Cloud architecture, a software platform called Dynatrace and art history top a list of topics — published on Thursday by the online learning platform Udemy — that have shown the greatest surges of interest among workers this year.
Udemy found that interest in cloud architecture jumped 285%; Dynatrace, which offers tools for security and infrastructure monitoring, saw 273% growth; while art history surged 265% for U.S. learners. The data comes from Udemy Business, where businesses sign up with the online learning platform to offer courses and certifications to their workers.
While Udemy Business lists courses on technical skills, art history falls into the “personal growth” category on the platform. The trend showed up globally, too, with Udemy reporting a 42% surge for “decluttering” and 66% for “passive income” skills. That trend aligns with another poll the company published this spring in which more respondents were focused on personal or hobby-related skills over technical or soft-business skills like communication.
On the technical side, interest in decentralized applications and the cryptocurrency exchange Binance saw the highest increases globally, followed by OpenStack Cloud and FastAPI. Among “power skills,” or skills that aren’t technical but are used in the workplace, workers globally were looking for courses on efficiency and personal success, as well as achieving goals.
Udemy reported 21% revenue growth year-over-year at the end of 2021. The platform works directly with businesses to offer online skilling programs. It does not offer accredited options with universities, but it does offer certifications when a Udemy course is complete. Some universities partner with Udemy to give students and staff free access.
Udemy also allows users to sign up to teach their own courses, earning a share of the income. Skillshare, which offers the same service, raised $66 million in funding after the coronavirus pandemic spiked its user numbers. Skillshare logged more than 12 million registered users in Dec. 2020, according to TechCrunch.
