think about the way forward. To stay competitive in the tech industry, it's essential to have a diverse set of skills and experiences that can help you adapt to changing trends and technologies. This can include soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving, as well as technical skills in data science, machine learning, and cloud computing.

Additionally, it's important to stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and trends in the industry. This can be done through online courses, attending conferences, and networking with other professionals in the field.

Another way to future-proof your career is to look for opportunities to work on projects that apply technology to other industries. For example, data scientists who can work on healthcare projects, or IoT developers who can work on transportation projects. This will give you a unique set of skills that can be applied to different areas, making you more valuable to companies.

Finally, it's important to have a growth mindset, be open to learning new skills and technologies and be adaptable to change. The tech industry is always evolving, and to be successful in the future, you need to be willing to evolve with it.

In conclusion, while having tech skills is essential, more is needed to secure a job in the tech industry. The way forward is to have a diverse set of skills and experiences, stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and trends, and have a growth mindset. By doing so, you'll be able to adapt to the changes in the industry and secure a successful future in the tech industry.