How many of us can say, with certainty, what jobs we would choose if we were kids today? The pace of technological change in the time, I’ve been in work is only a shadow of what we will see over the next 15 to 20 years. This next wave of change will fundamentally reshape all of our careers. Our future place of work might not be an open office, but interconnected workspaces not tied to one place, but many. They will be underpinned by virtual conferencing, complete and constant connection and portability. Critically, these very technologies might help us unlock the solutions to some of the biggest societal challenges we currently grapple with. The ICT underpinning these technologies, in consort with the transformational power of big data could support smart systems that will help tackle climate challenges. Connected homes, factories and farms leveraging smart energy management systems could mean dramatically lower energy use, which would contribute to the decarbonisation of our economies. Future generations are currently facing the frustration of preparing for careers that could not even exist yet. Selecting a college is difficult enough without adding the possibility that many of the jobs in specific fields will soon be eliminated due to technology. Experts estimate that 65-percent of kids in the next generation will have jobs that are not even created yet. In addition to seeing new jobs in the future, many old jobs will also be obsoleted, being replaced by robots or software automation. Although the idea of losing a job to a robot is unsettling, not every professional is affected. A recent article from The Economist, reviewed the probability of certain jobs remaining the future, many of which are high-paying. The most likely to be eliminated include, accountants/auditors, telemarketers, technical writers, word processors, real estate agents and retail salespersons.
Then, what new jobs will be created to replace the obsolete? Let’s discuss a few technologies for the jobs that will exist in15 to 20 years but do not exist now. With the continued popularity of drones, in the future there will be drones for everything including delivery services, forensics and filming. Once drones take over the world, there will be a great need for commercial civilian drone operators. This will require a pilot’s license and additional extensive training and experience. In the next decade or two, it will not be uncommon to see major delivery airlines using near-pilotless airplanes. Amazon has already proposed the idea of using drones for local deliveries. Whether or not you are linked in to Bitcoin, digital currencies are on the rise as people are becoming untrusting of government-controlled currency. To ensure you do not have a disastrous financial portfolio in the future, you need to enlist a digital currency advisor who is well-verse in the crypto currencies to maintain a diversified portfolio. Skills include a degree in computer security and financial management. With digital locks becoming the norm, in the near future digital locksmith’s, who are experts in dealing with digital locks, will start to be employed. Their primary function will be to get people out of locked cars or into their homes when technology fails. Since no technology is 100-pecent perfect (there will always be defects), a digital locksmith will save the day. 3D printing has taken the world by storm. From simple uses like creating models in the cosmetics industry to more complicated parts like prosthetics, 3D printing continues to develop. In the near future, there will be 3D food printing which using the same technology as 3D printing only to create different types of food, some of which is edible. Food engineers will need to have chemistry and an engineering background to land this type of job.
With the Internet of Things continuing to be adopted, smart grids and home automation systems are on the rise. In the near future, society will need a skilled technician to install all of these devices and configure them to our exact need. Think about it, after decades of improving the technology, people still are unable to setup a new TV. There will be a huge market for the home automation contractor which will require technical training on each product. Forget about DJ’s and VJ’s, the future will soon be about media remixers who mash-up a variety of past and present audio and video media to develop incredible experiences for weddings, restaurants, schools, artists and brands. The best way to envision this type of position is virtual reality meeting a nightclub with a splash of vertigo. The required skill set includes graphic design and audio engineering. There are currently several labs around the world that can grow human organs in a simple petri dish. Eventually technology will become commercially available and there will be a need for an organ harvester to plant and then harvest the organs prior to them being implanted by robot-surgeons. These positions will require biology and chemistry backgrounds. The role of a personal web manager is to prevent people from making fools of themselves across the social media and the Internet. As absurd as this position sounds, there is a growing need for such a job. Your reputation is only as good as the information that people can dig up about you online. If you are overwhelmed by perfecting your social media accounts, imagine the difficulty in 20 years when the landscape has grown exponentially. Personal web managers will be a combination of publicist, hacker, guidance counselor and security agent. The required skills for this position include Web and a tech savvy individual. Natural landscapes continue to disappear across the globe as a result of overdevelopment, natural disaster and industrial farming. Therefore, it will be critical in the future to have a fleet of rewilders who have agricultural and wildlife management training to return nature to some of the environment’s most forsaken locations. While this is a very general position, robot operators will be needed in specific industries. With robots slowly taking over manual labor jobs, there will be a need for a technician to install, configure and fix issues when there are hiccups or failures. Robot operators will simply need technical training to their specific products.
Technology has and continues to change the world on a daily basis. With innovation at an all-time high and exponential growth of technology, in 10 years, the world will be a completely different place. There are many uses of technology, convenience, entertainment, efficiency, cost savings, etc. With thousands of products and fields undergoing a technological makeover due to startup companies making better products, processes and services, there needs to be experts in those fields. The aforementioned jobs that will exist in the near future that do not currently exist will open an entire market of applicants. While many are losing their jobs because of technology, there are just as many gaining new positions as a result of that same technology. And yet we must be vigilant. Not of technological change; we have the power and innovation to harness and use its power as we see fit. But of access to the connectivity and opportunity it brings. Lastly, we must use every tool within our armory to ensure the current and future generations are not left behind in the global digital skill race.
(Writer can be reached to;[email protected])
Technologies of future for future Career
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