In the modern workplace, data integration skills can help you supercharge your career. Regardless of what kind of job you have, it’s likely you will be working with some kind of software. It might be a cloud billing system, an appointment scheduling system, warehouse software, or even just email. Most software applications are driven by data inputs and outputs. If you have even basic competency with data integration, it can open up many opportunities for you to automate tasks and leverage data to solve business problems.

It’s clear that we are living in a data-driven world. Our steady transition toward highly digitalized lives is making data a key asset in the modern economy. When we go online to make purchases, consume content, or share on social media, we are generating valuable data. Many of the largest tech companies are now operating on business models that depend on leveraging data. However none of that is possible without data integration.

The rapid advancement of technology is both a threat and an opportunity for logistics workers. Robotics, autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence could reduce the number of available jobs in certain categories. For example, one report estimated that 294,000 US trucking jobs could be eliminated over the next 25 years as a result of autonomous vehicle technology. However, the growth of cloud technologies offers an opportunity for these workers to move beyond undifferentiated roles into knowledge work that is more aligned with their organization’s goals.