Top 7 Most Underrated Tech Skills to Learn Now

The technology landscape moves quickly, and while AI or blockchain capabilities make the news, some of the most real-world skills go unnoticed. These less-conspicuous tech skills are highly sought after, adaptable, and can make you stand out in 2025. Getting ahead and learning them sooner will improve your professional life, whether you are a beginner or an expert user. Let’s explore the most underappreciated tech skills to learn, why they are important, and how to start.

1. Data Storytelling

Data informs decisions, but figures in their raw state require context to be understood. Data storytelling—a technology skill that has been extremely overpromoted—is the combination of analytics, visualization, and communication to tell insights as an engaging story. Using tools such as Tableau, Power BI, or Python’s Seaborn, you can transform difficult-to-understand data into easy-to-understand points to get across to stakeholders.

Why is it not being used to its full potential? Most concentrate on data analysis but neglect to present it. A 2024 LinkedIn report recorded a 25% spike in demand for data storytelling ability across industries such as marketing and finance. Such a skill creates job opportunities, such as a data analyst or business strategist.

How to begin: Learn Coursera courses at no cost or work on Kaggle data. Create data storytelling dashboards and present them in a portfolio.

2. API Design

APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) integrate applications, making API design an unheralded technical skill. Logical, simple-to-use APIs with REST or GraphQL allow for effortless system interaction. Contemporary application developers need this capability.

A 2025 Stack Overflow survey established that 70% of programmers use APIs, yet nobody excels at building them effectively. This shortage presents a chance for solution architects or backend developers.

How to learn: Go through freeCodeCamp’s API tutorials or Postman’s learning platform. Build a trivial API using Python’s FastAPI and implement it in real projects.

3. Cybersecurity Awareness

With cyberattacks still on the rise, cybersecurity knowledge is an underappreciated technical skill for every technical professional. Knowing basics like secure coding, encryption, and threat detection is well worth it, even in non-security roles. Organizations need employees who can protect data.

A 2024 report by Cybersecurity Ventures puts the estimated shortage of cybersecurity professionals at 3 million as early as 2026. A fundamental understanding makes you a developer or IT administrator. The majority do not factor this in, believing it is for the specialist.

How to begin: Utilize Hack The Box or Cybrary for introductory courses. Study two-factor authentication and prevalent vulnerabilities.

4. Cloud Cost Optimization

Cloud platforms like AWS and Azure are the norm, yet cloud expense optimization is a neglected technical skill. It’s about designing systems that balance the requirements of performance and cost. With businesses overpaying for cloud services, this skill is in high demand.

A single 2025 Gartner study forecasts that 60% of companies waste cloud budgets due to the absence of optimization. This skill is appropriate for cloud engineers or IT consultants.

How to do it: Experiment with AWS’s Cost Explorer tutorials or Azure cost management capabilities. Implement cost-efficient architectures on free-tier accounts.

5. API Security

While the creation of APIs is critical, API security is an underappreciated tech skill that is even more crucial today. APIs are a preferred attack vector for hackers, and it takes OAuth, rate limiting, and input validation knowledge to secure them. This skill is essential for web or mobile application developers.

A 2024 OWASP report included APIs as one of the top security issues, but few developers prioritize hardening them. Therefore, you are an asset to backend development.

Getting started: Study OAuth in the Auth0 documentation. Harden APIs in a sandbox environment in practice.

6. Linux Command Line

Linux command line expertise is underappreciated yet robust. Linux powers servers, cloud computing, and IoT. To be proficient in navigating and scripting within Linux is an underappreciated technical skill for DevOps engineers or system administrators.

85% of IT managers consider Linux skills a priority, based on a 2024 Linux Foundation survey. The vast majority of novices learn to code but overlook this practical skill. (Keyword count: 14)

How to learn: Begin with Linux Journey or Codecademy’s lesson on Linux. Practice using the grep command and shell scripting on a virtual machine.

7. UX Research

UX design is the cool thing, but UX research—observing users and usability testing—is an underappreciated tech skill. It meets some product standards for users. While companies focus on customer experience, UX researchers are needed but are usually pushed to the sidelines by designers.

A 2025 Glassdoor report identified UX research as one of the fastest-growing tech jobs, increasing 20% in job postings. This is an excellent career for individuals with a strong interest in psychology and problem-solving.

How to get started: Try testing with tools like UserTesting or take free courses at Interaction Design Foundation to learn how to conduct research.

Why These Skills Matter

These underappreciated tech skills are worth their weight in gold and answer market needs. They’re not sexier than AI but are highly sought after. Pairs of skills, such as API security and Linux or data storytelling and UX research, make for a flexible skillset. The tech world loves applicants who are experts in these not-so-sexy subjects.

How to Get Started

Ready to learn about those underappreciated tech skills? Here’s a plan:

• Pick one skill that fits your objective.
• You don’t have to be a programmer to learn how to code. Utilize free resources such as Coursera, freeCodeCamp, or YouTube.
• Work hands-on on projects or open-source contributions.
• Exhibit your work on LinkedIn or in your portfolio.

Acquiring these skills early, while they are less popular, is in your favor. They are your key to getting noticed in an oversaturated tech scene.

Conclusion: Underrated Tech Skills to Learn

Emphasizing lesser-touted technology skills such as data storytelling, API design, cybersecurity knowledge, cloud cost optimization, API security, Linux command line, and UX research can propel your career. They are in demand, useful, and seldom seen, which makes them ideal for 2025. Begin now to be ahead in the future.